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Once touted as a surefire advantage for getting accepted into your dream school, applying  

Early Decision

  is losing its popularity. Just this fall, Harvard, Princeton, and the Univeresity of Virginia joined a growing number of top colleges and universities that have decided to eliminate their binding Early Decision admission options altogether.

Although Early Decision allows students to receive an admissions decision much sooner, critics cite several drawbacks, including extra pressure on students to make their tough decision quickly and definitively.

Still for years, selective colleges have received a large percentage of their applications by the Early Admission deadline. "Many colleges like the fact that, with a binding Early Decision plan, they can 'lock-in' a significant portion of their freshman class by mid-December," explains Louis Hirsh, director of admissions at the University of Delaware (Newark, DE). "This allows them to admit fewer students in March or April. Admitting fewer students lowers their rate of admission, and a lower rate of admission makes them look more selective and boosts their rankings in magazines like U.S. News & World Report and Money." That's why so many colleges are reluctant to drop Early Decision, Hirsh explains.

So why are some colleges changing their tune? For starters, he says, families with financial need and students with outstanding academic records, for example, are at a disadvantage. Early Decision programs force students to make a decision without being able to compare other colleges' financial aid and scholarship awards." In addition, even though they are assured otherwise, many students still feel pressured into applying Early Decision because they believe it would enhance their chances of gaining admission, adds Hirsh.

Just Say No to Early Decision
As of May 2006, the University of Delaware eliminated its binding Early Decision plan and will instead notify all of its freshman applicants of admissions determinations by mid-March 2007. In the past, Early Decision had allowed students to apply by November 1st and have a decision by December 15th. In return, students had to confirm a school was their first-choice college and agree that, if admitted, they would withdraw their other college applications and send in their enrollment deposits by January 15th. In Delaware's case, eliminating Early Decision means that all admitted freshmen will now have until May 1st to accept or decline their offer.

Some other schools that have dropped Early Decision: Yale (New Haven, CT), Stanford (Stanford, CA), and Beloit College (Beloit, WI). "We're enrolling our fourth class since we decided not to do Early Decision anymore," says Steve Farmer, University of North Carolina's (UNC, Chapel Hill, NC) undergraduate admissions director. "We honestly felt that it was the right thing for us to do. There was really no compelling reason for us to keep it," Farmer adds. The change aims to encourage UNC applicants to focus on which college or university might best match their interests and talents, he explains, rather than on which application plan might improve their chances of being admitted.

Farmer doesn't think eliminating Early Decision has become a trend just yet, however. "There has been more of a movement of Single Choice/Early Action nationwide," he says. Perhaps because Early Action rules are less stringent.

Non-Binding Early Action Programs
The University of Delaware does not have a Non-Binding Early Action program to replace the Early Decision plan, but officials there did consider it. They do, however, have an optional question on their application that asks students to check yes or no to the statement: "The University of Delaware is my first-choice college."

"Though the question is optional, there were more than 10,000 freshmen applicants for Fall 2006 who checked 'yes,'" Hirsh says. "Even if only half of those students elected to apply under a non-binding Early Action program, there is no way we could do a thoughtful reading of so many applications and still get an answer to students by mid-December. That's why we chose to have a single, mid-March notification date for everyone."

An added advantage of an across-the-board notification date is that the university is able to consider students who do well in their senior classes. By waiting until March to notify students, Delaware can review at least a full half-year's worth of senior grades before making a decision. "Telling applicants that we will be poring over their senior year course selection and grades is a great message to send," Hirsh says, "and our high school colleagues seem to appreciate the fact that it helps reduce senioritis."

Farmer says the UNC kept its Early Non-Binding Action program, under which students apply by November 15th and are notified in late January, and its regular schedule, with applications due by January 15th and notifications in late March. Neither program requires that admitted students enroll at UNC, and both allow applications to other schools. "I don't think there is anything evil or wrong about Early Decision," he notes. "I think there are schools that practice it admirably.

I don't think the issue is individual schools behaving in one way or another. I think the issue really is the cumulative effect that many schools offering Early Decision has on young people who are worried about getting into schools.

The Ins and Outs of Getting In

Nonrestrictive Application Plans - allow students to wait Until May 1 to confirm enrollment

Regular Decision: apply to as many schools as you want, meeting each one's corresponding regular deadline, and wait with the rest of the applicants who applied using the same approach

Rolling Admission: either there are no deadlines or there are several deadlines throughout the year - admitting students is an on-going process

Nonrestrictive Early Action: you can apply early to the school you're leaning toward, but you're not obligated to attend if accepted

Restrictive Application Plans - allow institutions to limit students from applying to other early plans

Early Decision: if you absolutely want to go to a particular college, you apply to that school early, and get accepted (or rejected) early; once accepted, you have to go to your early-decision school.

Restrictive Early Action: apply early to your choice school so you can be admitted or turned away early just like the Nonrestrictive Early Action, but you're not allowed to apply early elsewhere.

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