Early decision is financially unfair to students

counselors always recommend students apply for, if available.

For the class of 2023, worries about college decisions loom over our heads for most of second semester.

Many are still awaiting college decisions, and even those who have received admission to some schools are now faced with the challenge of choosing which college is the best fit for their futures.

However, those who applied via early decision and were accepted now know what college they were admitted to and will be attending this fall.

Early action (EA) and early decision (ED) are two college admission plans that are often confusing to those who are not in the application process.

EA is the admission plan that

With this option, a student applies to college by a November deadline and receives a decision before those who didn’t apply early action. This also gives students priorities for scholarships.

On the other hand, ED is an admission plan where if accepted, you are required to commit to that school.

ED may seem like a dream come true to those who are applying to a competitive college that they know is the school they want to go to; however, the biggest drawback for many students and families is the inability to compare financial packages once accepted to a school ED.

ED is a much more serious commitment than EA. This also means that each student can only apply ED to one school—requiring students to be confident in their decision.

This admission plan has the added benefit of improving ones chances of getting into elite colleges.

For those applying to highly competitive schools or colleges with an acceptance rate of less than 10%, applying ED can be the difference between an admission or a rejection.

In some cases, the percentage of students admitted during ED round one can be more than double the school’s overall acceptance rate for regular decision applicants.

The financial burden of elite colleges is quite large. If the college isn’t need-blind and the financial package is not as large as you had hoped, it may make it unrealistic for your family to be able to afford the school that you are now committed to.

As many of us in class of 2023 are discovering, if you are middle class, FAFSA won’t help you much.

This is a major barrier for middle and lower class students who want to attend prestigious schools with higher tuitions.

It is a risk to say that you are willing to accept the financial package they give you if you are not in the position to do so. Although there may be ways to back out of an ED agreement because of financials, the uncertainty with the consequences of leaving the agreement is often one that lower and middle class students do not want to risk.

ED benefits those who already had many of the resources to help them be admitted to elite colleges, including those whose parents had the money for SAT/ACT prep classes and/or tutoring.

ED gives an advantage to those who were already given advantages as children, and makes it unfair for those who didn’t grow up with those opportunities.