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Many students applied this fall, through early decision programs at their top choice colleges and universities. Now, we’re currently conducting a survey of our admissions and test prep blog readers to hear whether you gain admission early decision.
If you do, simply tweet us @toptestprep and let us know your decision when it comes. If you do, you could win a $100 gift certificate.
Here are some numbers for the 2012 – 2013 early decision/early action admissions cycle:
As the deadlines approach for early decision and early action applicants at America’s most competitive universities, a few institutions have released application figures. They indicate significant increases in applications over previous years. Early decision university applicants are contractually required to attend that school, whereas early action applicants can apply to additional schools early action or regular decision. Early decision and early action applicants at elite schools have an acceptance rate which is, on average, two to two and a half times higher than regular admissions applicants.
Early decision applications to Duke this fall have increased 23 percent over last year’s early decision applications.
Johns Hopkins early decision applications have experienced an eight percent increase over this period, and Dartmouth’s applications in this area are up two percent.
Princeton, which just re-instituted its early admissions option after a four year hiatus along with Harvard, revealed that 3,547 students had applied by its early November deadline, nearly triple the size of its freshman class.
Early decision and early action applications by students with their early deadlines, not only increase the odds of getting into the most competitive universities, but often increase the probability of receiving financial assistance.
The total pool of available money diminishes by the regular admissions deadlines at the start of the calendar year.
David Dickson is an admissions counselor at Top Test Prep which offers private tutoring and test preparation prep. Call (800) 501-Prep today.
In recent years, many colleges including the most competitive have been filling 30 to 70 percent of their freshman class through early decision or early action. Consequently, students who wait to apply during regular decision are competing with far more students for a smaller number of seats. Last year, the University of Pennsylvania filled about 50 percent of its freshman class through early decision whereas Johns Hopkins University and Williams took 40 percent of their freshman from the early round. Disparities between the prospects for acceptance of early decision applicants and regular decision applicants are often stark. Columbia University’s early decision acceptance rate for the class of 2015 was 20 percent versus six percent for regular decision applicants. Last year, Cornell accepted 35 percent of early decision applicants and 16 percent of those who applied through regular decision, while Brown’s figures were 20 percent in the early round and seven percent through regular decision.
Applying Early Decision
Students can only apply to one college early decision and if accepted they must attend. Deadlines generally fall in November and students are typically informed by the latter half of December of their application status.
Pros:
-Significantly higher acceptance rates
-Many early decision schools have sizeable need-based financial aid programs
Cons:
-You can’t change your mind
-You can’t compare college financial aid packages
Applying Early Decision II
It often falls a month or two after Early Decision I. In some cases if a student is rejected Early Decision I at one school and receives a letter of rejection, they may apply Early Decision II at a second school. Acceptance statistics are still unclear on this new practice.
Early Action and Priority Plans
Students can apply to several institutions under these rules, and have until spring to inform a college of their intentions. Deadlines in November or December are the norm and admissions decisions take a month or two.
Pros:
-Higher acceptance rates than regular admissions
-Families can exercise all of their financial aid options at a number of schools, and more favorable aid packages may be available earlier in the admissions process
-You aren’t compelled to attend
Cons:
-Lower acceptance percentages than early decision
Conclusion
Early decision and early action applications may enhance your admissions prospects and are worthy of exploration. Familiarize yourself with the admissions policies of every school to which you apply since they can vary. Top Test Prep offers tutoring and test preparations with admissions experts who can help you gain admission to your top schools.
David Dickson is a counselor with Top Test Prep. To learn more about applying early or getting help with college admissions counseling, call (800) 501-Prep today.
Last week Princeton and Harvard each announced the return of their early admissions programs. Early admission has not been an option at either school since 2006, when the institutions decided to cancel their programs at the same time.
Princeton and Harvard stopped offering early admission with the hope that it would allow students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds apply. The institutions also expressed expectations that other colleges would follow suit; however, only the University of Virginia did, and only for a brief time. Last year the UVA began to offer its early admission program again.
In its daily newspaper, Princeton said that instead of reinstating a binding early decision option, which was offered from 1996 to 2006, it will offer a “single-choice early action option.” That will give students who are offered early admission the option of waiting to reply until the spring, and to learn about financial aid options.
"We have carefully reviewed our single admission program every year, and we have been very pleased with how it has worked,” Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman said in a University press release that was quoted in the Daily Princetonian. “But in eliminating our early program four years ago, we hoped other colleges and universities would do the same and they haven’t."
In the Harvard Crimson, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith is quoted from a statement saying that trends have shown that "underrepresented minority students, were choosing programs with an early-action option, and therefore were missing out on the opportunity to consider Harvard."
For students planning to apply to Princeton or Harvard – it means that the option of early admission has returned, and this time, without a binding enrollment agreement. Now, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford offer non-binding, single-choice early action programs.
This article is titled, "Early Admission to Return to Princeton and Harvard." It was written by Marta Casey, a writer at Top Test Prep’s team.
To learn more about Top Test Prep’s programs, call (800) 501-Prep.
Early Decision and Early Action | College Admissions Information on Ivy League Schools:
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Penn and Yale
Brown University
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Harvard University
Princeton University
University of Pennsylvania (Penn)
Yale University
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For more information on our Ivy League Admissions Counseling, call us at (800) 501-Prep.
Early Decision (Admissions) Results - Great news! Several admissions offices have made their early decision application “decisions” this past week and will be mailing the application results this coming week.
If you haven’t heard back yet from your top college, no worries. Let us know what you hear, twitter @toptestprep.
Our college admissions counseling and college counseling can help you get into these schools, no matter what the result this week. Call Top Test Prep at 800-501-PREP.
Below you will see when some colleges traditionally release their early decision application results and decisions.
Boston University – December 15th;
Bowdoin College – Mid-December;
Brown University – December 14th, 5pm EST online;
Caltech – Emailed on 12th of December by noon PST
Carnegie Mellon – Mailed as early as December 12th
Columbia ED – Online December 10, 5PM EST
Cornell University – Dec. 10, 5pm
Dartmouth College – December 8th 4PM EST
Dickinson College – ED – December 15th
Duke University – December 10th 6pm
Fordham University EA – December 25th
Georgetown University – December 15th
George Washington University – December 9 @ 6:00 pm online
Haverford College – December 15th
Johns Hopkins University – December 15th, 6 PM EST email, letters sent out same day.
Lehigh University – Letters out by 15th.
MIT – Dec 16th, 9pm
Northwestern ED – December 15th (2008)
Purdue University EA – begin December 11th, decisions posted daily.
Stanford University – December 15 3 pm PST
University of Chicago – December 13 (2008)
University of Michigan-by December 24
University of Notre Dame– Dec 15th by mail
University of Pennsylvania – December 11, 3:00 PM
Washington University in St. Louis- December 11th and 12th. Posted online.
Wellesley College ED – December 11th, 5 PM online
Williams College ED – mailed by December 15th (2008)
Yale University – December 15th @5 PM online
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Best of luck to everyone!
-Ross Blankenship
Education Expert
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