Is Early Decision Binding? What Applicants Need To Know

Thinking about applying Early Decision? Want to be sure you understand the commitment it entails? This blog post explains why applying Early Decision involves a binding commitment, outlines potential limitations to your commitment, and reviews the key differences between Early Decision and Early Action.

When navigating the college admissions process, one of the most common questions students and parents ask is, "Is Early Decision binding?" The short answer is yes, Early Decision (ED) is a binding agreement.

This means that if you apply Early Decision and you’re accepted, you're committed to attending that institution and must withdraw all other college applications.

Of course, an ED agreement does not typically amount to a legal contract per se, and some circumstances can justify being released from the commitment.

Still, the binding nature of the agreement is the principal reason students and guardians should thoughtfully consider if and when to apply to a college or university as an Early Decision applicant.

In this post we'll cover the following:

1. Is Early Decision binding?
2. How binding is Early Decision? (Can I change my mind or get out of it?)
3. How does it differ from Early Action?
4. Can I apply to more than one school as an Early Decision applicant vs. Early Action?

1. Is Early Decision Binding?

Yes — when you apply to a school as an Early Decision applicant, you're committing to attend the school if you're accepted.

You'll also be agreeing to rescind your other applications and decline any other offers as soon as you're notified you’ve been accepted to your ED school.

Because of this commitment, the ED application process is referred to as “binding” — making careful consideration beforehand essential.

2. How Binding Is Early Decision?

When we tell students that an ED application involves a binding commitment, the next question is often: okay, how binding is it?

While most people don't judge an ED commitment a "legal" one, failing to honor an ED commitment can have significant consequences for a student. In particular, not honoring the commitment is likely to harm your standing and reputation as an applicant to other schools. This means that an ED agreement really does limit your options if you're accepted.

With those words of caution in place, it’s important to know what factors may justify a release from an ED agreement…

Lack of Affordability

One prominent factor that can limit your ED obligation is a lack of affordability. For example, in the event you receive an insufficient offer of financial aid after you're accepted to the school, you may have cause for choosing to decline the ED school's offer and entertain offers from other schools. If push comes to shove, financial hardship offers almost the only strong premise there is for backing out of an ED commitment.

In this context, however, remember that you may be able to get fairly accurate information about financial support ahead of time. For instance, many schools host online financial aid calculators on their website. So, while it's true you won't have a detailed financial aid offer and package to review prior to deciding if you should apply ED or not, it would be expected that you had researched and had taken into consideration the anticipated costs of attendance at your ED school before applying.

However, it's crucial to have an open discussion with the financial aid office to explore all options before making a final decision about whether to honor your commitment or move on.

Unforeseen Life Circumstances

Additionally, school officials are likely to be understanding if genuinely unforeseen and extenuating circumstances prevent a student from honoring their ED commitment or make it necessary to defer enrollment. 

These kinds of circumstances are ones reasonable persons would see as truly impacting your ability to pursue your intended educational plans, such as experiencing an extended or chronic illness, dealing with a death in the family, or caring for a sick or disabled family member…

However, these situations are rare, making it important to approach Early Decision with the understanding that it is a serious commitment!

Negotiating Release From an ED Commitment

If you find yourself needing to change your mind after being accepted through Early Decision, you’ll typically be expected to justify why. The first step is to communicate directly with the admissions office of the college. 

Be honest about your reasons and provide any necessary documentation to support your case.

Keep in mind that breaking an Early Decision agreement without a valid reason can have consequences, such as damaging your reputation with other colleges.

3. How Does Early Decision Differ From Early Action?

It’s easy to get confused when trying to understand how Early Decision and Early Action (EA) are different.

While Early Decision is binding, Early Action is not.

This means that students who apply through Early Action can receive an early response from colleges without the obligation to attend if accepted.

4. How Many Colleges Can You Apply To: Early Decision vs. Early Action

Applying Under Non-Restrictive Early Action (EA)

You can only submit an ED application to one prospective school, because of the binding nature of the agreement it entails. You can still apply to as many other schools as you want under Regular Decision or under a non-restrictive form of Early Action (and as long as you're agree to withdraw those applications if accepted by your Early Decision school).

Applying Under Restrictive Forms of Early Action

It’s also important not to confuse unrestricted Early Action (EA) with restricted forms of Early Action called Restrictive Early Action (REA)  and Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA).

If you apply under REA/SCEA you cannot apply early to any other college or university — with exceptions in most cases for applying early to public institutions. However, REA/SCEA is non-binding if you’re accepted, the same as unrestrictive EA.

That also means that if you want to apply ED to your top school, that precludes you from applying anywhere else under REA or SCEA.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Early Decision is a binding commitment that requires careful consideration. While there can be valid circumstances offering you a way out of an ED commitment, these options are very limited — making it crucial to consider a host of factors when deciding whether or not to apply ED, including application timelines, your level of interest in each school on your list, acceptance rates, and your applicant profile, among others.

If you do choose to apply Early Decision remember these key points:

• ED Is “binding”: if accepted under ED, you must attend unless there are genuine financial barriers or other extenuating circumstances.
• ED Entails Restrictions: Applying ED to one school precludes you from applying to other schools under any of the following: ED, REA, SCEA (though public institutions are typically excluded from this restriction).
• ED Does Not Exclude Any EA/RD Applications: If you apply ED to one school, you can still apply Early Action (non-restrictive) and Regular Decision to as many other schools as you want, as long as you’re ready to rescind those applications if your ED school offers you a spot.

As a rule of thumb, it's probably not strategic to apply to a school ED unless the school really stands out as a top choice for you — because if you’re accepted you have a binding agreement to enroll and no opportunity to weigh competing offers, including competing offers of financial aid.

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