ED or Not ED: That is the Question

ED, or Early Decision, is the binding process in which an applicant applies to a college with the promise that if they are accepted, they will attend. If the applicant applies ED and is accepted, they agree to withdraw all other applications. Hence, there are very few ways out of this arrangement.  If the applicant proves that they cannot attend due to unexpected financial constraints or extreme, unforeseen life circumstances, they may be released. Anyone who breaks the ED agreement should have a solid, provable reason, or they risk legal action along with a mark against their high school’s and their reputation.

So why go the ED route? Well, there are some compelling reasons, and the applicant must carefully consider all. Perhaps the most attractive advantage to ED is that the acceptance rate is considerably higher for ED applicants than for RD (Regular Decision) applicants. For the class of 2024, Barnard College, an affiliate of Columbia University, had an overall acceptance rate of 13%. They admitted 1220 applicants from the 9411 that applied. While 13% may seem like long odds, consider the acceptance rate for the 1242 applicants who applied through ED: 44%- a much more digestible number. For the class of 2023 at the University of Pennsylvania, of the 44,960 applicants, 7.44% were accepted RD, with 18% accepted ED. Those numbers should get your attention.

Another reason to consider ED is applicants accepted via the ED route will have their college answer months before their peers who are applying RD. In most cases, ED decisions come out in early-to-mid December - three long months earlier than the RD announcements, which come out in late March/early April. If the ED applicant is not accepted, they will be in the same boat as most of their peers and find out their decisions along with the other RD applicants. If they are accepted, they can relax because the college admissions process is over for them.

So, who should consider this obvious advantage? First, an applicant should have a stellar application with excellent grades, course rigor, test scores, extra-curriculars, recommendations, and essays. The deadline for ED is November 1st at most schools, so the applicant must have their ducks in a row early. ED is not a good plan for procrastinators unless there is a strong force behind them, self-propelled or otherwise, that ensures the application is done early and well done. The applicant should be very familiar with the school and view it as their first choice or at least the top three. The family must do a thorough look at what the school will realistically cost and where financial aid is most likely to land. If the applicant is hoping for generous financial aid awards, they should seriously consider RD as RD will allow for more options for comparing financial aid awards.

ED accepted applicants are, in some ways, the darlings of the admissions process, at least from the colleges’ standpoint. These applicants often have the financial means to pay for college with little to no financial aid needed. Hence, their acceptance gives the college a better understanding of their expected revenue before the RD commencement.  ED applicants’ full tuition payments often fund and balance the RD applicants who are less likely to pay full tuition.

If an applicant is rejected by their ED choice school, they can still apply ED II at some schools. With ED II, there is also an elevated acceptance rate, and the binding rules still apply. The deadline for ED II is in January, with an answer typically in February, nearly two months before RD acceptances arrive. There are fewer opportunities with ED II as no Ivys, and no public universities offer ED II.  Selective liberal arts colleges and smaller private universities such as Pomona College, NYU, Vanderbilt, and Boston University do offer ED II.  While ED II provides less of an advantage, it is still an advantage. 

Karen Addison