What is Early Action? A Guide for US University Applicants

Early Action (EA) is one of the most widely misunderstood elements of the US university admissions process. For many applicants, it sits in an awkward middle ground – earlier than Regular Decision, but less decisive than Early Decision – and the rules vary significantly from one institution to another.

This guide explains exactly how Early Action works, including the key differences between Restrictive and non-restrictive EA processes. We examine whether applying early can increase your likelihood of admission, outline which universities offer EA, and set out the key dates you need to know. Finally, we weigh up the advantages and disadvantages to help you decide whether Early Action is the right strategy for your individual circumstances and university goals.

What is Early Action?

Early Action (EA) is a type of admissions process offered by some US universities. It allows applicants to apply earlier than the Regular Decision application deadlines (usually by mid-November, though deadlines vary from one college to another) and receive the college’s decision earlier (usually by early January), instead of as late as May 1^st in some Regular Decision (RD) processes.

It is often compared with Early Decision, another early admissions process – the key difference being that with Early Action, you are not obliged to accept any offers you may receive.

Is it binding?

As mentioned above, Early Action is not binding. You are not required to accept any offers you receive from colleges to which you applied through an EA process.

However, it is important to carefully read the full details of any EA application which you submit, as Early Action can still be restrictive in other ways…

What is Restrictive Early Action?

Restrictive Early Action (REA) is a specific type of EA process used by certain universities, for example Stanford and Caltech. Under REA, you are prohibited from applying to any other private schools under any early programme (whether or not it’s binding) and prohibited from applying to any public schools under a binding programme. In other words, if you apply to a college through REA, you cannot apply to another private colleges through Early Action or Early Decision, or any public colleges through Early Decision.

Some other schools use a process called Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA). This is essentially the same system as REA, just known by another name. Examples of SCEA include Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

Does Early Action increase your chances?

Whether EA increases your chances of acceptance is difficult to say for definite, and depends on various factors, including where you apply.

Students who apply through a Restrictive / Single-Choice Early Action process have higher acceptance rates than those who apply Regular Decision, as shown in the table below:

University	Type of EA	EA Acceptance Rate	RD Acceptance Rate	EA ‘Advantage’
Harvard	Single-Choice	8.7%	2.7%	3.2x
Yale	Single-Choice	10.8%	3.6%	3.0x
Princeton	Single-Choice	15.8%	3.7%	4.3x
MIT	Unrestrictive	5.3%	3.9%	1.3x
Stanford	Restrictive	8.2%	3.3%	2.5x
Notre Dame	Restrictive	11.8%	6.0%	2.0x
Georgetown	Unrestrictive	11.0%	12.0%	0.9x
Caltech	Restrictive	<5%	<5%	Negligible
USC	Unrestrictive	8.3%	12.0%	0.7x

We can see that EA applicants at these colleges sometimes have a 3-4x higher acceptance rate than RD applicants – for instance, the Harvard Early Action acceptance rate is 8.7% vs 2.7% for Regular Decision.

Some reasons for this might that be colleges are more likely to make offers:

1. If they have good reason to believe you are their first choice. This is because colleges carefully monitor their yield rate (the percentage of offered applicants who accept) as an indicator of their prestige and popularity
2. Early in the application cycle, as this is much more operationally convenient than having lots of uncertainty later in the process

However, it is also widely reported that the quality of the EA applicant pool is higher than for RD. If so, then the reason why EA applicants are more successful might simply be because they are stronger, in which case any individual applicant would have the same chance no matter when they applied.

The truth is probably somewhere in the middle – EA does offer a slight advantage, but not as much as you might think from looking at acceptance rates alone.

All the above applies to colleges running Restrictive Early Application processes. At unrestrictive EA schools, the volume of EA applications is much higher than for ED. Thus acceptance rates for EA are much lower than for ED, though still usually slightly higher than for RD – but not always, as the case of Georgetown shows.

Which universities have Early Action?

Many universities use Early Action. A list of notable EA colleges includes:

• Stanford
• Harvard
• Yale
• Princeton
• MIT
• Notre Dame
• Georgetown
• Caltech
• USC
• University of Massachusetts Amherst

As you can see, although many Ivy League and Ivy Plus schools offer EA, not all do. For instance, Duke, UPenn, and Cornell do not have Early Action, only Early Decision. Columbia has EA only for the School of General Studies – for all other schools at Columbia, ED is the only early option.

Key Dates

An earlier set of deadlines is the whole raison d’être of Early Action, so make sure you’re on top of the key dates for your application.

When are the deadlines?

The most common deadlines for EA applications are November 1^st and November 15^th. Check with the universities you are applying to for specific dates.

When do universities release Early Action decisions?

Universities generally release their EA decisions in mid to late December, though some release them in January. Decisions typically come out before the deadlines for RD or EDII (if offered), so you can apply elsewhere if your application was not successful.

Should You Apply Early Action?

If you have a clear preference for your first-choice university, you should consider applying Early Action.

Key benefits

Higher acceptance rates

As noted above, EA applicants, especially at REA / SCEA schools, have higher acceptance rates. Take these with a pinch of salt as other factors may be involved, but applying EA probably still does increase your chances.

Not binding

Unlike ED, Early Action isn’t binding, so if you change your mind after receiving an offer, you can still apply elsewhere.

Peace of mind

You could receive an offer from your first choice in December and have your college plans sorted while your peers are still panicking over RD decisions. Even if you’re not successful with your EA application(s), you can still get a second bite of the cherry at other colleges in EDII or RD rounds.

Potential downsides

Lower acceptance rates than ED

Early Decision applicants have higher acceptance rates, so if you’re playing a numbers game and you’re confident in your first-choice college, then ED may be a better option. Our full guide to Early Action vs Early Decision contains a more detailed comparison and advice on which would suit you better.

Top schools are restrictive

Most of the top schools which offer EA do so via Restrictive / Single-Choice Early Action, meaning that you can’t apply early to any other private universities. If you’re torn between, say, Stanford and Yale, you won’t be able to apply to both and see which (if either) accepts you.

Depending on your circumstances, you may find that EA falls between two stalls: not binding enough to maximise the acceptance rates, too binding to give you total flexibility.

Financial aid uncertainty

Some EA colleges delay sending you their financial aid offers until Regular Decision time, forcing  you to wait to compare aid packages from different schools.

Finally, of course, not all colleges offer EA, so if your first choice doesn’t, then it won’t be an option for you. students’ scores. Our average tutee improves their score by 200+ points after a 25-hour programme.

How Can Dukes Plus Help

If you’re planning to apply to a leading US university, we’re here to help! Our US application consultants are graduates of top colleges with years of experience supporting students. We’re experts in everything from college shortlisting and SAT and ACT preparation, to personal essays and mentoring, with a track record of success with leading US universities.

If you’re not sure where to begin, why not book a free consultation to discuss your ambitions and how Dukes Plus can help.