QuestBridge: Applying to College

Early Decision and Single Choice Early Action

Early Decision (ED) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) give students the opportunity to apply to one college – and receive an admissions decision from that college – before the regular decision application round. The College Board established the Early Decision Plan Agreement so that students with a strong desire to attend a particular college could apply early to that school, and thereby demonstrate his or her singular preference for that college.

You may only apply to only one college under ED or SCEA, i.e. you may not apply to one school Early Decision and another Early Action. Not all schools have ED or SCEA programs, and most schools offer one or the other, not both.

Applying Early Decision to a college means you make a binding commitment to attend that college if you are accepted. When you receive an admissions offer from an ED school, you must withdraw your applications from all other schools. Though there is no official penalty for withdrawing from your ED agreement, other colleges may withhold or withdr aw their admissions offers if they learn that you broke your agreement. Please note, however, that for low-income students, inability to pay for a college due to an inadequate financial aid package can be a valid reason for breaking an ED agreement.

Applying Early Action, on the other hand, allows you to apply to a college early without committing to attend if you are accepted. You can therefore express your specific interest in your SCEA school while maintaining the option of attending a school to which you apply during the regular round.

Even if you apply early to one college, you should still prepare regular decision applications for other schools and have them ready to submit in case you are not accepted. You may not have much time to prepare new applications between the time you are notified by your ED/SCEA school and the application deadline for other schools. In fact, some schools, such as the UC schools in California, have admissions deadlines that fall before the release of ED/SCEA decisions.

This document presents some of the advantages and disadvantages of the ED and SCEA programs. It also provides you with a framework for considering whether you should apply in the early admissions round. We also advise you to do further research on the early admissions programs of the schools you are considering, and talk with your guidance counselor or other advisor about whether you ought to apply early.

Benefits of Applying ED:

Though colleges officially report that applying early does not give students a statistical advantage, the most selective colleges currently have a 15%-25% admissions rate for SCEA and ED versus 9%-12% for regular admissions. In recent years, as many as 40% of freshmen at Ivy League schools have been early admissions applicants.
- One caveat: even though the admissions rates are higher, if your application is not ready, you should not submit it early. Assuming your ED school is your top pick, you will want your application to be as strong as possible before you submit it.
Students receive ED admissions results earlier than they would receive regular decision results, typically in December. If accepted, students can plan ahead or modify their senior year schedules, as they will not have to invest time in regular admissions work.

Negative Aspects of ED:

ED agreements require that you accept the admissions offer of the college if they grant you admissions. You should therefore be prepared to attend any college that you apply to ED. Make sure you have researched the college well.
You can only apply to one college under ED. However, if you are not accepted ED, you can apply to as many colleges you want in the regular decision round.
You have to prepare your applications earlier for ED than for regular decision.
You will be compared to other ED applicants. Because only top students are encouraged to apply early, it is likely that the pool of early admission applicants is stronger than the regular applicant pool.
You cannot compare financial award letters from one college to another because you are only applying to one college.
- However, if you feel the financial aid offer you receive from your ED school will place an undue burden on your family, call the college’s financial aid office and discuss your options. A financial aid package that leaves you unable to afford the college is an acceptable reason to break your ED contract, reject the admissions offer, and apply to other schools.

Benefits of Applying SCEA:

Though colleges officially report that applying early does not give students a statistical advantage, the most selective colleges currently have a 15%-25% admissions rate for SCEA and ED versus 9%-12% for regular admissions. In recent years, as many as 40% of freshmen at Ivy League schools have been early admissions applicants.
- One caveat: even though the admissions rates are higher, if your application is not ready, you should not submit it early. Assuming your SCEA school is your top pick, you will want your application to be as strong as possible before you submit it.
Students receive SCEA admissions results earlier than they would receive regular decision results, typically in December. If accepted, students can plan ahead or modify their senior year schedules, as they will not have to invest time in regular admissions work.
Even if you submit an SCEA application, you can still apply to as many colleges as you wish to under regular decision review.
You are not bound to attend the SCEA college if you are granted admission.

Negative Aspects of SCEA:

You can only apply to one college under SCEA. You can apply to as many colleges you want for regular decision if you are not accepted to the college you applied to under SCEA.
You have to prepare your applications earlier for SCEA than for regular decision.
You will be compared to other SCEA applicants. Because only top students are encouraged to apply early, it is likely that the pool of early admission applicants is stronger than the regular applicant pool.

Should you apply ED or SCEA?

Some questions to consider in deciding whether to apply early:

Am I absolutely sure I want to attend this school?
Does this school provide generous financial aid to low-income students?
Are my standardized test scores in a competitive range for this school, or should I re-take exams in November or December to try and improve my scores?
Does my transcript reflect the degree of excellence this school desires, or should I wait for regular decision so that my fall quarter grades can enhance my academic record?
Are my essays ready?
Are my recommendations ready?

If your application is ready and you know you want to attend a particular college, applying early, and thereby demonstrating your commitment to that school, may improve your chances. You should consider applying early if you know the school is your first choice, and it offers good financial aid to low-income students. Most importantly, you should only apply early if your application is ready, i.e. your test scores and GPA are as strong as they can be, and your essays are polished and professional. You should feel confident that given more time, you could not have improved your application.

Remember that you are applying to your first-choice school, and the ED and SCEA pools are highly competitive. Any advantage you may have as an early applicant will not overcome the damaging effects of an under-prepared application. If your essays are not ready, or you could improve your GPA or test scores given the extra time, it may be a good idea to wait until the regular decision round.


