Maximizing Your College Admissions Chances with Early Decision and Early Action

Table of contents

• Overview

• Types of Early Action

• Perks of Applying Early

• Insights

Overview

Early decision and early action are somewhat similar concepts, which can confuse students. Early decision is a process in which students apply to their first-choice school earlier than the regular application deadline. Early action is also a process where students apply to universities before regular decision deadlines. But early decision is a binding commitment, meaning that if a student is admitted to a college through early decision, they must attend that college and withdraw applications from all other colleges. In contrast, early action allows the student to choose whether or not to accept the offer from the college and wait for the results from other colleges as well. A student can apply to only one college at a time under early decision, whereas in early action, the rules vary from institution to institution.

While most colleges offer one of these options, it is important for students to understand the difference between the two. The result of early decisions comes around mid-December, and the result of early action comes between December and January. Though they sound similar, the tricky part lies in the details.

Types of Early Action

There are two types of early action:

• Standard Early Action

• Restricted Early Action, also known as Single Choice Early Action

  
  

In Standard Early Action, a student can apply early to multiple colleges, whether private or public. In restricted early action, a student cannot apply early to other colleges, although they can apply normally to other colleges and universities. However, this restriction varies from college to college; some colleges restrict early applications to other private colleges only, while others restrict early applications to public colleges only. A student will need to be sure about the policies they are applying to.

Perks of Applying Early

Early action gives students the option to apply early or regularly to other colleges and universities, and it also offers an advantage in scholarships. Some colleges and universities offer scholarships to students who apply early. In today's environment, where tuition fees are skyrocketing, scholarships significantly help students financially. They reduce the burden on students to work while they study and lessen the pressure and amount for which a student might have to take out a student loan.

Moreover, early action gives students the advantage of comparing financial aid packages provided by multiple institutions and choosing the best one that aligns with their interests. In contrast, an early decision requires a student to withdraw their applications from all other colleges if admission is confirmed, unless the financial aid package is realistically viable. This means that comparing financial aid packages from other colleges is not possible with an early decision. If a student is satisfied with the package, they can proceed, but if not, they would have to forgo the seat. Applications for both early decision and early action open in early November.

Insights

You might conclude that early action is great and decide to choose it, but one thing you might not be aware of is that the acceptance rate of top institutions, which is as low as 2-3%, can grow 2-3x if a student applies through early decision. Isn’t that great? The exponential increase in acceptance chances is all a student desires when applying. Applying early signifies a student’s top-choice college and positively impacts their profile.