Early Admissions (EA, ED) FAQ
Get answers to your most pressing questions about Early Decision, Early Action, and Restricted EA admissions
I’ll get straight to the point—here are 15 questions I commonly receive about early admissions along with simple answers to help you decide if early admission is right for you.
1. What is Early Action (EA) vs. Early Decision (ED)?
Early Action is non-binding. Colleges review your application and give you an answer back “early”, typically by the end of January, whereas regular admission deadlines give answers in March. You therefore have more time - from January until the end of April - to decide which school you’ll attend.
Early Decision is binding—you’re committing to attend if you get in. As such, you can only apply to one ED school (at a time). Early Decision can show a high level of interest to a college, which may boost your chances of acceptance, but it requires careful upfront consideration of your top choice.
2. What is Restrictive Early Action (REA)?
Restrictive Early Action (REA) is a non-binding option that allows you to apply early but restricts you from applying to other private schools' early programs. It combines the flexibility of Early Action (EA) with some of the exclusivity of Early Decision (ED), allowing you to make your final decision later while still demonstrating interest.
3. What schools can I apply to if I choose early admissions?
If you apply Early Decision (ED) to a school, you can still apply to other schools under Regular Decision (RD), but not to another ED school. You can also apply to Early Action (EA) schools unless the ED school has specific restrictions. If you apply Restrictive Early Action (REA), you cannot apply ED anywhere else, but you can apply to non-restricted EA or Regular Decision schools. Still sounds confusing? Each college's website will give you the fine print on what’s allowed and what’s not.
4. What are the benefits of applying early?
You often have a higher chance of getting accepted and you’ll find out your results sooner, which can reduce stress during senior year. Also, securing an early acceptance can help you focus on enjoying your senior year or preparing for college life instead of waiting on decisions.
5. What are the downsides of early admissions?
You have less time to prepare your application, and with Early Decision (ED), you can't compare financial aid offers from multiple schools. This means that if your grades, test scores, or activities could benefit from a bit more time, you might miss the opportunity to present your strongest self.
6. How does Early Decision affect financial aid?
With Early Decision (ED), you're locked into attending, which means you can't shop around for the best financial aid package. If financial aid is crucial, Early Action (EA) is a safer option since it’s non-binding, allowing you to compare aid offers from multiple schools before deciding.
7. What if I'm not ready to commit to a school?
If you're not sure about committing, Early Action (EA) is a better choice since it's non-binding, unlike Early Decision (ED). This way, you can still keep your options open and evaluate all offers before making a final decision.
8. Are my chances of getting accepted higher if I apply early?
Sometimes. Applying early can give you a slight edge because schools like to see strong interest from applicants. However, the advantage may vary depending on the college, its policies, and how competitive the early applicant pool is.
This dataset (created and maintained by BigJ Educational Consulting) is the best resource I’ve found for understanding if and how applying early increases your odds of getting in.
Ten schools where applying Early Decision (ED) probably gives well-qualified students a significant advantage:
Tulane, Northeastern, Barnard, Columbia, Colby, Trinity U, Middlebury, Dartmouth, Bates, and Northwestern.
9. How do I decide if early admissions is right for me?
Consider if your application is strong enough by the early deadline and whether you're confident in your top-choice school. It's also helpful to weigh how comfortable you feel with the commitment level required by Early Decision (ED) versus the flexibility of Early Action (EA).
If you can present your best application to colleges by November of senior year, Early Action (EA) is almost certainly a net positive–you’ll get answers back sooner and have more time to decide. Early Decision (ED) tends to be right only for those that have a clear #1 school and are not as concerned about financial aid.
10. What happens if I'm deferred or rejected from an early round?
If deferred, you’re moved to the regular pool, and you can update your application with new achievements. Make sure to stay proactive by improving any areas of your application and showing continued interest if deferred. If rejected, you still have regular decision schools to apply to, so it's not the end of the road.
11. Should I apply early even if my application isn’t as strong yet?
If your application needs more work (for example: having first semester senior year grades would raise your GPA), it might be better to wait for the regular deadline to give yourself more time to improve. Waiting can also allow you to retake tests, enhance your essays, or gain additional experiences that strengthen your application.
12. How do early admissions deadlines compare to regular admissions?
Early admissions deadlines are typically in November, while regular decision deadlines are usually in January. This means that you need to be prepared much earlier, including having your test scores and recommendation letters ready by the fall.
13. How do early admissions affect my choice of major, particularly impacted or highly selective programs?
For impacted majors or highly selective programs (such as some engineering and computer science programs at schools like Purdue University and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), applying early can sometimes increase your chances since the spots are filled on a rolling basis. However, these programs can still be very competitive, so make sure your application is strong enough to meet the higher standards of these selective areas.
14. How does early admissions work for student-athletes?
For student-athletes, early admissions can be especially beneficial as many colleges make early offers to recruited athletes. It’s important to communicate with coaches and understand the recruitment timeline to align your application strategy with athletic commitments.
15. Where do I indicate my early admission choice in my application?
You choose your preferred admission plan in the Common Application, using the questions provided by each school. If you choose Early Decision (ED), there’s typically a form that you, your parents, and your school counsellor will need to sign indicating that you understand ED is a binding agreement.
