<p>The available statistics do not reveal if there is any advantage to applying SCEA over RD at any school. Many people have theories about why it might be better, such as cottonmather’s about yield. Some people also think, for example, that legacies will only get the legacy tip if they apply early, but there are no statistics revealing that either.</p>
<p>I would also note that whether there is any advantage or not could vary among SCEA schools–they don’t all do the same thing (for example, Stanford doesn’t defer very many early applicants).</p>
<p>So in the final analysis, apply SCEA to a school if it’s your first choice and you don’t think your application would be substantially stronger before RD.</p>