What is the difference between early decision and early action

Visit Our Website. Copyright Scholarship America. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Students who are accepted ED are bound to attend the institution. Early action applications are non-binding and consequently less restrictive.

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On the flip side, students who apply EA will be able to consider financial aid packages from their Early Action and Regular Decision schools. Having these different offers gives students leverage and allows them to better negotiate their financial aid. Due to the restrictive nature of early decision, a college-bound student can only apply to one college via ED. Unlike early decision, students applying through early action can apply to as many schools as they desire through EA and regular decision with no obligation to attend if accepted.

Senioritis : Applicants who learn early that they have been accepted into a college may feel that, their goal accomplished, they have no reason to work hard for the rest of the year. Early-applying students should know that colleges may rescind offers of admission should their senior-year grades drop. Many students believe applying early means competing with fewer applicants and increasing their chances for acceptance.

This is not always true. Colleges vary in the proportion of the class admitted early and in the percentage of early applicants they admit. Higher admission rates for ED applicants may correlate to stronger profiles among candidates choosing ED. Students should ask the admission office whether their institution's admission standards differ between ED and regular applicants, and then assess whether applying early makes sense given their own profile.

The Common Application and some colleges' application forms require the student applying under early decision, as well as the parent and counselor, to sign an ED agreement form spelling out the plan's conditions. Make it clear in your school handbook and at college planning events that your policy for early-decision applications is to send the student's final transcript to one college only: anything else is unethical. Print out and share the Early Decision and Early Action Calendar with students and parents to be sure they are aware of all the required steps for applying early.

Education Professionals. The benefits and drawbacks of applying early Early decision ED and early action EA plans can be beneficial to students — but only to those who have thought through their college options carefully and have a clear preference for one institution.

Early decision versus early action Early decision plans are binding — a student who is accepted as an ED applicant must attend the college. ED applicants Apply early usually in November to first-choice college.

Receive an admission decision from the college well in advance of the usual notification date usually by December. Prospective students can apply for regular admission to other schools, but cannot apply to any other college by early decision. If the student is accepted, any other applications must be withdrawn. Applicants accepted under this program have agreed to attend only that college in the fall.

It does not mean legal action can be taken against a student if he or she decides not to attend. However, since the applicant is bound under the terms of early decision to attend that college, she still cannot attend another school in the same academic year she was accepted for. If there is a change of heart, applicants may want to consider taking a gap year and reapplying to other colleges for the subsequent academic year. Other schools will not allow a student to attend if he or she has rejected an early decision acceptance at another college.

Students typically apply for early decision without knowing what kind of financial aid they will be awarded. Some schools may consider financial aid a valid reason to break the binding attendance agreement. The biggest difference between early decision and early action programs is the attendance agreement. Students who are accepted through early action programs can reject the offer and attend a different school without repercussions.