College early decision programs and how they work.

College early decision (also known as early action, early admission or early notification) programs offer students a chance to submit their applications early and also receive notification about an admission decision sooner than with the regular review timetable. You will have to submit all of your materials by the early decision deadline which is typically much sooner than for regular admission. Be sure to ask specifically for the early admission deadline if you are interested in this option. These deadlines can be as early as November 1 so you will want to check them out at the beginning of your search process.

Generally, there are two types of early decision programs - Early Decision and Early Acceptance. Early Decision is a binding program that means if you are offered acceptance you must rescind any other applications you have outstanding to other schools. Early Acceptance (also known as Early Action or Early Notification) is not binding. You may still entertain other offers of admission from other universities and declare your intent to enroll at a later date. You can see from the definitiveness of the Early Decision type of program, it is important to ask each college you are considering the details of their specific program.

Many colleges reserve a certain number of spots in their freshmen class to be filled through some type of early admission program. However, a certain percentage is also allocated to be filled within the regular admission process, too.

There is lots of debate as to whether a student gains an advantage by applying through an Early Decision type of program. There had been some past data that shows a higher percentage of students are accepted in the early decision process when compared to the regular admission process. However, Yale reported last year that it had accepted fewer than 10% of its early admission applicants from the year before. One wonders, then, if their truly is any strategic advantage to applying through these programs.

Many Colleges, Including Harvard and Princeton Are Eliminating Early Decision Programs.

It's interesting to note that this action according to figures reported by the New York Times has not led to an increase in early decision applications at other Ivy League or upper echelon institutions.

Maybe Early Admission Programs Serve Universities More Than They Meet Student Needs

I believe that institutions will have many strong applicants in both pools. The question for you really comes down to how comfortable you are in applying Early Decision if you know that an acceptance will bind you to attend that institution? If financial aid is a concern and you need to be able to see which of your top choices offers the best financial aid package, you probably do not want to apply through any binding Early Decision programs.

For my money, I won't be recommending to my own children to apply through these types of programs. I think there's too much at stake to limit their options. There are just too many excellent schools out there for one to believe that you have to attend one particular school in order to achieve success.

Hopefully, more schools will follow the lead of Harvard and Princeton and others by realizing that this practice is not in the best interests of students. And, that's what colleges are supposed to exist for isn't it?

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