<p>It’s very confusing, but here is a general taxonomy:</p>
<p>Early Decision (most colleges): You are committed to enroll if you are accepted. Usually no restriction on applications elsewhere, early or not, as long as you don’t apply anywhere else early decision, and as long as you comply with the other institutions’ rules (i.e., no applying SCEA to Yale or Stanford). Some colleges have a second round of ED (ED II); if you are rejected or deferred someplace ED I or SCEA, you CAN apply ED II elsewhere.</p>
<p>Restricted Early Decision: You are not allowed to apply early action anywhere else if you are applying Early Decision to this college. Brown is the only college I know with this rule, but there may be others.</p>
<p>Early Action: Your early acceptance is binding on the college, but not on you. You have until May 1 to make your decision. These schools do not restrict you from applying ED or EA to other colleges at the same time you apply to them. Chicago, MIT, and Cal Tech are prominent in this category. It is very common (but far from universal) for students to apply ED to College X and EA to Chicago and/or MIT.</p>
<p>Single Choice Early Action: Yale and Stanford. You are not required to enroll if accepted, but you may not apply EA or ED anywhere else until you are deferred or rejected here. (But rolling admission is not considered EA, and there are exceptions for certain programs at LACs that do not provide a decision until after January 1.)</p>
<p>Restricted Early Action: You can apply to as many other EA colleges as you want, but you cannot apply ED anywhere (i.e., don’t apply to us EA if you are committed to enroll elsewhere if they accept you early). Georgetown and Boston College have this rule.</p>