What is Early Decision?
The most important thing to be aware of when it comes to Early Decision is that it’s a binding agreement between a student and a college. If admitted, you will be obligated to attend; this means you must withdraw applications from all of the other institutions you’ve applied to.
College applicants often have a dream school in mind. It could be one they’ve wanted to attend for years. Or, they’ve recently discovered that this college has the perfect courses in their major of choice. Either way, applying Early Decision is a way to show your dream school that it’s your number one choice.
As you can probably guess from the name, you need to submit your Early Decision application before you submit your Regular Decision (RD) applications. ED applications are typically due around November 1st and admissions decisions are released by mid- to late December.
Early Decision is different from Early Action (EA), another term you might hear floating around when it comes to application rounds. Most Early Action applications are due around the same time as ED deadlines, but students are not required to commit to their EA school.
Some colleges also offer an Early Decision II (ED2) option. This allows students to apply in January—usually around the same time as the Regular Decision applications. One difference between RD and ED2 is that colleges notify ED2 applicants in February, rather than March or April, and when you apply ED2, you sign the same binding Early Decision agreement as ED1 students.
A lot of small liberal arts colleges, such as Wellesley College, Middlebury College, and Colby College offer ED2. Some larger universities that offer ED2 include University of Chicago, Baylor University, Brandeis University, New York University, Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, and Washington University in St. Louis.
You can apply to only one school ED1, and if you are denied admission in the ED1 round, you cannot apply to the same school ED2. Students who apply ED1 or ED2 are also sometimes deferred to the RD pool. This often means that you are qualified and a good fit for the college, but the admissions officers may want a little more information, such as midterm grades, or they’re waiting to see what the RD pool looks like so that they can ensure a balanced incoming class. In either case, you are freed from the binding contract and can apply somewhere else ED2. If you are deferred, you should definitely submit a letter of continued interest!
Is early decision right for you?
Do you have a clear first choice college?
An ED application will require signatures from a parent and a college counselor from your school.
In order to determine whether a school is truly your number-one, you should visit the campus and spend some time there. Take a tour, get to know the student culture, sit in on a class or two, visit the dorms and the dining halls. If possible, stay on campus overnight as part of a high school visit program. If you know what you’re planning to major in, find out about the department that offers that major, and perhaps even talk to a professor or two. Does the school have a program for your intended major that excites you? Can you really picture yourself there? If you’re not sure, applying ED probably isn’t for you.
Are you strongly considering other schools?
Perhaps there are a few schools where you can imagine yourself thriving, and try as you might, you just can’t choose a single school as your first choice. That’s totally fine; however, you don’t want to end up locked into attending one particular school if there are others you know you’d like to consider. Keep in mind that senior year is often a time of rapid personal growth. Your goals, intended major, and even where you’d like to live can all change between November and May of your senior year. If keeping your options open is important to you, your application plan should reflect that.
Are you depending on improving your test scores or GPA in your senior year?
There is a possible boost in your likelihood of being admitted to your dream school with an ED application. Take a look at the data below:
School Early Decision Acceptance Rate Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
Brown 16.5% 3.9%
Duke 13.8% 3.7%
Vanderbilt 11.9% 2.8%
Williams 25.2% 6.3%
The numbers are very clear. In spite of this, however, ED applications are very competitive—especially with more schools dropping supplemental essays or going back to requiring test scores.
Simply put, you’ll need to submit as strong an application as possible. If you decide to take the SAT or ACT in November and count on those scores as part of your strong application package, you’ll need to wait and submit Regular Decision (RD) applications to include those scores.
When should you be starting on your application?
Early decision has a hard deadline of November 1st. If gathering everything you need to apply will make you feel rushed and negatively impact the quality of your application, ED is not your best bet.
Could you apply Early Action instead?
So you have some colleges you’re passionate about applying to, and want to get a jumpstart on your applications (while letting those colleges know that your interest is serious). If this is the case, check and see if these schools offer Early Action (EA) as an application plan.
Like ED, EA allows students to apply early (in November). However most students applying EA receive their decisions in late January or even February. Unlike ED, EA decisions aren’t binding, and students have until the regular May 1 deadline to make a final decision about which college to attend.
If you’re a high school senior with a definite top-choice college who’s prepared to submit a stellar application this November, you might be ready to apply ED.
If that’s the case, you should also know that ED applications will receive one of three decisions: admitted, denied, or deferred. If you’re denied, you cannot apply to the same school in the Regular Decision (RD) cycle. If you’re deferred, you’ll receive a response in the spring, when the RD decisions are sent out. If you are denied or deferred, you can apply EDII to a different school.
Leave a Reply