If you’re considering applying to college early in senior year, the first step is to learn about the two ways to do so—Early Action (EA) and Early Decision (ED). Below are some details on the specifics of each plan, as well as some tips to help guide you through the early admission process.

What’s the Same?

• For both EA and ED, the application deadline is earlier than a typical Regular Decision deadline and can be as early as mid-October. Notifications are generally sent within eight weeks.
• Early admission applicants may be accepted, deferred to the college’s Regular Decision pool (and then notified of the admissions decision in the spring), or denied.
• An applicant who has been denied through the EA or ED process will no longer be considered for acceptance.
• It’s helpful to consult your school counselor for guidance on whether either process is good for you.

Things to Consider

1. Applying early means there won’t be extra time to boost your GPA or likely take standardized tests again in the fall of your senior year.
2. If you apply to college through EA or ED, you may have earlier financial aid deadlines. Check with each college to find out the required applications and due dates and be sure to submit everything on time.
3. For the most part, schools will have similar financial aid policies for their early and regular rounds of admission, though some schools may have different merit award strategies based upon the application round. It’s a good question to ask each college.

Applying Early Action

Early Action is a “non-binding” admissions process, which means that a student who is accepted still has a choice about whether to attend the school. It is designed for students who want peace of mind of early acceptance without having to commit to one school right away. Applicants have until May 1^st to accept their offer.

Because students are not automatically committing to a college if accepted under EA, they can apply to multiple schools under the EA timeline, and can receive multiple offers of admission to consider.

Note that some colleges and universities use an early plan called Restrictive Early Action (REA) or Single Choice Early Action (SCEA), stipulating that you if applying EA, you may not apply to other schools using ED, or in some cases, EA.

Applying Early Decision

Early Decision is a “binding” admissions process, which requires the student to attend the school if accepted. This option is designed for students who are certain about which college they want to attend. Some colleges may offer two different rounds of Early Decision (EDI and EDII). Most colleges that offer the ED option are more competitive, so students must ensure they have the strong grades and test scores required for admission.

Students may only apply to one ED institution. Within the Early Decision application process, the applicant, a parent, and a guidance counselor must sign a binding contract that indicates that, if admitted, the student will withdraw all other college applications upon receipt of acceptance, submit an enrollment deposit, and enroll in the school.

Here are some things you should do before you decide to apply ED:

• Learn about and visit several schools so that you can ensure that the ED school is indeed your first choice.
• Understand that you won’t be able to compare financial aid offers from several colleges, and determine that you can afford to pay for college costs at your ED school no matter what you receive in your financial aid offer.
• Find out if your ED school offers an “out” from your commitment if the financial aid offer is insufficient.

Next Steps

As soon as you submit your early college admission application, start working on your Regular Decision applications so that you are ready to submit them if you are denied early college admission. And, of course, stay focused on your schoolwork after you are accepted. Colleges require a final grade report at the end of your senior year, and they will want to see that you maintained solid academic performance right up until graduation.