Applying Early Decision can give you a competitive advantage. After all, we know from Common Data Set data that many schools admit Early Decision applicants at a much higher rate than Regular Decision or Early Action ones.
But with that boost in chances comes a catch: Early Decision applications are binding. That means that you’re obligated to attend if you get into your Early Decision school…or are you?
When you sign an Early Decision Agreement, you’re legally binding yourself to attend the college in question.
But is there any wiggle room with that contract?
In this post, I’ll explain what a “binding” Early Decision agreement is and break down all the ins and outs of backing out of an Early Decision Agreement (spoiler: don’t do it unless you absolutely have to).
What is Early Decision?
Early Decision (ED) is an admission plan that lets you apply to a college early. Unlike Early Action, you can only apply to ONE school Early Decision.
Why? Because an ED application is a promise that you'll enroll if accepted.
When you submit an ED application, you also have to submit a binding Early Decision Agreement through the Common Application. You, your guardian, and your school counselor must all sign the agreement. By signing the agreement, you all are acknowledging that you will attend the institution if you are admitted.
An ED application offers several benefits, the main one being increased admission odds. By expressing that the school is your top choice, the school may be more likely to admit you because they’ll know that you will definitely attend.
What does “binding” mean?
In the case of Early Decision Agreements, “binding” means that you are required to attend the school you ED to if they admit you.
When admitted to your ED school, you must withdraw all the other applications you’ve submitted. You can’t even wait to see whether you get admitted. And you certainly can’t keep applying in the Regular Decision round after you’ve already been admitted ED.
Let’s look at a scenario:
Aaron’s top three schools are MIT, Harvard, and University of Virginia .
Aaron decides to save Harvard for Regular Decision. But he applies Early Action to MIT, since MIT doesn’t offer an Early Decision option and it’s still his top choice.
But Aaron also knows that applying Early Decision can help boost your admissions chances, and he doesn’t want to lose out on that advantage. So he decides to apply Early Decision to the University of Virginia, a school that he really likes.
In December, he hears back from the University of Virginia. He’s in! Woo! He spends the evening celebrating with his family.
The next day, he gets an email notification that his MIT portal has been updated. His heartbeat quickens. His palms feel swampy. He clicks into the portal and is filled with a rush of disbelief, elation, and…regret. He was admitted to MIT.
But he had applied Early Decision to University of Virginia. He had signed a contract to attend.
Is Aaron out of luck? Can he back out of his ED Agreement to the University of Virginia and attend MIT instead?
