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Early decision is a binding commitment to a student’s first choice of college, with an extended application deadline. Acceptance is mandatory, but rejection or deferral may occur. It reduces stress but limits options. Early action is non-binding, and students can apply to multiple schools.
Early decision is an option available to college applicants who have a strong opinion of their first choice of school and want to make a binding commitment to their first choice. With this option, the application deadline is extended, allowing the college to make an admissions decision sooner than it would otherwise. If a student is accepted under advance decision, he or she is required to attend.
Not all colleges and universities offer this option. For those who do, there are three possible outcomes for an early decision application. The first is rejection, which means that the student will not be admitted because the application did not meet the admissions committee’s standards. Another is acceptance, in which case the student has been admitted and the process of filling out the paperwork to enroll can begin. One-third is deferred, in which the student is not admitted to the program, but the application will be considered during the regular admissions round. If a deferment results in admission under regular admissions, the application is not considered binding, and the student may choose to attend another college.
The early decision can reduce some of the stress of the last year. Knowing that he or she is admitted under a binding contract, the student can choose to take challenging courses in the spring of senior year without worrying about the impact of those courses on college admissions. Students worried about waiting a long period of time may also like to know early on, with admissions, rejections and deferrals issued in mid-December, while others may have to wait until March or April to hear from colleges.
The downside of filing an advance ruling application is that it is mandatory. If a student is not sure where they want to go, it limits their options because if the student is accepted, there are no other options. While the advance decision application is an excellent option for students who know exactly where they want to go and are very comfortable with their first choice, students studying multiple options should apply regular decisions.
The alternative to the advance decision is the advance action, in which students can file and receive an admissions decision in advance, but the decision is not binding. In advance decision, students may apply to a school only under an advance decision request; with early action, they can apply to multiple schools. Another variant, single-choice initial action, requires students to apply to a school by initial action only, but the decision is not yet binding. Students applying through Early Decision or Early Action programs can apply to as many colleges as they like under regular admission.
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