Early Decision Vs. Early Action Vs. Restricted Early Action

Are you a Junior – thinking about colleges?

Approximately 450 universities offer early decision (ED), early action (EA), or restricted early action (REA) plans for admission, and you should utilize these options strategically to your advantage. However, it’s important to fully understand which option is the best for you personally before making clicking “submit.”

The main difference between ED and EA/REA plans is the enrollment agreement: students who are accepted through an ED plan are obligated to enroll at the university, while students who are accepted through an EA or REA plan can reject the admissions offer and enroll at a different university with no penalty.

 

Early Decision (ED) vs. Early Action (EA) vs. Restricted Early Action (REA)

Early Decision: Early decision plans are binding. This means that if you are accepted as an ED applicant, you must enroll at the university. You typically will apply via an ED plan by November 1 stand receive an admissions decision by December. You may continue to apply to other universities via EA or regular decision (RD) plans through the fall, but if you are accepted to the university that you applied to via an ED plan, you must withdraw all other applications.

Early Action: Early action plans are nonbinding. This means that while you will receive an early response to your application, you do not have to commit to the university. You typically will apply via an EA plan by early November and receive an admissions decision by February. You may continue to apply to other universities via EA or RD plans throughout the fall. You will make a decision regarding enrollment in the spring, usually by May.

Restricted Early Action: Some universities offer a restricted early action (REA) plan. While this is also nonbinding, with this option, you may not apply via ED or EA to any other university. You typically will apply via an REA plan by early November and receive an admissions decision by February. You may continue to apply to other universities via RD plans only throughout the fall. You will make a decision regarding enrollment in the spring, usually by May.

 

Impact on Admissions Decision: The short answer is that it’s complicated. Data shows that ED applicants have a 10-12% admissions boost over RD applicants, while REA applicants have a 6-8% boost and EA applicants have a 4-6% boost. Although these trends demonstrate that applying to a university through an ED, REA, or EA plan may increase your chance of admissions, this data may not be completely reliable. Not only do these statistics vary from year to year and from school to school due to factors like the number of applicants applying early, but we also must consider that students with higher GPAs and standardized test scores are more likely to apply via ED/EA/REA plans anyway. However, do note that applying through an ED plan in particular is likely to be more impactful on your chance of admissions than EA; universities want their yield rates (the percentage of accepted students who enroll) to be as high as possible and accepting ED applicants increases this easily.

Best ED/EA/REA Candidates: Students who have completed their junior year with excellent grades and standardized test scores are the best candidates for early applications, while those who need to boost their GPA or standardized tests scores may want to do so in the fall of their senior year before applying.

Financial Considerations: If you are accepted to a university via an ED plan, you will have reduced financial aid opportunities due to the nature of committing to only one university early in the year. Your family may want to keep that in mind.

2021 ED vs. RD Acceptance Rates:

· Brown - 22% ED vs 7% RD

· Cornell - 25.6% ED vs 11% RD

· Dartmouth - 28% ED vs 8.5% RD

· University of Pennsylvania - 22% ED vs 5.7% RD

2021 REA vs. RD Acceptance Rates:

· Yale - 17% REA vs 5% RD

· Harvard - 15% REA vs 3.4% RD

· Princeton - 15% REA vs 6% RD

· Stanford - estimated 10% REA vs 3.6% RD

There is a lot to consider in making the decision to submit your applications via ED, EA, or REA plans. These options are variable per each university, and your personal context matters as well. The expert PathIvy counseling team is here to help examine your unique profile, situation, and preferences to ensure that the choice you make is the best for you, strategically. You may be thinking that applying to your dream school via an ED, EA, or REA plan is a no-brainer, but that’s not necessarily true. 

Book a free consultation with us now to learn more about our proven strategy we use to make your college dreams a reality.

Written By

Jessica White, PathIvy Team