Decoding Different Deadline Options

Early Decision. Early Action. Restrictive Early Action. Regular Decision. Rolling Admissions. What does it all mean? Which deadline should I apply to and at which school(s)? If you’re feeling confused and overwhelmed about parsing these terms and how to approach making your own decisions about which deadline(s) to use, you’ve come to the right place! Read on for a breakdown of each of these deadlines and how to think about them.

Let’s start with Early Decision, since I’d say it is the most confounding of the deadlines. Firstly, what is it? Early Decision is, as the name suggests, an earlier deadline (typically 11/1 or 11/15 of your senior year) where you can expect to hear back from the school around mid to late December. It is also a BINDING commitment, that if you are accepted to the school you will be attending! You may only apply Early Decision to ONE school. Now for the pros and cons. Depending on the school, Early Decision can have a MUCH higher admittance rate (sometimes 2 or 3 times higher). Many schools accept up to half or so of their incoming class in this Early Decision option. The biggest con is that whatever financial package the school offers you is pretty much non-negotiable (and oftentimes not going to be very generous), and you will not have the option of comparing it to other financial offers as you have committed yourself to this school. While many students come in wanting to know “where to use” their Early Decision, I feel that is putting the cart before the horse. Early Decision is a powerful option, but should be used only if there is one school above the rest that you feel very strongly about! 

On the other hand, Early Action is a great way to submit many of your applications with that early (November) deadline and hear back from colleges in December or January! Early Action is ostensibly Early Decision light: all the flavor, but none of the calories (ie no binding commitment!) Unless they have a rocky academic record and feel showing the schools another semester of high school work could benefit them, I strongly encourage students to meet that Early Action deadline whenever possible. But what about Restrictive Early Action you ask? Well this one’s a doozy! It’s a school allowing you to apply early without the binding commitment, but not allowing you to apply Early Action anywhere else! There are only a handful of schools that are restrictive like this (I’m looking at you Yale, Georgetown, and Notre Dame!) so it’s unlikely you’ll encounter this option.

Now what about plain old, Regular Decision? Well, if you are behind on your college process, and just need those extra couple months (or don’t want to commit to Early Decision), most schools will afford you a Regular deadline (typically 1/1 or 1/15, though many schools’ are later). You will hear back by 4/1 at the latest. Oftentimes many Early Action or Early Decision applications are deferred to Regular Decision, meaning the school was unsure about you, and wants to give your application another look.  

Finally, Rolling Admissions. This one is real simple! Apply earlier, hear earlier! Apply later, hear later! Schools with Rolling will often open up applications as early as the summer before a student’s senior year, as well as often continue to accept applications up until the summer after a student’s senior year (until their class is filled). 

Make sure to look closely at what options are offered for each school you are applying to and plan accordingly!