Applying Early: Should You Do It?

Around 450 US colleges and universities offer early admission plans. What this means is that a student can apply well before the regular admissions deadline, and receive a decision early.

In this post we’ll broadly go over the options a high school student would have to apply early, and cover some things to think about when making a decision to do so. 

Early Admission – Your Options

There are 3 main kinds of early admissions plans for undergraduate applicants, and what they have in common (unsurprisingly) is that your application gets turned in early, and you’ll receive a decision sooner rather than later. The difference between them is in the particulars of whether you can apply elsewhere simultaneously, and whether the acceptance is binding.

Generally, early admission plans have submission deadlines in October or November, with decisions sent out by December or January. 

The specifics of each plan differ by program and college, so be sure to double-check the rules, and speak to a counsellor or advisor to make sure you have understood the details correctly. 

Early Decision: Single early application, and it is ‘binding’

With Early Decision plans, an applicant may apply only to ONE school early. If you are accepted, and the college offers you enough aid, you must attend that college. You are allowed to apply to more colleges through the regular application process. If you are accepted by the college you applied Early Decision to, you would have to withdraw your other applications. 

Some colleges offer 2 options to apply Early Decision – simply called Early Decision I and Early Decision II – the main difference is that II is later than I. 

Early Action: Multiple applications are allowed, and the decision is NOT binding. 

Early Action allows you to apply to other Early Action colleges as well. You get your decision early and can accept, wait till spring to decide, or decline. 

Single-choice Early Action/ Restrictive Early Action: Single early application, not binding

This is like Early Action, except you can apply early to only one college. You can still apply to other colleges via the regular admissions process, but you don’t have to decide till the spring. 

Applying Early: Is it right for you? 

Applying early can be great if you have a top choice in mind. You have thought about it carefully, have done your research, and know that this is the right program and place for you. 

The primary benefit of applying early is that you’ll get your decision sooner, and can wrap up the admissions process earlier in the year. It gives you more time to work out your college plan and takes some of the pressure off your senior year. We can compare admission statistics and acceptance rates between regular decision and early admission plans, but the thing to focus on is if an early admissions plan is the right fit for you and your application. Don’t jump into anything because of a statistic or because everyone else is doing it, because at the end of the day, this is about you, your future, and your application.  

Here are some questions to ask yourself regarding Early Admission Plans: 

1.  Do you have a clear top-choice college?

Do you have a dream school in mind, one that you’ve thoroughly considered? Is it the best fit for you? If they offer an early decision plan, you’re likely to have an edge on account of letting the school know that you are committed to attending, and would be part of a smaller pool of applicants. If you have more than one top-choice school, however, it might be better to look into early action or regular decision. 

2. Do you want to be able to compare admission and financial aid offers from several colleges?

Early Decision does not give you the opportunity to compare financial aid packages from other schools. If you are looking into scholarships, you might not have a decision on those that you can factor in while making your decision.

3. Would you benefit from more high school work being shown to colleges?

Early Admission applicants tend to have strong junior grades and standardized test scores. If your application would be strengthened by fall semester grades, or retaking ACT or SAT, it might be better to wait for regular decision and get that information in. 

4. Do You Have Enough Time to Prepare Your Application?

All the application materials need to be submitted early – test scores, the essays, grades etc. Make sure that you have enough time to work on all the components to the best of your ability.

It’s easy to feel pressured into applying for college as soon as you’re able to, but that doesn’t always work well for everyone. Put in the work, seek qualified advice, follow a timeline that works for you, and approach your applications with a level head.