ED, EA, RD

Fancy, high-level, and confusing terms. These are three very common college admission plans students will encounter during the application season. But what are they exactly? And how can they impact your application process?

Early decision (ED) is a binding decision that requires students to make commitment; in other words, you must go if you get in. That's why you can only have one ED school. Many private 4-year colleges and a few public universities like University of Virginia offer ED. It allows students to apply to their first-choice school without the evaluation of their senior year grades as the decision will be released in mid-December. But what makes ED so appealing is that statistically, ED has a significanly higher acceptance rate. For example, UPenn ED has a 15.6% acceptance rate while their overall acceptance rate is below 5%. 

If ED is such a great chance to get into the dream school, should everyone just apply to ED? The answer is NO. ED is for those who are prepared and competitive for that school because the pool is very selective. Also, because you have to accept the offer once admitted, there is no way to compare financial aid packages--a major drawback for those who have demonstrated financial need.

Early action (EA), on the other hand, is not binding. There is no commitment, and you just get your result back ealier--usually in January. Since it's not binding, it doesn't really boost the acceptance rate. Something special about EA is that some colleges, such as Univerisity of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, encourage students to apply to EA if they are interested in popular majors. So, if you plan to study CS or any engineering at UIUC, you will want to consider applying to EA.

Finally, every college has regular decision (RD). Well, some colleges like University of California and University of Washington only have RD. RD gives students a bit more time to prepare for their applications, and students will wait until March or even early April to receive the decision, which makes it extremely stressful. However, with EA and RD--two non-binding decision plans, you do have the opportunity to compare financial aid packages and make a well-rounded decision.