When to Apply to College:

Early Decision vs. Early Action vs. Regular Decision

 

Choosing the right strategy

Once you have decided to which schools you will apply, you now must decide which application deadline option is best for you. Here are the options and the good, the bad (and the ugly?) of each.

 

Applying to college "Early Decision"

Things to keep in mind about applying Early Decision:

• This is a binding agreement, and if you are accepted to a college ED, you are expected to withdraw all other applications

and attend this college or university.

• Applying ED may modestly boost your chances of acceptances, but it will not drastically change your chances.

Applying ED can have 3 potential results:

• Acceptance: Enough said.

• Denial: Also enough said.

• Deferral: If the school is not ready to make a decision on you as an ED candidate, they can defer your application

into the regular decision applicant pool and make a decision on your application when they do the others.

 

This is the option for students who know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they want to attend a given school. Early
decision (ED) deadlines are often around 11/1 or 11/15, much earlier than the typical deadline. But applying ED gets you a decision earlier and can eliminate the stress of the college selection process earlier.

 

This option is not for the faint of heart, though. If you are accepted to a school ED, you agree to withdraw all other college applications and attend this institution (this is also referred to as a "binding" agreement).

 

It has often been said that applying ED can increase your odds of acceptance. The school knows without a doubt that you want to attend there and, if selected, you will enroll. This speaks loudly about your commitment to that school and that will
be duly noted, although your chances of admission won't change dramatically because you've applied ED.

 

If your odds of admission were slim in the first place, they'll still be slim. If, however, you are a candidate sitting on a fence,
the strong signal you send by applying ED may be enough to push you over the edge and get you in the door.

 

If you are accepted under the ED option, congrats! Send the school your admission deposit and you are essentially done.
Sit back and enjoy a nice big ice cream sundae (and continue doing your school work!)

 

Financial aid and the early decision application

If the amount of financial aid you will receive will be a factor in your ultimate college choice, ED becomes a potentially precarious option, but doesn't necessarily have to end your hopes of applying ED. Schools can have slightly different views of the financially needy ED application, so it will be very important for you to know where your ED school stands before you make the commitment.

Again, here there are several possibilities:

• Your ED school may allow you to fill out an ED financial aid application (often the CSS Profile) in order to provide you with a

good estimate of the financial aid you'll be eligible to receive. They will tell you that your ED offer of admission is binding

unless, after financial aid, you cannot afford the school.

• Some schools will tell you that if your ability to attend a school depends on the amount of financial aid you receive,

ED is probably not the right option for you.

 

So, if money matters and you want to apply ED, it's worth making a phone call to your ED school and seeing where they stand on the matter.

 

Applying to college "Early Action"

This is an option that lets you apply to a school early (usually November-ish), get a decision early (sometime in December), but that decision is not binding. You still have until the May 1st candidates reply date to make your school choice.

 

Early Action (EA) is a great option if you want to get a response without being ready to make a commitment to a single school. More often than not, financial aid packages for Early Action students are prepared with aid packages for the rest of the general applicant pool, so you may now know how much a school is going to cost you until perhaps March or April.

 

Not all schools have Early Decision or Early Action, so check each individual school's website to see what options are available to you.

 

Applying to college "Regular decision"

This is the regular ol' decision process. It's the way that most applicants apply and the deadlines will vary from institution to institution. There will be separate financial aid application deadlines and requirements of which you must be aware, but in general the process is pretty straightforward.

 

Once you submit an application, you can apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA (and perhaps the CSS Profile). You'll receive a letter of acceptance or denial, and if you're accepted, then you will also receive an award letter that details any financial aid you're eligible to receive.

 

You're required to make your final college choice by May 1.