Every year, I work with students who fall in love with a college and decide that they want to apply Early Decision. Sometimes they have been talking about the school for years. Other times, they visit a campus and come home saying, “This is it. I can’t imagine going anywhere else.”
For students, the decision can feel pretty simple. They love the school, so why wouldn’t they apply Early Decision?
For parents, there are usually a few more questions.
Early Decision can be a great option for some students, and at certain colleges, it can provide an admissions advantage. But it is also a big commitment for the entire family. Before your student applies, there are a few things I always encourage families to think through.
First, Make Sure Everyone Understands What “Binding” Means
This is the most important part of the Early Decision conversation. If your student applies ED and is accepted, they are expected to attend that college and withdraw their other applications.
This is very different from Early Action. With Early Action, students can apply early, receive a decision early, and still wait until the spring to compare their options.
I always ask my students the same question:
If you were accepted to every college on your list, would you still choose this one?
If the answer is an immediate yes, Early Decision may make sense. If they pause and start saying, “Well, maybe if I got into…” then I think the family needs to have a longer conversation.
Make Sure Your Teen Loves the School – Not Just the Idea of the School
This is something I see more often than you might think in my one-on-one sessions with high school students and their parents.
Sometimes a student becomes focused on a college because of its name or reputation. Sometimes a friend is applying there. And sometimes they go on one beautiful campus tour, have an amazing tour guide, and suddenly decide they have found their dream school.
I completely understand it! College visits can be exciting. But before making a binding commitment, I want students to look a little deeper.
- Do they like the academic programs?
- Is the school the right size?
- Can they picture themselves living in that location for four years?
- Have they researched housing, student life, and what students actually do on the weekends?
Whenever possible, I strongly recommend visiting before applying Early Decision. I know that is not realistic for every family, but committing to a college you have never seen is a pretty big leap.
Talk About Money Before the Application Is Submitted
This may not be the most exciting part of the college search, but it is one of the most important.
Before your student applies Early Decision, I strongly recommend that you run the Net Price Calculator on the college’s website (here’s one example: the University of Maryland’s net price calculator) and have a very clear conversation about what your family can realistically afford.
I have worked with families where the student is talking excitedly about applying ED and the parents are sitting quietly, clearly worried about the cost. This is the time to talk about it – not after the acceptance arrives.
With Early Action and Regular Decision, families may have the opportunity to compare financial aid and scholarship offers from several colleges. With Early Decision, you may be giving up that opportunity.
If you have a firm college budget, your student needs to know that before applying. I know these conversations can be hard, but they are much easier to have in October than they are after an acceptance arrives in December.
Don’t Get Too Excited About the Early Decision Acceptance Rate
This is another conversation I have with families every year.
A student finds out that a college has a much higher acceptance rate during the Early Decision round and suddenly thinks, “This is my way in!”
Maybe. But it is not always that simple.
Early Decision pools can include recruited athletes and other applicants who may have specific institutional priorities. So while the overall ED acceptance rate may be higher, that does not mean every student’s individual chances increase by the same amount.
Early Decision can absolutely provide an advantage at some colleges, but it is not magic. A student still needs to be a competitive applicant.
When I talk with families about whether ED makes sense, I look at the entire picture: grades, course rigor, test scores if the student is submitting them, activities, and how the student compares to those typically admitted to that college.
Sometimes I tell a student that applying Early Decision may give them a nice boost. Other times, I have to explain that applying ED isn’t going to magically turn a very high reach into a realistic option.
Here’s a good example: A student applying Early Decision to Tulane University can receive a significant admissions advantage because Tulane fills a large portion of its freshman class through the ED rounds. Since ED is a binding commitment, the admissions office knows those students are serious about enrolling, and that can make a meaningful difference in the admissions process.
On the other hand, a student applying Early Decision to William & Mary is not likely to see nearly the same advantage. While there may be a slight boost, admissions decisions are driven much more by the strength of the student’s academic profile than by whether they apply ED or Regular Decision. A strong applicant is still very competitive in the Regular Decision pool, so I don’t recommend applying ED simply because you think it will increase your chances. William & Mary should be your clear first choice before making that commitment.
This is why I always tell students that there isn’t a universal answer to the question, “Should I apply Early Decision?” The answer depends on the college, the student’s academic profile, and whether that school is truly the right fit.
Keep Working on the Rest of the College List
I know. No one wants to hear this one.
Your student has applied to their dream school, and now they want to wait for the decision before thinking about anything else.
Please do not let them do that!
Students can be accepted, deferred, or denied. If the answer is anything other than an acceptance, they will need a backup plan. I encourage my students to keep working on their other applications so that they have options when admission decisions roll out.
Have the “What If” Conversations
Before your teen signs the Early Decision agreement, talk through the possibilities.
What if the financial aid package is not what you expected? What if your student starts having second thoughts? What if another college suddenly becomes more appealing? What if they are deferred?
Teenagers change their minds. We all do.
A school that feels absolutely perfect in September may not feel exactly the same way a few months later. That does not mean students should never apply Early Decision. It just means they need to understand the commitment they are making.
So, Should Your Teen Apply Early Decision?
Maybe! I know that is probably not the simple answer you were hoping for, but Early Decision really is a case-by-case decision.
If your student has a clear first-choice college, has done the research, is a realistic candidate for admission, and your family is comfortable with the cost, Early Decision can be a great option.
This past year, one of my students fell in love with Villanova University after visiting the campus in the spring of her junior year. She attended an information session, sat in on a class, spoke with a professor, and left saying, “I can’t picture myself anywhere else.” We spent the summer refining her college list, but Villanova still remained her clear first choice. Since she had thoroughly researched the school, her family was comfortable with the financial commitment, and she knew she would enroll if admitted, she applied Early Decision. She was accepted in December, allowing her to enjoy the rest of her senior year without having to wait until the spring for admissions decisions.
But if your student wants to compare colleges, wait for scholarship offers, or simply is not 100% sure, there is absolutely nothing wrong with applying Early Action or Regular Decision instead.
I never want a student to apply Early Decision simply because they are afraid they will not get in otherwise. I want them to apply because they truly know where they want to be – and because the entire family understands and is comfortable with the commitment.
The goal is not just to receive an acceptance. The goal is for that acceptance to arrive and for everyone in the family to be able to celebrate it!
If you need help strategizing for each step in the college admissions process, that’s what we’re here for! My colleagues and I are all former admissions evaluators who now work one-on-one with students in grades 8-12 to help them create standout applications. We invite you to schedule a free consultation call today so we can answer your questions and see if our virtual college consulting program is a good fit for your family.
ABOUT OUR AUTHOR:
Jen Foldvary, M.Ed., is a College Consultant at Educational Connections. She previously worked as a private high school college counselor and as the Associate Director of Freshmen Admission at the University of Toledo. Jen holds a Bachelor’s in Special Education and a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from The University of Toledo. She began her career as a special education teacher.