Application Deadlines

Applying to a university under their Early Decision plan is like making a promise: if the university accepts you, you promise to go there (and often, you are promising to pay full tuition).  You'll need to submit your application much earlier (October 1 is a common deadline for ED) but you'll find out an answer much earlier as well (usually by mid-January).

If you apply to a university as an Early Decision applicant, you can still  apply to other colleges, but if your "ED" college accepts you, you must rescind (take back) your applications to any other universities.

Why apply Early Decision?  Generally, you have a higher chance of being accepted to the university.  They know you are committed to attending their school, and universities like knowing who is coming to their school as they build their freshman class .  

Early Action is similar to Early Decision, but without the promise. Applicants have an earlier deadline (Oct. 1 is common) to submit their college application and they find out sooner if they were admitted, rejected or deferred (put into pile of Regular Decision applications).

The benefit to applying as an early action candidate is that you find out much earlier if a college has accepted you.  

Regular Decision applicants get the benefit of time.  Applications are due later (usually January) so seniors have Thanksgiving and Winter Break to work on the applications.  Also, if you earned excellent grades in the fall semester of your senior year and want to strengthen your academic transcript, applying Regular Decision gives you the opportunity to write in those recent grades.  Otherwise, colleges will make their decisions based on the grades you earned by the end of your junior year.