Why Applying Early Is More Important Than Ever In 2025
Last year around this time, I wrote about what students could do during the summer to apply to college. But I didn’t explain why they should get started now. The answer? Early Decision (or “Early Action”). As Jeff Selingo reports in his latest newsletter, more colleges will rely on filling more seats in 2025-26 through Early Decision. I’ll explain why they’re doing that and provide a primer on ED and EA below. But if you’re wondering, “Should I apply early to some college?” the answer’s probably a big fat “yes.”
What’s the difference between Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA)?
ED is generally a binding commitment: if you get accepted, you’re going to that college. For that reason, you can usually only ED (i.e., apply via ED) to one school. On the other hand, many colleges with higher yield rates – where the percentage of accepted students who decide to enroll in that school is upwards of 80%, such as at my own alma mater, Harvard – offer non-binding EA programs. However, many universities impose caveats on both EA and ED programs. Before answering whether you should apply early, it’s important to check the institutions’ websites before making any decisions.
Why should I apply early? More generous acceptance rates.
Put another way, it’s “easier” to get into many colleges during the early round in the fall. At Tulane University, for example, admitted 68.1% of its early applicants but only 2.5% of those who applied during the regular decision (RD) round! While the disparity elsewhere isn’t as great as Tulane’s 65.6%, they exist at some of the nation’s most elite institutions like Brown University, where the ED admit rate is 3.8x that of the RD, to non-selective colleges like Sacred Heart, with 2.7x. So, when asking yourself if you should apply early , remember that you’re often 2-26 times as likely to get in by submitting your application two months early!
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Why apply Early? Many colleges fill the bulk of their freshman class through ED.
Middlebury College, for example, fills a whopping 70% of its freshman class through ED. Institutions that fill between 60 and 69% of their first-year classes include Barnard, Bates, Claremont McKenna, Colgate, Davidson, Emory, Grinnell, Holy Cross, Johns Hopkins, Tulane, and Washington University. Numerous others supply 50-59% of their incoming classes through ED. These numbers go together with the more generous ED acceptance rates described in the preceding paragraph, of course.
Why are colleges admitting so many students early?
When you apply early , you sign a pledge to attend – and pay – that college if admitted. Securing tuition dollars from ED students by increasing their number represents a hedge against the loss of revenue from full-paying international students banned from or choosing against studying in the U.S. by recent political developments. This fall more than ever, keep politics in mind when wondering, “Should I apply early to college?”
When are ED / EA deadlines?
The most common ED / EA deadline is November 1. But many colleges have ED or EA deadlines that are earlier or later, so be sure to check their websites. You don’t want to think you’re ED’ing only to find out that ED apps were due 15 days ago!
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Does every college let you apply early ?
Nope. Again, check the college’s website or email its Admissions Office to make sure.
Who should NOT apply early ?
If you need to weigh financial aid and scholarship offers from various colleges, do not apply ED. Once you’ve committed to a college, you’re going – and you won’t be able to shop around.
Likewise, if you’re not 100% sure that the college is right for you, don’t apply early.
In both cases, however, applying to a non-binding EA program will enable you to receive a financial aid offer and / or feel what getting accepted is like without the pressure of having to enroll.
What happens if I break my ED pledge?
Not only may your high school get blacklisted by that college, making acceptance more difficult for future applicants, but other colleges might be alerted. If this happens, you might lose your place at the institution you originally committed to attend as well as other colleges who find out that you kept your application in the pipeline after having been accepted ED. In short, you hurt others and yourself. And reap bad karma. Don’t do it. Again, if you’re not 100% sure that you want to attend that college, apply EA elsewhere or RD there.
Conclusion
For many – but not all – students, the answer to “ Should I apply early decision or early action to college ?” should be a resounding “yes.” If you’d like to mull your individual options over with a compassionate expert, feel free to schedule your complimentary consultation here. In the meanwhile, happy writing!