REA vs. ED, which should you apply and where?
Restrictive Early Action (REA) is a non-binding early application option offered by a few selective colleges. With REA, you apply early (typically by November 1) and receive your admission decision in mid-December. However, if you’re accepted, you are not obligated to attend the school. This gives you the flexibility to apply to other schools during the regular decision process.
programs (like Early Action), you cannot apply to other private schools under their Early Decision or other restrictive programs. You may apply to public universities under their non-binding admission plans.
Early Decision (ED) is a binding early application process. Like REA, you apply early and receive a decision by mid-December, but if you’re accepted, you must withdraw all other college applications and commit to attending that school. ED is typically a good option if you have a clear first-choice college and are certain that you can afford to attend without comparing financial aid offers from other schools.Typically, this form of early action offers the highest acceptance rate, but it highly depends on the school.
Many colleges offer an ED II option, which usually has the same deadline as regular decision (but you get results earlier), allowing students more time to make their decision while still enjoying the potential admissions advantage that comes with applying early. The acceptance rates for college are typically higher than regular decision, but much lower than ED I.
Which Should You Choose?
Apply REA if:
- You have a strong preference for a particular school but want the flexibility to compare financial aid offers and explore other options.You are not 100% certain about your first-choice school and want to keep
- your options open.The school you’re applying to is one of the few that offers REA and is your top choice, such as Stanford, Harvard, or Yale.
Apply ED if:
- You have a clear first-choice school and are confident in your ability to attend regardless of financial aid.
- You want to maximize your chances of admission at a highly selective school.
- You’re comfortable with the binding commitment and are willing to forgo the opportunity to compare offers.
Choosing which school to apply REA or ED to can be a difficult decision, but we’re here to simplify the process for you!
ED Value is the comparison between early decision and regular recision acceptance rates. Keep in mind that the applicant pool for these schools in their Early Admissions phase may be much more competitive. When looking for a good “ED Value” school, you want the early acceptance rate to be around 2 or more times higher than regular acceptance rate; you also want to look for what percent of their class they accept in the early stage. Over fifty percent is typically a good number to go for when applying early. We’ve compiled a list of schools that would maximize your chances at getting in, and a list for schools that could possibly hinder or be ineffective in your ability to get accepted.