What are the different kinds of “early action” applications?
There are three categories of early admissions: Early Decision (ED) entails applying early to a single first-choice school and committing, if accepted, to matriculating, i.e., enrolling. The obligation may only be waived if a student who applies for financial aid is not offered an award that makes attendance possible (as determined by FAFSA guidelines). This does not preclude a student from filing regular applications elsewhere, but these other applications are only relevant if a student is either rejected or deferred. Next, Early Action applications break down into two sub-categories: ordinary Early Action (EA) simply refers to the deadlines and carries no particular obligation. There is no limit to the number of EA applications, and admission is not binding. The third category, Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA), is a hybrid currently in place at Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Under SCEA, students may only apply early to a single college, but results are not binding; both EA and SCEA stu
There are three categories of early admissions: Early Decision (ED) entails applying early to a single first-choice school and committing, if accepted, to matriculating, i.e., enrolling. The obligation may only be waived if a student who applies for financial aid is not offered an award that makes attendance possible (as determined by FAFSA guidelines). This does not preclude a student from filing regular applications elsewhere, but these other applications are only relevant if a student is either rejected or deferred. Next, Early Action applications break down into two sub-categories: ordinary Early Action (EA) simply refers to the deadlines and carries no particular obligation. There is no limit to the number of EA applications, and admission is not binding. The third category, Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA), is a hybrid currently in place at Yale and Stanford. Under SCEA, students may only apply early to a single college, but results are not binding; both EA and SCEA students hav
