Early Applications 101: Your Guide to Applying EA and ED

Padya Paramita

October 18, 2022

Early Applications 101: Your Guide to Applying EA and ED

As we head into fall, many high school seniors will be deciding whether they wish to apply early to their top choice schools. Colleges offer the route to apply early action and/or early decision for students who believe their institution is a top choice. The difference between early action and early decision lies in the nature of the commitment. When you apply early decision, you sign a binding agreement—you’re choosing to commit to the school if you're accepted. Early action on the other hand is nonbinding. If you’re not ready to sign the dotted line during the November deadline, a lot of schools— particularly liberal arts colleges—offer a second early decision round in January. To guide you through all relevant topics, we’ve prepared this early applications 101 guide, featuring the details that the various rounds entail alongside blogs that will help you make your choice and your decision.

The Different Application Rounds

To start off the early applications 101 roundup, it’s important for you to understand the meaning of each early route and acronym.

Early action (EA) - Nonbinding admissions process for students to apply to college earlier than the regular deadline, usually in November of senior year. Students receive admissions notifications in December, and if accepted, are not required to commit. Examples: University of Michigan, MIT
Early decision I (ED I) - Binding admissions process for students to apply to college earlier than the regular deadline, usually in November of senior year. Students receive admissions notifications in December, and if accepted, are required to commit. Examples: Columbia University, Dartmouth College
Early decision II (ED II) - Binding admissions process for students to apply to college closer to the regular deadline in January. Students receive admissions notifications in mid-February, and if accepted, are required to commit. Examples: Johns Hopkins University, Carnegie Mellon University
Restrictive early action (REA) - REA is process more restrictive than early action but less committal than early decision. Students can apply only to their single-choice EA institution in the early round, with exceptions. Students can’t apply to any ED school, but can apply to other EA schools. Examples: Harvard University, Stanford University
Single-choice early action - Nonbinding process for students to apply to their top institution. Students cannot apply to other schools EA or ED. Examples: Princeton University, Yale University
Regular decision - Vast majority of students apply regular decision, usually in January, and are notified in late March or early April. Students have no obligation to commit if accepted.

Early Applications 101: InGenius Prep’s Resources

Because there are several components to the early decision and early action process, we have gathered all of the resources we have on the different segments and brought them to you in one place. If you’re new to the admissions landscape, you probably have a lot of questions. Whether you’re choosing between two schools, or unsure what happens if you break an early decision agreement, we’ve got answers for you. Click through the resources below for a crash course on early applications 101:

The idea of choosing a single college when there are so many options to explore can seem scary. But, with thorough research and an examination of majors and departments, student groups, and facilities offered by a campus, you might find a school that is the perfect fit for you early in your college search. If that’s the case, why wait until the regular decision? Look through the blogs listed above, note the early action and early decision requirements and deadlines of the school(s) of your choice, and start preparing now. Hopefully, this early applications 101 guide is helpful. And if you get college applications out of the way early, you can have a stress-free last semester of high school!