Do you feel completely overwhelmed by the homework for your AP® classes, studying for the ACT®, running your school’s student government association, working part-time, and finding a cure for cancer? At least that’s what it feels like you are doing.

Does the prospect of adding completing college applications to your list of things to do make you feel sick? If it does, you are certainly not alone. Because of their super busy schedules, it is becoming increasingly common for high school seniors to completely finish their college applications during the summer, instead of waiting until the fall. This way, they have a lot less on their plate at any given time during the school year and can greatly reduce their stress.

So, if you complete your application early, you might as well submit it, right? Well, not exactly. There are three different types of deadlines for college admissions: early action, early decision, and regular decision. While regular decision is pretty straight forward, there is a lot you need to know about early action and early decision. You can read all about early action here, but keep reading to find out the benefits of early decision.

Let’s get started!

What is Early Decision?

Students who choose to participate in early decision programs submit their completed college applications to their first choice school in November. While deadlines vary from school to school, the two most popular ones are November 1^st, and November 15^th. Even so, you need to check the specific deadline for the school you plan on applying to, because these cutoffs are very strict. You should plan to have your applications complete no later than the last week of October, just to be safe.

After you send off your application, the turn around time is usually not too long, which definitely helps with the anticipation. You will receive an admission answer by mid-December. If you got in, that’s it! You are finished with the college application process. You will be required to send in your housing deposit well before the Mat 1^st regular decision deadline. It is time to begin preparing for college life!

But if you didn’t get in, there is no need to panic. It’s okay to be sad for a little while, but because you read this article, you know that you needed to apply to a few schools regular decision as well, just to cover yourself. So, if you are rejected after applying early decision, you just need to wait until the late spring when the regular decision admissions decisions are released.

Is Early Decision Binding?

This is the number one thing that comes up when discussing early decision, and the answer is yes, early decision is binding. When you send it your application, you are essentially signing a very serious contract that states the following things:

• You will attend the university if you are admitted.
• If admitted, you will withdraw your applications from everywhere else that you applied.
• You did not apply early action or early decision to any other school.

The only way you can get out of an early decision acceptance is by proving that attending the school will cause undue financial hardship to your family: that is, the financial aid package that the school has promised to provide is not big enough. This process will be long, strenuous, and involve plenty of awkward phone calls and meetings. Furthermore, it is only truly at option to low-income students. Even middle-class families will find it difficult to prove financial hardship.

This is why you should only apply early decision if you are 100% committed to attending the school, no matter what. If you are still unsure about which path to take, make sure to check out our article on early decision vs. early action here.

It is also important to remember that admissions officers at different colleges sometimes communicate with each other. So, if you apply early decision to both Harvard AND Yale, there is a good chance that you will not get into either of them, even if you were a highly qualified candidate. When you sign your name, your character is on the line. There are no legal consequences for not following the rules of early decision, but your actions could cost you your education, which is your future.

Why Apply Early?

As we mentioned, applying early can relieve you of a great deal of stress. If you develop your college applications over the summer, you will have more time to devote to them. This will ensure that they are more thorough and complete.

If you ask a teacher to begin preparing his or her recommendation letter for you in July, instead of say, October like all your classmates, your teacher is more likely to write you an excellent letter because you showed initiative and maturity. Even better, if you have a favorite teacher or two at the end of your junior year, make sure to approach them in person before the school year is over to secure their recommendation.

 Applying early also gives you more time to prepare for college. If you are accepted to your dream school in December, you have a solid three-four months before you regular decision classmates join you. You will have a head start on decorating your dorm, finding a roommate in the new admits Facebook group (it will be way smaller at the beginning), and even planning a visit to campus. If you want to live in an apartment, you have more time to research which complex is the best. You even have more time to apply for school and major specific scholarships.

You might have also heard a rumor that students who apply during early decision are more likely to get in. Well, there is actually some truth to this one. While the application pool is in no way less competitive during early decision, the reason more students are accepted is because of a factor known as “self-selectivity.”

Students who apply early decision have done their research and are know exactly what kinds of schools will be a good fit for them. Basically, the kind of student who is committed enough to an institution, its majors, and its location to apply to it early decision, regardless of his or her potential financial aid package, is more likely to get in.

A Quick Warning

Now that you are aware of the many benefits of applying early, we also want to make sure you understand the drawbacks. Early decision requires a lot of planning and absolutely no procrastination. It is better to apply regular decision to your favorite school than to submit a hastily prepared application.

It is also important to apply to schools that you think you would enjoy attending, as early decision is binding. Don’t let your friends, parents, or even your guidance counselor pressure you into applying early to a school you don’t like.

Complete List of Early Decision Schools

In the interest of making your life as easy as possible, we want to make sure you can compare the early decision policies of all your favorite schools in one place. That is where this complete list of early decision schools comes in!

Each of the colleges is listed alphabetically by state. The schools that are marked with an asterisk* are schools that participate in both the Early Decision I and Early Decision II programs. This means that the colleges accept two rounds of early decision applications for consideration. If you apply Early Decision I at one school, it is still a binding agreement and you are not allowed to apply Early Decision II at another institution. The deadlines for both programs are typically within a month of each other.

Take a second to familiarize yourself with the list, and then make sure to mark the deadlines of your favorite schools onto your calendar today!

A Quick Review: 

Here are a few things that you need to keep in mind when considering early decision admissions programs:

• Early decision is binding. If you get into the school, you are required to attend.
• You can only apply to one school’s early decision program.
• You should also apply to a few schools during regular admission.
• If you are accepted to a school under its early decision program, you must withdraw these other applications.
• Early decision applications are due in November; admissions decisions are received in mid-December. 

There you have it. Now you are an early decision expert. Good luck out there!

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