Ready or not, the college application season has begun. Early or not is often the question.
I know I’m not the only one who feels the college application process seems to be creeping earlier each year. There used to be a uniformity among colleges and their deadlines. For the most part, applications were due in January of the senior year, and students were notified in March or April. When colleges recognized a trend, with many students ending up choosing to attend the first college where they were accepted, they started a domino effect with earlier and earlier notifications, and with that has come earlier application deadlines.
Early admissions is made up of three distinct programs: Early Action (EA), Early Decision (ED), and, because a handful of colleges insist on making the process even more complicated, we now have something called “Single Choice Early Action, (SCEA)” sometimes called “Restrictive Early Action (REA).” Many other schools operate with a “Rolling Admissions” process that reviews applications as they come in, and notifies students on an ongoing basis.
EARLY ACTION:
Early Action is a great option for the well-prepared student with a solid transcript and who has taken the necessary standardized tests. Students apply early, typically by November 1st, although a number of schools now have an October 15 Early Action deadline. The good news is that students are allowed to apply Early Action to as many colleges as they choose, except for the handful of colleges with the Single Choice Early Action/Restrictive Early Action programs. The biggest benefit for students is that they are notified early; in most cases, in December and January.
According to industry experts, approximately 50% of U.S. four-year colleges and universities offer Early Action (2025–26 estimate)*.
Here is a chart explaining the restrictions offered by each institution:
| College | Official name | Can apply to other private EA? |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard | Restrictive Early Action | No |
| Princeton | Single-Choice Early Action | No |
| Stanford | Restrictive Early Action | No |
| Yale | Single-Choice Early Action / REA | No |
| Notre Dame | Restrictive Early Action | Yes |
| Georgetown | Single-Choice Early Action | Yes |
The last column is particularly important. For example, Harvard says an REA applicant cannot apply to another private institution under EA, REA, or ED. Notre Dame, by contrast, explicitly permits applications to other nonbinding EA programs. The actual restrictions matter more than the label. Yale and Princeton are extremely restrictive; Notre Dame is considerably more permissive. Georgetown is even more permissive about other EA applications.
EARLY DECISION:
Early Decision is binding; students who are accepted must withdraw their other applications and are bound to attend that school. Students are allowed to apply to just one school Early Decision. Early Decision deadlines are in early November with notification by mid-December. The upside is that the acceptance rate is frequently substantially higher; however, the downside is that students are committing to that institution and lose any leverage they might have had for financial aid. Many financial aid experts will tell families NOT to apply ED if they are going to need to compare financial aid offers.
There is a lot of folklore surrounding the perceived added benefits of applying Early Decision. Just how much greater the acceptance rate is with an Early Decision application than Regular Decision varies. Take a look at these numbers from the 2026 cycle.
Schools with the biggest apparent ED boost
| College | ED acceptance | RD acceptance | ED advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | 11.9% | 2.8% | 4.3× |
| Brown | 16.5% | 3.8–3.9% | ~4.3× |
| Duke | 13.8% | 3.7% | 3.7× |
| Northwestern | ~20% | ~6.5–7% | ~3× |
| Johns Hopkins | ~21% | ~5% | ~4× |
| Penn | ~13% | ~3.3% | ~4× |
| Dartmouth | ~17% | ~5% | ~3.4× |
| Columbia | ~12% | ~3% | ~4× |
| Williams | ~25% | ~6–8% | ~3–4× |
| Amherst | ~31% | ~7% | ~4.4× |
| Middlebury | ~36% | ~10% | ~3.6× |
| Tufts | ~31% | ~9% | ~3.4× |
| Emory | ~29–31% | ~11% | ~2.8× |
| Cornell | ~17% | ~6% | ~2.8× |
| Rice | ~20–22% | ~7–8% | ~3× |
| NYU | ~22% | ~7% | ~3× |
| WashU | ~25% | ~9–10% | ~2.5–2.8× |
Parents and students need to keep in mind that the higher acceptance rates with Early Decision are often attributed to a variety of factors. Typically, the strongest students apply early and would have been accepted in Regular Decision as well. Athletes, legacies, and students with focused interests are encouraged to apply Early Decision, and these factors often skew the numbers.
*This is an estimate based on recent Common App application/deadline data and current institutional data. The most recent nationally representative percentage published by NACAC is 38%, based on Fall 2018 admissions data. College Board and Common App do not currently publish a comparable percentage of all four-year institutions offering Early Action.
Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@bierercollegeconsulting.com; www.bierercollegeconsulting.com.