K evin submitted an early college application to Johns Hopkins University by November 1st, and was admitted a month and a half later on December 15th. He dropped his remaining college applications and knew where he was going to college and the total cost by January 1st. Sound like a sweet deal? It's called Early Admissions and it's an admissions option offered by many of the top colleges in the United States, an option that has been increasingly exercised by applicants to college. I strongly recommend that my prepared students take advantage of early admissions. How does early admission work and is it right for me? If you want a single simple piece of advice regarding the confusing early admission system, here it is: apply early to only one college that you love, if you are not concerned about financial aid. If you are of the curious nature and want to understand the system in-depth, then read on.

Why apply for Early Admission?

• you know which college you want to attend without a doubt.
• you want a better chance of gaining admission
• you want to reduce the stress and uncertainty of college admissions
• you want admissions to be done and over with in December instead of dragging out the process until April of the next year
• you want to reduce the cost of the application process significantly because you will not have to pay for application fees, transcript fees, test-sending fees, CSS profile fees, and admissions weekends trips for other colleges. Let us also not underestimate the high cost of time and the savings you get there.

Why do universities offer Early Admission?

• the college wants to "lock down" the cream of the crop students before other colleges do
• the college wants to fill its freshman class as much as possible as to remove the uncertainty of how many students will comprise the freshman class, which allows the university to budget and plan smoothly
• the college wants to reduce the stress of the admissions process, because it will have fewer regular decision students to enroll, reducing the time spent on "courting", waitlists, appeals, etc.
• the college wants to spread out the work of admissions by beginning the work sooner

What types of Early Admission are offered?

Conclusions

1. Early Decision is the only way to increase your admissions chances, but of course it comes with downsides.

2. Early Action reduces some stress and cost, but it doesn't increase your admissions chances.

3. To see if it's worth it for you, click here to see acceptance rates for early vs regular admission for the top colleges.

What outcomes are possible in Early Admission?

1. Accepted: a yes. Congratulations!

2. Waitlisted: a maybe yes. If after regular admissions in April, many accepted students decline, you may be given a spot.

3. Deferred: a maybe yes, but most likely a no. The college will consider you again at regular decision in April, but keep in mind the majority of deferred applicants will eventually be denied.

4. Rejected: a flat no. Sorry, you cannot apply regular decision nor will you get a second chance. Rejection is painful but sometimes for the best.

Summary

1. Would I recommend applying for early admission? Yes, if the student loves a college and is academically and financially prepared.

2. Can you apply to multiple early admission programs? No, unless you apply to only Unrestricted Early Action colleges, but then this route removes any advantages you may have had in terms of winning acceptance.

3. Do I recommend Early II? Yes, for the same reasons as in Question #1 above.

4. Would I recommend doing an early program simply to "game" the admissions process? No. Early admissions works in the favor of those who are enthusiastic about a college and who are certain that they want to attend.

5. How do I approach Early Admissions with my students? For my students, if the academic and financial cards are properly aligned, I recommend Early I, followed by Early II, followed by Regular Decision, giving our students the advantage of three shots at college admissions.