Considering Early Decision? Consider this.

Applying early decision to a college is a way to dramatically boost admission chances. The decision is good for students who know they want to attend a particular college. Students that are even slightly unsure of a college should not apply during this application cycle.

Early decision is a binding commitment that states students will attend a certain college if accepted. In return, colleges are more likely to accept the applicants because admissions officers care about matriculation rates, or the amount of students that choose to attend after being accepted. Early decision guarantees accepted students will attend. For the same reason, students that do not know if they 100% want to or can afford to attend a college should not apply early decision. Affordability is a big factor to consider because financial aid packages might not be received until after students are admitted, meaning they could be stuck with a college they cannot afford.

Some colleges do not offer early decision and may offer early action instead. Early action boosts chances of admission, but is not a binding contract. Although acceptance rates increase for students in this application pool, it is not usually as dramatic as early decision. Students can usually apply to more than one school early action unless it is restrictive early action.

Deadlines for these early application cycles vary by school but are typically in early November, often the first of the month. This means applicants will need to complete applications early, like in September and October. Thus, standardized testing must be completed early as well. Decisions come out in mid to late December.

If students are confident they have found a financially feasible dream school they should apply early decision. For some, this means they can apply to a college that would normally be too selective during regular decision. If it is an option, applying early decision to a reach school is a good idea compared to applying during regular decision.