Making Sense of Early Application Options

Most Winsor seniors will submit at least one application in November; many submit several. Not surprisingly, one of the most common questions we hear in College Counseling concerns the various early application programs and how to use them to best support a student’s college goals. 

Before diving into the details, it’s helpful to remember that the rise of early application programs is largely a response to how colleges manage their enrollment and less about student needs. Colleges must hit very specific targets for their incoming class sizes—too many students can strain housing and resources, while too few can impact tuition revenue and campus programming. And, because students today apply to more colleges than ever before, admissions offices face significant uncertainty about who will actually enroll. Early Decision, Early Action, and Restrictive Early Action plans help colleges reduce that uncertainty and manage yield more predictably. 

In this post, we will outline the various types of early application plans and discuss how each could fit into a Winsor student’s individual strategy.

Early Decision (ED)

Early Decision is a binding commitment: if a student is admitted, they agree to attend that college and withdraw all other applications. ED deadlines are usually in early November, with decisions released in mid-December. 

When ED Might Make Sense

• The student has a clear first-choice college, and their academic profile aligns with the range of students from Winsor who have been admitted in past years.
• If the first choice is a significant reach, they might consider whether another one of their top choices could offer a better opportunity as an ED option.  
• Some colleges fill a large portion of their incoming class through ED, making this round particularly strategic for strong, well-prepared applicants. Reviewing a student’s top choices and, with the help of their college counselor, determining which schools might offer more advantage is an important step before making a final choice about where to apply early.
• Families have confirmed that the price at a possible ED choice feels affordable by using the college’s Net Price Calculator. For families who need substantial financial aid, applying ED to a school that guarantees to meet a family’s demonstrated need may be the best shot at a generous financial aid package.
• For recruited athletes, ED can be part of a coordinated plan with a coach. The coach may indicate that the student will be included on their slate of supported candidates for admission. These conversations typically occur in the winter or spring of the junior year and involve a pre-read by the admissions office to confirm academic fit.

Early Decision II (EDII)

A smaller group of colleges offers a second round of binding ED, with deadlines in January and decisions in February. Students admitted through EDII must immediately withdraw all other applications.

When EDII Might Make Sense

• The student was not admitted in the first round of ED (or chose not to apply ED in November) and now has a clear second-choice school where the ED admit rate is higher than that of Regular Decision (RD).
• They have an extremely competitive academic profile for the school based on Winsor’s application history.
  
• They are comfortable withdrawing all other applications if admitted in February, even without seeing the results of other applications.
  
• The financial fit is clear, and the family understands the likely costs, as well as the fact that they will not be able to compare financial aid packages.
  
• A coach has reached out after the initial ED round, indicating that some early recruits were not admitted and that a new recruitment spot has opened.
  

Early Action (EA)

Early Action allows students to apply in the fall and receive decisions between late December and early February without a binding commitment. Students may apply to multiple EA schools and may also be able to combine EA with an ED application, depending on the colleges’ specific policies. While EA decisions used to arrive in December, the dramatic increase in early applications has pushed notification dates back, often to late January for many schools.

When EA Might Make Sense

• The student does not have a clear first choice, or their top choice doesn’t offer ED.
  
• They prefer to compare all admission offers before making a final decision, understanding that they may lose the competitive advantage ED can provide at certain schools.
  
• They are comfortable waiting until late January to hear most EA results and understand they will need to submit all other applications before receiving decisions from EA schools.
  
• They are applying to larger, often public universities, where EA can signal genuine interest.
  
• They are also applying ED elsewhere, but want additional non-binding options in place should the ED decision not go their way.

Restrictive Early Action (REA)

Restrictive Early Action—used by Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Princeton—is a non-binding early plan with a key restriction: students may not apply to other private colleges through any early plan. They may, however, still apply early to public universities. 

When REA Might Make Sense

• The student is a highly competitive applicant based on Winsor’s historical admission outcomes.
• They understand that REA does not offer the same advantage as a binding ED commitment because the student is not “committing to attend” the school if admitted.
• They have thoroughly researched a well-balanced college list that accounts for the competitiveness of the RD round at colleges admitting many students early.
• They are comfortable limiting their early applications to public universities.
• For recruited athletes, REA is similar to ED and is part of a coordinated plan with a coach. While not technically “binding,” recruited athletes are expected to attend the school and often get an early indication of admission in the form of a “likely” letter. 

Final Thoughts

For students, the decision about whether and where to apply early is nuanced and individual. Timing, selectivity, financial fit, and a student’s sense of readiness all play a role. Fortunately, Winsor’s college counselors work closely with each student and family to determine how best to use early options strategically and thoughtfully.