Some have opined that Princeton’s decision to drop its Single Choice Early Action option and move all its applicants to a Regular Decision deadline in January will be the first in a series of similar actions taken by Ivy League and other selective schools. We saw that happen with schools going test optional one after another this spring. But since Princeton announced this several weeks ago, we haven’t seen any other schools follow suit. A survey of more than 50 popular schools around the country found no such announcements. 

That said, with the pandemic still ravaging many states in the US, and testing opportunities continuing to be uncertain, this could all change in the near future.  

What are the various types of college admission terms?

Regular Decision - This is when you apply by the “Regular” deadline, which usually is in December or January. You may apply to as many schools as you wish under this approach, and you will usually be notified of the school’s decision by late winter or early spring. The advantage to this deadline is not having to turn in applications early.

Early Action - This is when you apply by the “Early” deadline, which usually is November 1 or 15. You may apply to as many schools as you wish under this approach, and you usually will be notified of the school’s decision by the end of December. The advantage to this is knowing early in the process that you are admitted to certain schools. The disadvantage is some of the more selective schools sometimes simply defer a large cohort of these students to the Regular Decision pile. 

Rolling - As with Regular Decision and Early Action, you may apply anytime between when the application opens and when it is due, but, unlike with Regular Decision and Early Action, the admissions committee fills its class as it goes. It is therefore in your interest to submit your application to a Rolling admission school as soon as possible and not simply by the deadline. 

Early Decision - This is a binding situation - it is as if you are making an “offer” in contract with your application, and if the school admits you, it has accepted your offer, and you are bound to attend. Some schools specify that you may opt out of the contract if the aid package is unaffordable, but not all schools do this. There are great advantages for both schools and applicants in this model, including certainty on both ends, and so certain schools fill up a large portion of their classes this way. With some exceptions, however, this is a financial commitment, so it is an option that favors the wealthy. It also favors those who are certain of what they want, which does not apply to all students. 

Princeton’s version of Early Action: Non-binding

Princeton has a fifth type of application, the Single Choice Early Action, which is rather rare, offered only at a handful of schools, including Stanford (Restrictive Early Action) and Yale. Like Early Decision, It permits a student to apply only to one early school under a binding plan (students may apply early to other schools as long as they are non-binding, or, as with Stanford, students may not submit early action applications to private schools unless those applications are tied to aid/special program). It is, however, a non-binding declaration (unlike Early Decision), and students can wait until they have received all their acceptances before deciding whether to attend the single choice school. In this way it is like Early Action. As with other early options (ED and sometimes EA), students typically receive decisions by December.