Early Admission
Early Admission
Looking for a way to improve your admission odds without having to be an Olympic athlete or Nobel laureate?
Then you absolutely need to consider early admission.
What is early admission?
The concept of early admission is simple: you apply early, you hear back early. Not all schools offer early admission, but those that do will typically offer some combination of the following three options:
- Early Decision (ED) is a binding commitment to attend the school if accepted. Early Decision I (ED1) apps are generally due in early November with notification in mid to late December, while Early Decision II (ED2) apps are generally due in early January with notification in February.
- Early Action (EA) is non-binding, with an early November due date and notification typically in December.
- Restrictive Early Action (REA) is identical to early action, but with added restrictions on where else you can apply. Some institutions call this Single Choice Early Action.
Colleges love early decision because it's binding, but from your vantage point it only makes sense if you're sure the school is for you. In contrast, early action makes sense just about all of the time since there is no obligation to attend. Either way, the key insight is that most schools admit early applicants at a higher rate than those applying regular decision.
Why is it important?
Early admission is important because it can meaningfully improve your admission odds. Consider the table below:
| Institution | Overall Rate | Regular Decision | Early Action/Decision | Early as % of Enrolled Class | Early Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | 6% | 4% | 18% | 40-45% | 4.5x |
| Amherst | 14% | 13% | 39% | 39% | 2.8x |
| Colgate | 26% | 24% | 54% | 48% | 2.3x |
| Duke | 12% | 11% | 31% | 44% | 2.3x |
| Pitzer | 15% | 13% | 42% | 32% | 3.2x |
| Swarthmore | 14% | 13% | 33% | 46% | 2.5x |
| Wesleyan | 20% | 18% | 42% | 52% | 2.3x |
| Williams | 17% | 15% | 41% | 45% | 2.7x |
| Souce: Common Data Set for Class of 2017 | |||||
Take note of two things:
- The admission rates for applying early are much better than applying regular decision
- Students admitted early represent over 40% of a typical enrolled class
Not every school offers early admission, and it may or may not be appropriate based on your situation, but you absolutely have to consider it as part of your college plan.
Useful Articles
Check out our blog for more information about early admission. Here are some of our recent posts:
How can College Kickstart help?
College Kickstart helps you capitalize on early admission effortlessly. We track early admission data for 250+ schools and use it along with your profile to identify odds-bettering opportunities that are appropriate for you. Our proprietary recommendation engine is driven by a number of factors, including the rank order of your list, the options offered by each school and the degree of commitment you have to your top schools. We know the terms and conditions of each early admission program to boot, so we'll make sure you don't accidentally do something—like apply to multiple early decision programs simultaneously—that puts all of your applications in jeopardy.
What our users are saying
"I find it really helpful! It is very useful to get a realistic idea of a rising senior's chances at each college and ensures a comprehensive list of places to apply. It also does the Early Action/Early Decision I/Early Decision II "analysis" for you which gets complicated if you are doing this on your own. I LOVE it!"
Victoria Z, Parent