How fast do early action decisions come out?

Schools with early action admission usually contact applicants with their decision sometime between December 1 and January 31. However, there are some colleges that wait until mid-February to let applicants know if they got in.

How long does it take to hear back from early action?

Early Decision or Early Action

Early Decision and Early Action applications are often due in November. Almost all colleges will let you know their decision by December 15th. That said, some colleges may not let you know until February if you applied under Early Action.

Do early action applicants get accepted faster?

Early action does seem to improve your chances of being accepted, but not as significantly as early decision. Keep in mind that these decisions also vary from school to school. Some value early action more than others.

Does anyone get rejected early action?

Applying early action has three possibles outcomes: acceptance, denial, or deferred admission. The admissions office may defer your application if you're not a candidate for early action. In that case, the admissions panel will reevaluate your application with the regular decision applicants.

Do early decisions ever come out early?

Most colleges release their Early Decision results in mid-December. There are some exceptions – a few schools may release decisions earlier in December or even late November, while others might release them closer to the end of December.

How College Admissions Works - Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Admissions & all the rest

Do rejection letters come first?

“Do universities send rejection letters first?” No. Remember that, at the end of the day, universities do not know for certain who will accept and who will not. So they generally want to get acceptances for their offers before they send rejections.

What is the downside of early decision?

Reduced financial aid opportunities: Students who apply under ED plans receive offers of admission and financial aid simultaneously and so will not be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges. For students who absolutely need financial aid, applying early may be a risky option.

What happens if you get accepted early action and don't go?

Since early decision is binding, applicants should only apply under this admission plan after careful consideration. Breaking an early decision offer can come with major penalties — some high schools may even withhold transcripts from other colleges.

Do you get less financial aid if you apply early action?

Reduced financial aid opportunities: Students who apply under ED plans receive offers of admission and financial aid simultaneously and will not be able to compare financial aid offers from other colleges. For students who absolutely need financial aid, applying early may be a risky option.

Can applying early action hurt your chances?

Applying early action definitely does increase your chance of getting accepted. It can more than double your chance; for example, at Harvard, the EA acceptance rate was 16%, whereas regular decision was 6%. Harvard filled almost half their class through EA.

Does early action look at senior grades?

But what happens if you've applied to college as an Early Decision or Early Action applicant? Most colleges will still want to be sent grades from your first quarter of senior year. However, their decision to accept or reject you into their institution will have already been made based on your grades from junior year.

How many colleges should you apply too?

In general, most students apply to between 8 and 12 colleges. This is a good range to aim for, provided that the applications you submit represent a broad variety of colleges. Ideally, you want to apply to at least two safety, four target, and two reach schools.

What happens if you apply early decision to two colleges?

Since Early Decision is a binding agreement, you're committing to attend the school if you're accepted. This means that if you're accepted into multiple schools through Early Decision, you'd be breaking the agreement with one or more of them.

What are the early signs that you have been accepted into a university?

Is early action really worth it?

The obvious advantage of early action over early decision is the opportunity it gives you to apply to, and ultimately compare financial aid packages from several schools. If you are accepted early decision, you risk missing the admission deadlines of other schools while you wait for your award package to arrive.

How much does early action increase chances?

On average, students applying ED see a 1.6x (or 60%) increase in their chances of admission to very selective schools. This effect is lessened the less selective the school is. Early action doesn't offer as significant a boost as early decision, but it still does provide some admissions advantage.

Do you get more FAFSA money if you apply early?

Those who file early often qualify for more grants and scholarships. Students who file their FAFSA between October and December, on average, qualify for twice as many grants as students who wait to file their FAFSA. Filing early relieves stress.

Are you more likely to get into a school if you apply early action?

Generally speaking, early action programs do not significantly increase your child's odds of getting into colleges, especially at highly selective schools. They simply allow your child to find out sooner whether or not they've gotten in.

Can I apply early action to multiple schools?

Yes. Unlike early decision, early action isn't a binding offer, meaning you can apply to multiple schools. You have the option to submit several applications under early action. Even with early action decisions, you don't have to decide immediately.

Is it bad to be deferred from early action?

While it might feel like a rejection, a deferral is not a denial, nor does it mean there was something wrong with your application.

Do all early action get deferred?

Deferral numbers differ from school to school, and many don't make deferral statistics public. At highly selective institutions, it's not unheard of to defer a majority of early applicants, as the early application pool is so competitive and it's hard to reject many well-qualified applicants.

Can you get rejected early action or only deferred?

As previously stated, students who apply through Early Decision and Early Action, may receive a deferral letter, stating that they have neither been accepted nor rejected, but that their application will be reconsidered during the next admission cycle.

Is early decision 2 worse than 1?

As we discussed earlier, you'll get a lot of the same advantages of ED I by applying ED II, just with a later timetable. Acceptance rates for ED II applicants do tend to be higher than those for RD applicants, though they're not quite as high as for ED I applicants.

Is it better to apply early action or regular?

The admission rates in the early application pool also tend to be higher, even though the pool is typically more competitive than the regular round. However, because the early round is full of extremely competitive applicants, it's not always the best choice for every student.

Is early decision 2 as good as early decision 1?

Though with a smaller margin than those who apply for ED I, ED II is still a good option for committed students to improve their chances of acceptance.