Why would you apply for early admission?

Applying early, especially for an early decision, shows the college you are interested. It may also increase your odds of getting accepted — if the early admission rates at the college are significantly higher than regular decision admission rates.

Does early admission increase chances?

This means that the average student is more likely to get in when they apply early decision than when the same student applies regular decision to the same school. On average, applying ED is going to result in a 1.6x or a 60% increase in your chances of admission to super selective schools.

What's the difference between early admission and regular admission?

Early Action (EA) is a college application process offering applicants the option to apply ahead of the deadline for Regular Decision applicants. You need to apply earlier, but typically it's an opportunity to receive an admission decision sooner, without any commitment to attend the school if you're accepted.

Who does early decision benefit?

Experts say early decision is used at a higher frequency by students who do not need financial aid and who are aware early in their high school careers that applying early offers them a competitive edge.

What happens if you apply early decision and don't go?

Early decision colleges may reach out to other schools to let them know you broke your agreement, which can reflect poorly on your applications. You'll also lose any deposit money you put down.

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

Is there a disadvantage to applying early decision?

DISADVANTAGES OF EARLY DECISION

If you're accepted, you're obliged to attend. You may discover a more suitable college later. The early deadline may force you to submit a less polished application, unless you begin your application well ahead of time.

Is it a bad idea to apply early decision?

Experts recommend only applying early decision if you have a clear top-choice school. Senior year is a busy time for high school students, especially those planning to attend college.

Who should not apply early decision?

You're strongly considering other schools

It's completely possible to be in love with multiple schools, but you can't apply to more than one for early decision. You should, however, apply to other schools via regular decision if you don't get accepted to your early decision school.

Do you get more financial aid if you apply early decision?

Applying early decision might improve your odds of being accepted with certainty to your dream school, but it might limit your financial aid opportunity at the same time.

Why do I regret applying early decision?

But if you do apply early decision, many schools treat your acceptance to their program as binding, meaning you can't apply to any other schools and then compare and contrast their programs — and (don't miss this part like I did!) the financial aid benefits they're offering to you.

What are the pros and cons of early admission?

Is there an advantage to applying to college early?

Applying early allows students to decrease the amount of peers they are competing with during the application process, therefore increasing their chances of admission.

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 and get accepted?

Early decision is binding. This means if you are accepted through early decision, you are committed to attending that school, and will withdraw any applications you may have submitted for the regular deadlines at other schools. You may not apply to more than one college under early decision.

Do early decision applicants get likely letters?

The concept of 'likely letters' is actually more common during the Regular Decision cycle. They're often sent out by some schools to top-notch candidates as a way of signaling a strong interest in them, but these are typically not associated with Early Decision candidates.

Do colleges look at senior year grades?

Your senior year provides colleges with a look at how you perform academically. It can make or break your scholarship chances. Since most scholarships also have a minimum GPA requirement, slacking off in senior year could ruin your chance at even applying for a scholarship in the first place.

Can you back out of early decision if you can t afford it?

Most of the time, they will let students walk away without holding them financially responsible; however, they may put that student's reputation on the line. Some schools share their list of students who have backed out of their ED commitment without an acceptable reason to the other schools to which they applied.

Can applying early decision hurt your chances?

To summarize, statistically the admission rates for early decision are indeed higher for most schools, but it's likely to be a result of applicant self-selection and therefore not useful to guide your decision.

Can you accept admission to multiple colleges?

In the higher education world, this is known as double depositing. Double depositing means putting down a deposit, and thus accepting admission, at more than one college. Since a student can't attend multiple colleges, it is considered unethical.

What happens if you apply early decision to two colleges?

First off, you can only apply to one school early decision. This is because early decision means you're making a binding agreement to enroll in that school if you get accepted. This contract will be part of your application and will require a signature from your parents and school counselor, as well as from you.

Is it smart to apply early decision?

For many students, one of the main appeals of applying early is receiving an admission decision earlier, typically by December or January. 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.

Does early action look at senior grades?

Many selective universities now actually require the submission of one's first quarter senior year grades with early applications. Boston University, Duke University, Tufts University, and Babson College all mandate the submissions of Q1 grades for all who apply early.

Can applying to too many colleges hurt your chances?

The College Board recommends that high school seniors narrow down their application list to five to eight schools. It's okay to stray a little outside this range, but as a general rule of thumb you should aim to reach those numbers because sending more than ten applications can have drastic consequences.

Is 18 colleges too many to apply to?

While there's no cap on the number of schools you can apply to, some students, especially those from affluent backgrounds who want to go to a selective college, can go overboard, applying to more than 20 or 30 colleges. Personally, I would strongly discourage any student from applying to more than 15 colleges.

Is applying to 20 colleges a lot?

Even the Common Application recognizes this and only lets students apply to a maximum of 20 colleges. However, many students get around this by creating multiple Common Application accounts. But when it comes to making smart application choices, even 20 colleges is too many to apply to.