Early Action vs Early Decision? What is Restricted Early Action?
What are the various types of college admission terms?
Regular Decision - This is when you apply by the “Regular” deadline, which usually is in December or January. You may apply to as many schools as you wish under this approach, and you will usually be notified of the school’s decision by late winter or early spring. The advantage to this deadline is not having to turn in applications early.
Early Action - This is when you apply by the “Early” deadline, which usually is November 1 or 15. You may apply to as many schools as you wish under this approach, and you usually will be notified of the school’s decision by the end of December. The advantage to this is knowing early in the process that you are admitted to certain schools. The disadvantage is some of the more selective schools sometimes simply defer a large cohort of these students to the Regular Decision pile.
Rolling - As with Regular Decision and Early Action, you may apply anytime between when the application opens and when it is due, but, unlike with Regular Decision and Early Action, the admissions committee fills its class as it goes. It is therefore in your interest to submit your application to a Rolling admission school as soon as possible and not simply by the deadline. The University of Pittsburgh is an example of a school that offers rolling admission.
Early Decision - This is a binding situation - it is as if you are making an “offer” in contract with your application, and if the school admits you, it has accepted your offer, and you are bound to attend. Some schools specify that you may opt out of the contract if the aid package is unaffordable, but not all schools do this. There are great advantages for both schools and applicants in this model, including certainty on both ends, and so certain schools fill up a large portion of their classes this way. With some exceptions, however, this is a financial commitment, so it is an option that favors the wealthy and those who are certain they will receive needed financial aid. It also favors those who are certain of what they want, which does not apply to all students.
Restricted or Single Choice Early Action (Non-binding but restricted) - This is offered only at a handful of schools, including Stanford and Yale. Like Early Decision, it permits a student to apply only to one restricted early action school (students may apply early to other schools as long as they are non-binding, or, as with Stanford, students may not submit early action applications to private schools unless those applications are tied to aid/special program). It is, however, a non-binding declaration (unlike Early Decision), and students can wait until they have received all their acceptances before deciding whether to attend the single choice school. In this way it is like Early Action. As with other ED options, students typically receive decisions by December.