What does REA stand for?

Hey, I've seen people mentioning REA a lot lately in relation to college applications, and I'm a bit confused. What does it stand for, and how is it different from regular early action?

Hey! REA stands for Restrictive Early Action. It's a type of early action that some colleges use in their admission process. Unlike regular early action, which lets you apply early to multiple colleges and doesn't require you to commit to attending if accepted, REA comes with a few extra conditions.

When you apply REA to a school, it often means you're not allowed to apply early action (EA) or early decision (ED) to any other private schools in the U.S. You can still apply to multiple schools under regular decision and to non-binding, public schools under their early action programs. If you're accepted under REA, you're not obligated to attend that college, and you'll have until May 1st to make your final decision.

Not all schools offer REA, and the conditions may vary between colleges, so it's essential to check each school's specific requirements. Some well-known schools with REA policies include Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. REA can be a great option if you have a top choice school and want to show your strong interest without being fully committed like ED.

For more on restrictive early action, check out this CollegeVine article: https://blog.collegevine.com/what-is-restrictive-early-action-when-applying-to-college

I hope that clears up any confusion!