Home National College Match College Prep Scholarship Resource Center Refer a Student About Us
Home National College Match College Prep Scholarship Student Resource Center Preparing for College Applying to College Strategies Choosing a College ►Early Action/Decision List of Guides Writing Essays Frequently Asked Questions Paying for College A Letter to Applicants Refer A Student About Us	Early Decision and Single Choice Early Action Early Decision and Single Choice Early Action Early Decision (ED) and Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) give students the opportunity to apply to one college – and receive an admissions decision from that college – before the regular decision application round. The College Board established the Early Decision Plan Agreement so that students with a strong desire to attend a particular college could apply early to that school, and thereby demonstrate his or her singular preference for that college. You may only apply to only one college under ED or SCEA, i.e. you may not apply to one school Early Decision and another Early Action. Not all schools have ED or SCEA programs, and most schools offer one or the other, not both. Applying Early Decision to a college means you make a binding commitment to attend that college if you are accepted. When you receive an admissions offer from an ED school, you must withdraw your applications from all other schools. Though there is no official penalty for withdrawing from your ED agreement, other colleges may withhold or withdr aw their admissions offers if they learn that you broke your agreement. Please note, however, that for low-income students, inability to pay for a college due to an inadequate financial aid package can be a valid reason for breaking an ED agreement. Applying Early Action, on the other hand, allows you to apply to a college early without committing to attend if you are accepted. You can therefore express your specific interest in your SCEA school while maintaining the option of attending a school to which you apply during the regular round. Even if you apply early to one college, you should still prepare regular decision applications for other schools and have them ready to submit in case you are not accepted. You may not have much time to prepare new applications between the time you are notified by your ED/SCEA school and the application deadline for other schools. In fact, some schools, such as the UC schools in California, have admissions deadlines that fall before the release of ED/SCEA decisions. This document presents some of the advantages and disadvantages of the ED and SCEA programs. It also provides you with a framework for considering whether you should apply in the early admissions round. We also advise you to do further research on the early admissions programs of the schools you are considering, and talk with your guidance counselor or other advisor about whether you ought to apply early. Benefits of Applying ED: Though colleges officially report that applying early does not give students a statistical advantage, the most selective colleges currently have a 15%-25% admissions rate for SCEA and ED versus 9%-12% for regular admissions. In recent years, as many as 40% of freshmen at Ivy League schools have been early admissions applicants. One caveat: even though the admissions rates are higher, if your application is not ready, you should not submit it early. Assuming your ED school is your top pick, you will want your application to be as strong as possible before you submit it. Students receive ED admissions results earlier than they would receive regular decision results, typically in December. If accepted, students can plan ahead or modify their senior year schedules, as they will not have to invest time in regular admissions work. Negative Aspects of ED: ED agreements require that you accept the admissions offer of the college if they grant you admissions. You should therefore be prepared to attend any college that you apply to ED. Make sure you have researched the college well. You can only apply to one college under ED. However, if you are not accepted ED, you can apply to as many colleges you want in the regular decision round. You have to prepare your applications earlier for ED than for regular decision. You will be compared to other ED applicants. Because only top students are encouraged to apply early, it is likely that the pool of early admission applicants is stronger than the regular applicant pool. You cannot compare financial award letters from one college to another because you are only applying to one college. However, if you feel the financial aid offer you receive from your ED school will place an undue burden on your family, call the college’s financial aid office and discuss your options. A financial aid package that leaves you unable to afford the college is an acceptable reason to break your ED contract, reject the admissions offer, and apply to other schools. Benefits of Applying SCEA: Though colleges officially report that applying early does not give students a statistical advantage, the most selective colleges currently have a 15%-25% admissions rate for SCEA and ED versus 9%-12% for regular admissions. In recent years, as many as 40% of freshmen at Ivy League schools have been early admissions applicants. One caveat: even though the admissions rates are higher, if your application is not ready, you should not submit it early. Assuming your SCEA school is your top pick, you will want your application to be as strong as possible before you submit it. Students receive SCEA admissions results earlier than they would receive regular decision results, typically in December. If accepted, students can plan ahead or modify their senior year schedules, as they will not have to invest time in regular admissions work. Even if you submit an SCEA application, you can still apply to as many colleges as you wish to under regular decision review. You are not bound to attend the SCEA college if you are granted admission. Negative Aspects of SCEA: You can only apply to one college under SCEA. You can apply to as many colleges you want for regular decision if you are not accepted to the college you applied to under SCEA. You have to prepare your applications earlier for SCEA than for regular decision. You will be compared to other SCEA applicants. Because only top students are encouraged to apply early, it is likely that the pool of early admission applicants is stronger than the regular applicant pool. Should you apply ED or SCEA? Some questions to consider in deciding whether to apply early: Am I absolutely sure I want to attend this school? Does this school provide generous financial aid to low-income students? Are my standardized test scores in a competitive range for this school, or should I re-take exams in November or December to try and improve my scores? Does my transcript reflect the degree of excellence this school desires, or should I wait for regular decision so that my fall quarter grades can enhance my academic record? Are my essays ready? Are my recommendations ready? If your application is ready and you know you want to attend a particular college, applying early, and thereby demonstrating your commitment to that school, may improve your chances. You should consider applying early if you know the school is your first choice, and it offers good financial aid to low-income students. Most importantly, you should only apply early if your application is ready, i.e. your test scores and GPA are as strong as they can be, and your essays are polished and professional. You should feel confident that given more time, you could not have improved your application. Remember that you are applying to your first-choice school, and the ED and SCEA pools are highly competitive. Any advantage you may have as an early applicant will not overcome the damaging effects of an under-prepared application. If your essays are not ready, or you could improve your GPA or test scores given the extra time, it may be a good idea to wait until the regular decision round.
2006 Quest Scholars Program Help Privacy Policy Terms of Use