Does sending applications in early confer advantage in the admissions process?

Parents Forum
21

I note this can vary significantly between different institutions and possibly even programs. Unfortunately the reporting is very hit or miss, although College Kickstart is purportedly trying to compile those numbers for a few institutions from various sources:

Using those numbers, Georgia Tech, for example, had about 5600 EA admits between their two rounds, which per their CDS is out of 8413 total, so that is right around 2/3rds.

NC State had 13250 out of 18201, so that is actually a bit higher (about 73%).

But then Oregon was 18820/35377, so closer to half (53%).

For the most part I think this doesn’t matter–as long as you can get in your best application by the EA deadline, why not?

But I think if you identify some additional colleges of interest after their EA deadline, or perhaps (in rare circumstances) your application materially improves after their EA deadline, it is not necessarily a huge deal to apply RD instead.

22

Well, think about if you only add a school 20 minutes before the deadline.

I think that plausibly could mean something to that school.

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23

The problem with the College Kickstart numbers for state schools is that it doesn’t break down in-state vs OOS. UVA’s admissions blog shows how significant that difference is—and that EA provides a huge advantage over RD for in-state applicants (and a much smaller advantage for OOS applicants):

Early Action Applications

Total number of Early Action applications: 41,885 (37,642 last year)
Total number of VA apps: 11,240 (10,109)

Total number of OOS apps: 30,645 (27,533)
We use completed applications in our statistics.

Early Action Offers

Overall offers: 6,746**
Total VA offers:** 2,788 (25% offer rate)
Total OOS offers: 3,958 (13% offer rate)
Enrollment Goal: ~3,970

Regular Decision Round

Total RD applications: 17,568 (16,866 last year)
VA RD applications: 3,519 (3,750)
OOS RD applications: 14,049 (13,116)

VA RD acceptance rate: 11% (15%)
OOS RD acceptance rate: 9% (11%)
Defer acceptance rate: 3% (no deferrals last year)

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24

However, applicant strength may differ between EA and RD pools, so admission rates may not be comparing the same thing.

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25

Obviously trying to infer if there is an admissions advantage for individual applicants is tricky business.

But if I understand their statistics correctly, only 3519/17068 in-state applicants applied RD. For sure that is going to mean only a small fraction of in-state admits applied RD, and then even more so as a mathematical consequence of the RD admit rate being lower.

But again, as to why the RD admit rate is lower, that is a complex question.

26

For sure! Probably the better way to frame it is that RD applicants overall are at a disadvantage simply because UVA makes so many offers in EA. My understanding is that Maryland and Michigan are similar; the vast majority of admissions offers happen in EA, so there just aren’t that many slots left in RD. And applicants seem to understand that, thus the much bigger numbers of applications in EA.

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27

Michigan has started ED now so will be interesting to see the effects of that vs its previous EA.

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