Is it allowed to apply early decision to more than one school?

I've just started working on my college applications, and I can't decide between two top choices for early decision. Is it possible to apply early decision to both or is there a rule against doing that? Thanks for your help, and good luck to everyone applying!

Hi there, congratulations on starting your college application process! It's an exciting time, and the decision of where to apply early decision can indeed be a big one.

To answer your question, early decision (ED) is binding, meaning if you're accepted to the institution, you're expected to enroll and withdraw any other applications you may have submitted to other colleges. So, applying to more than one school for early decision is not allowed, as you could be accepted at both schools, and then you'd be obligated to attend both.

To get yourself out of this pickle, you might consider applying early action (EA) instead at one of the two schools, if that's an option. EA is non-binding, so you have no commitment to enroll if accepted, which means you can apply to more than one college. However, some schools have restrictions on applying EA if you also applied ED somewhere else, so make sure to check each institution's policy. You also want to be on the lookout for the somewhat unusual restrictive early action policy (REA), which you can read about in this CollegeVine blog post: https://blog.collegevine.com/what-is-restrictive-early-action-when-applying-to-college

If you are limited to applying to just one of your two top choices, the best way to decide between them is by carefully weighing the pros and cons of each school, doing your research, and asking yourself honestly which one truly feels like the better fit for you. Visiting the campuses, if possible, may help with your decision as well.

Wishing you the best of luck with your applications!