Are early application acceptance rates higher than regular decision?

Hey everyone, I have been doing some research and found out that some colleges have different acceptance rates for early action/early decision and regular decision. Can you guys share any experiences or statistics on whether it's generally more beneficial to apply early or wait for regular decision?

Hey there! Yeah, you're totally right, many colleges do have different acceptance rates for Early Action (EA) / Early Decision (ED) and Regular Decision (RD). In fact, applying early, especially ED, can boost your chances of getting accepted. On average, applying ED can result in about a 60% increase in your chances of admission, while applying EA also benefits you but the effect is smaller since you're not obligated to attend if accepted.

For example, if your chances were 4% for RD, applying ED might bump them up to around 6.4%. That 2.4 percentage point increase could make a significant difference, especially for super selective schools.

One thing to consider, though: if you apply ED, you're committing to attending that school if you get accepted. This is why some students might choose EA instead, so they have time to compare financial aid packages and make a final decision after RD results come in.

Now, this doesn't mean you should always apply early. You want to make sure that your application is the best it can be, and if you need extra time to work on your essays or improve your extracurriculars, it might be worth focusing on RD. But if you feel ready and have a top-choice school you'd love to attend, applying early can give you a nice boost in chances!