Just know that percentage numbers can be deceiving. For a smaller school that has recruited athletes apply ED, more than half the spots could go to them. At schools that require legacies to apply ED to get the benefit of that status, there’s another chunk of the applicants. And remember that most students who apply ED are not ones who want to waste that chance – they are often, as a group, more qualified than the RD applicants as a pool.
There are schools, however, which are often “in the mix” for a certain type of student, and at those, ED really does change your chances simply because they won’t accept you if they think that you’re unlikely to accept them. Tufts is often cited as such a school. Conn College has that reputation as well.
It’s important to look at each school to know how much of an advantage ED offers, if any.
Also, if you are deferred in the ED round to RD, you may have an edge there because they know you are seriousabut attending. And if you end up on a WL, you may be more likely to get the call that a space has opened up because they know you really want to be there. But all of this only matters if it’s really your first choice.