November 1st has come and gone, and with it, many high school seniors have officially submitted Early Decision (ED) applications to their top-choice schools. Others still have ED deadlines ahead, with many colleges setting deadlines of November 15th for ED I and early January for ED II.
For students who have a clear first-choice college, the appeal of applying Early Decision is significant. Chances of admission are higher, sometimes dramatically so. For example, Northeastern University, which fills almost 70% of its class during the ED round, admits roughly 35% of ED applicants compared to 4% of its Regular Decision applicants.
Greater chances of admission aren’t the only benefit of ED. If admitted in mid-December, the pressure and effort of the college application process is over, allowing for a lower-stress spring semester of senior year.
However, these benefits come with real responsibility. Whether you’ve already applied ED or are considering ED II, here’s what you need to know about the commitment you’re making.
Early Decision Is Binding: Here’s What That Means
If a student selects “Early Decision” as their desired application type, the Common Application presents the applicant with an Early Decision agreement. This agreement is signed not only by the student, but also by their guidance counselor and their parent or guardian. Early Decision agreements require admitted applicants to immediately withdraw applications from other schools, except for those who have applied for financial aid, who are permitted to compare aid offers from other colleges to the aid offer they have received from their ED school.
Early Decision, Early Action, and Restrictive Early Action: How Do They Differ?
Every college structures its early application options a little differently. Here’s what each plan means:
Early Decision (ED) requires a binding commitment to attend, if admitted. If a student has applied ED and is admitted, they must immediately withdraw any other applications they have submitted to other institutions under Early Action, Rolling, or Regular Decision plans. Deadlines for ED are typically November 1st or November 15th for ED Round I, or early January for ED Round II. Notification of an ED Round I admissions decision typically arrives in mid-December.
Early Action (EA) has the same deadlines as ED (typically November 1st or 15th), but if a student is admitted, they are not required to attend. EA applications can be submitted to multiple schools, and students may pair them with a single ED application. Admissions decisions for EA vary in timing. Most are released in mid-December through January, although some colleges will not share decisions until February.
Restrictive Early Action (REA; sometimes called Single Choice Early Action) is like EA in that students who are admitted are not required to attend. However, students are permitted to submit only ONE REA application and usually cannot submit additional EA applications to private institutions. There are, however, exceptions to this policy. Students applying REA are permitted to apply EA to public institutions. They are also permitted to submit EA applications to private institutions if they are applying for a merit scholarship and the institution requires an EA application to be eligible for scholarship consideration.
Please note: Early application policies differ from school to school and may change each year. Always confirm the current guidelines directly with each college before submitting an application.
The Financial Aid Exception
In rare cases, students are released from their ED agreement. This is almost always due to the financial aid package awarded to the student. The Admissions Office and the Financial Aid Office work together, however their processes operate on different timelines. Financial aid packages are not awarded until after admissions decisions are released. If a student is admitted ED and later is awarded a financial aid package that fails to meet their family’s financial need, a college may be willing to release the student from their agreement to attend the school. Such situations are handled on a case-by-case basis.
What Happens If a Student Backs Out Without a Valid Reason?
The only acceptable reason to back out of an ED agreement is insufficient financial aid. If a student backs out of their ED agreement solely because they’ve had a change of heart, they risk serious consequences, including admission offers being rescinded from the school in question as well as others to which they have been admitted. Further, a student may be banned from applying to the ED school in future application cycles. There may also be consequences at the high school level, including a one-year ban on ED applicants from that student’s high school, as happened last year at Tulane.
It’s important to know that some colleges do share lists of ED admits with each other. So, if a student intentionally breaks their ED agreement, it’s likely this will be discovered.
Questions to Ask Before Committing to ED
With many ED I deadlines falling on November 15th and ED II deadlines in early January, there’s still time to make a thoughtful decision. Before you commit, ask yourself:
- Can I see myself here for the next four years, even if admitted to other colleges on my list?
- Have I evaluated the likely cost of attendance using my ED school’s net price calculator, and discussed with my family whether this school is within financial reach?
- Will I still be happy to attend this school in April of senior year, when many of my peers are weighing their Regular Decision options?
Already Applied ED? What to Do While You Wait
- Keep working on your other applications in case you’re deferred or denied in December.
- Make a plan to withdraw your other applications promptly if you’re admitted.
Need Help With Your Early Decision Strategy?
Given the serious nature of the commitment, it’s important for students and their families to consider this decision carefully before signing an ED agreement. While the admissions boost of Early Decision is nice to have, if a student won’t truly be thrilled to attend, or wishes to consider other offers, ED may not be the right choice. Need advice about whether ED is the right choice for you or your student? TTA’s Senior Private Counselors can provide the expert guidance you need to navigate the college application process.
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