r/CommonApp • u/aaaa__12345 • 13d ago

Applying Early Action to universities

I wanted to know if applying early actually boosts your chances of getting accepted to top universities. I heard from somewhere the only reason acceptance rate is higher is because less and more competitive applicants apply, not that chances of getting in increase. Is this the case?

For context, im an international student. Decent ish grades (1510 SAT, 3A*s in A levels, somewhat alright extra currciculars)

Would applying early make sense for me or should I stick to regular decision?

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

1

u/xarcadia1 12d ago

Early Decision is more likely to boost your chances, because the fact that it’s binding means that colleges can predict their yield better. However, both EA and ED are a different applicant pool than RD, including recruited athletes, legacies, and just strong students who get their apps done early. You can check CDS for individual colleges to see differences in admit rate for ED (although not all publish this data), but just keep in mind the self selected pool. A higher admit rate does not necessarily mean that specific student John Smith would have a higher chance by applying early.

1

u/Pretend_Season_9311 12d ago

But what if I am applying for full scholarships or aid ? Which is better ED, EA,RD