Applying to colleges is an important step towards pursuing a career. And an equally important step is to decide how and when one should apply, early, deferred, etc.

The decision to apply to colleges for early admissions must be reflected in your career choice and abilities. But before you decide to do so, let us look at the different ways of college admissions. There are more than two, and an informed choice will give you an edge.

Different Types of Admissions

1.  Regular admissions

This is one of the most common and most popular types of college admission. The university sets out particular dates for filling the admission forms. Students are then required to submit their applicants in the set period. Once the given period is over, a college analyzes all the applications in a certain time, usually 1-2 months after the deadline of application submission. Usually, the period for application submission is between November to January.

2.  Rolling admissions

Rolling admissions work in a first-come, first-served approach. The deadlines and the period set for the application submission for rolling admissions are usually quite large. The applications are reviewed as soon as they are submitted to the university. The admission decision to the university is given out as soon as the student’s application is reviewed. Unlike regular admissions, rolling admissions do not wait for the period of application submission to get over.

3.  Deferred admissions

Deferred admissions refer to the admissions after one year. This can either be due to the applicant’s choice or due to the university’s choice. A student may take a gap of one full year after high school and before starting college. To guarantee admission next year, a candidate may defer his/her admission by one year. Sometimes universities get their classes full for the course. If they want a candidate to attend the college despite such a situation, they defer the candidate for one year and ask them to join the college next year.

4.  Early decision

Early decision is a binding admission type. When you select an early decision, it implies that if your application gets accepted,  you will have to go and enroll in that college. You should not apply to more than one university under early decision as it impacts your application negatively. It is advised to review the university and your application before committing to any university’s early decision. You have to apply for the schools for early decisions during November, and because of the binding nature of the application, if you get in, you have to go.

5.  Early action

Early action is similar to early decision admissions. You have to apply to colleges under this category around November. Here it is expected that if you get in, you will join the college. But this is a non-binding category. You can apply under early action in more than one university, and once you get the results, you can select where you want to go. It is safer than the early decision. Make sure that you do not get confused with the early decisions while applying under early action.

Features of Early Decision

1.  Binding commitment

The early decision comes with a binding commitment. Though it isn’t legally binding, it asks you to withdraw your applications from other colleges if you get accepted in one college through early decision. If you do not follow this, you may get blacklisted for further admission to other colleges. It is advised that you only apply to an early decision if you are sure of attending that one college, no matter what.

2.  Application timing

The students applying for early decision submit their application between mid-October to early November. They get their results by January. Other applicants that apply for regular admissions get their results in April. Thus if you get into a college through early decision, you can sit back and relax through your senior year without worrying about college admissions.

3.  Chances of acceptance

Colleges want students who want them. Thus owing to this, the early decision has a higher chance of acceptance. It has been observed that students who apply for the early decision have a more than a 15 percent acceptance rate than those who apply for regular admission. The commitment of joining the college with early decision comes with the advantage of higher chances of selection.

4.  Financial aid

Financial aid with early decisions is an important factor to consider. It has been observed that students that get acceptance through early decisions get minimum financial aid. Since students do not have the option to compare financial aid with other colleges and then select the best one, they generally face financial aid difficulties. It has been widely observed that students applying for early decision generally come from a good financial background. Thus before you select an early decision, make sure you have enough money to join the college without financial aid.

Summary

The features mentioned above of the early decision will help you to decide what is best for you. If you have a dream college and no financial difficulties, the early decision will best serve your case. But if you have financial issues and looking for scholarships, it is suggested that you avoid early decisions as it comes with a binding agreement. And the failure of such an agreement may cost you your admissions to other colleges.

We hope that this article helps you to make an informed decision about your college admissions. At Miles Smart Tutoring, we are dedicated to helping students excel at their studies and careers. For any help with tutoring services, career guidance, and counseling, you can contact us or visit our website https://milessmarttutoring.com/.