If you’re like many talented high school students, you’re eager to not only evaluate and choose your top colleges, but also to find out if you’ve been accepted. Many higher education institutions are now offering “early decision” or “early action” programs. Both plans allow prospective students to apply to colleges or universities in the fall, much earlier than applications are normally due. Students are typically told if they’re accepted by December or January. Sounds good, right?
The catch is that, for early decision, students are bound to attend the institution if they’re admitted. (In some cases, this agreement is also based on the student receiving an adequate financial aid package.) They must also agree, if their early decision application is accepted, to withdraw any other pending applications (i.e., any “regular decision” applications since you can only apply to one school for early decision). Typically, schools that admit students through an early decision plan require a nonrefundable tuition deposit shortly after notification of acceptance.
Unlike early decision plans, early action plans are non-binding, allowing you to apply to several schools at once. You might have to wait a bit longer to find out whether you’re accepted, (though it’s still earlier than the regular admissions process), but you’re also given longer to decide if you’ll attend that school once you’re accepted.
So how do you know if you should consider an early decision or early action plan? First, ask yourself these questions:
Ask yourself if you know exactly what college/university you want to attend. If you’ve got a definite first choice and you have little doubt you want to attend the school, and if you can afford the cost of attending, early decision might be a good option for you. (If you’ll need financial assistance, be sure you have it in writing before signing the early admission contract.)
Many students wonder whether they have a better chance of being admitted through early admission. It’s true that at some schools the acceptance rate is higher among early decision applicants. However, that could be because these applicants in general have stronger credentials. It’s best to check with each school to get an idea as to whether your odds are better by applying early.
One important note: don’t confuse the term “early admission” with early decision or early action plans. Early admission is for students – typically high school juniors – who want to start college a year early. These students enter their freshman year at the college in lieu of their senior year of high school. At the end of their freshman year, successful early admission students will have completed both their freshman year of college and their senior year of high school.
