Early Decision (ED)

Category: business

A binding early admissions application track requiring a student to commit to enrolling if accepted.

Early Decision is a high-leverage strategic mechanism. Applicants submit files by November and receive binding determinations by December. If accepted, the student contractually agrees to withdraw all concurrent applications, heavily boosting the institution's predictive yield model.

Common Examples

• The consultant recommended filing an Early Decision application to capitalize on the university's statistically higher acceptance baseline.
• Breaking a binding Early Decision agreement without proving severe financial hardship can cause other selective colleges to cancel your offers.