Early Action, Early Decision and Regular Decision. You have probably come across these terms if you are currently in the United States Undergraduate admissions process. What do they mean, and how do they affect you as a prospective candidate?
Quick Background — Fall and Spring Entry
Academic sessions are usually divided into two major* time periods. These periods are known as semesters. The two semesters are named after the yearly season in which they start. The first semester is called the fall semester which usually begins in August and ends in December. The second semester is called the Spring semester. This semester begins in January and ends in May.
Universities usually accept incoming freshmen in both semesters. However, some only accept students in the fall semester. Admissions in the spring is called spring entry and that of the fall semester is called fall entry. These terms will be referenced later.
Early Action (EA)
Think of this as the first batch of admissions. Candidates who do early action applications get their admission decisions before candidates that go the regular decision route.
Early action is usually offered mainly for Fall entry admissions and the deadline is usually November 1 or 15✝. Most candidates get their admission decisions by January 1✝.
For Spring admissions, EA may or may not be available depending on what university it is. Candidates should therefore do due diligence to get information about their preferred schools.
Early Decision (ED)
This is exactly the same as early action. The only differences are that:
Candidates can only apply to one of their choice universities with early decision i.e the others have to be either early action or regular decision.
Furthermore, ED applications are binding. If a candidate is offered admission by their early decision choice, they must accept the admission and withdraw their applications to other universities. The timeline is identical✝ to that of early action.
Even though early decision is binding, candidates are still able to renege on the admission offer for certain reasons such as a unfavorable financial aid package among others. This however should not be taken as a license to breach ED agreements without reasonable cause.
Regular Decision
Everything else falls under this category. Here, the application deadline is more relaxed — January 1 or 15✝. Admission decisions however are delivered much later, usually around the end of March✝.
Which should I use?
If you are certain about going to a certain university and have strong application materials ready, early decision is probably the best way to go. If however, you are not ready to commit to a university but already have those application materials, early action is more suitable. Regular decision is more suitable if you want more time to get your application in, and/or you do not think your application materials are competitive enough.
* Many universities have, in addition to the major semesters, two other semesters. These are the Summer and Winter semesters, and are usually shorter than the major ones.
✝ Please note the deadlines mentioned here are general guidelines. Universities might have different deadlines than stated here and it is important that candidates take note of this.
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