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Articles: Expert Advice
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10 Colleges Where Early Applicants Have an Edge
Dave_Berry
CC Admissions Expert Posts: 2,731 Senior Member
"At these schools, early acceptance rates dwarfed regular acceptance rates for fall 2016." ...
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2017-11-21/10-colleges-where-early-applicants-have-an-edge
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2017-11-21/10-colleges-where-early-applicants-have-an-edge
Replies to: 10 Colleges Where Early Applicants Have an Edge
Or use the website collegedata.
I think most schools are actually pretty clear about how they do things. ED is not such a big deal at some schools after adjusting ED admit rates for pool strength, athletes, legacies. Example -- Brown.
At other schools, it is a big deal and those schools say so. Example -- Duke. From the Duke website:
Early Decision Myths and Facts
Myth: The Early Decision process is more competitive than Regular Decision.
Fact: While some schools make this claim, at Duke we appreciate that we are your unquestioned first choice. There’s an advantage in applying early to Duke—last year we admitted 23.5% of our Early Decision candidates and only 8.7% of our Regular Decision candidates. There are students for whom applying Early Decision can make all the difference.
Myth: I’m better off waiting until I get my first semester grades so that my application looks stronger.
Fact: Some students do benefit from waiting for that first set of grades, but for most applicants there’s more of an advantage in letting us know Duke is your top choice by applying Early Decision. Even if your application is deferred to our Regular Decision pool, the fact that you applied Early Decision remains part of your application.
Myth: The reason schools have higher acceptance rates for Early Decision is because athletes and children of alumni apply then.
Fact: Some schools do encourage athletes and alumni children to apply during Early Decision, but our philosophy is to encourage all students who have Duke as a clear first choice to apply Early Decision and gain that benefit.
Happens in places like SMU. Tulane is another one where this happens. It is how the market is segmented. SMU and Tulane have ED, but they are not really big ED schools. They have other enrollment tools that are much more logical and helpful for their band of school.
The ED game really works best in the USNWR 5-20 band. ED works GREAT for schools like Penn and Duke. The kids who ED to Penn and Duke are still going to have pretty high stats. While those kids would have a shot at an HYPS, they are more than willing to opt for the better odds at schools just a little bit below that level. And it works out great for Duke and Penn -- higher yield, less financial aid paid out, lower admit rates, higher stats for the enrolled class.
Schools below that level really don't have the brand strength to get high stat kids to commit ED. The SMUs instead tend to get their high stat enrollees through the extensive use of merit scholarships. While the SMUs and Tulanes have ED, they rely much more on non-binding Early Action instead. Unlike SMU and Tulane, the Dukes and Penns don't have EA and don't do merit schollies. It is just ED and need-based aid.
So at SMU, the kids willing to make the ED commitment are not really the kids that SMU is most anxious to enroll. Since they will have lower stats and are stretching to get into SMU. So SMUs ED pool is likely to have a lower admit rates than the RD pool.
Also, the applicant pool is generally more homogeneously well-qualified because of a self-selection bias. I.e., the applicants apply because they know they are qualified. The "myth" of the "more competitive pool" perpetrated by the schools themselves reinforces this self-selection to the benefit of the school (as well as the applicants).