As competition for college admission intensifies, a rising number of colleges and universities are filling over 50% of their freshman classes through early decision or early action.
Once considered an option for only the most prepared students, early admissions applications have become a more mainstream strategy as students apply early to improve their odds at top schools and—increasingly—selective colleges seek to secure enrollments.
“The broader trend of early admissions, whether through early decision or early action, is reshaping the way students and families approach college applications,” says Aaron Andrikopoulos, cofounder of AJ Tutoring.
While the focus has largely been on students leveraging higher acceptance rates that can occur via early admissions, a striking number of colleges seek their own advantage by filling large portions of their freshman class with early decision applicants. In doing so, schools can minimize the uncertainty of regular decision cycles, securing incoming classes ahead of the competitive spring season when students typically compare offers from multiple schools.
For example, for the Class of 2028, Boston University admitted 58% of its freshman class via early decision, Barnard College admitted 56% of first-year students early while the University of Pennsylvania accepted 51% of its incoming students via early decision.
“From the university’s perspective, early decision allows them to lock in a portion of their incoming class early, reducing uncertainty about enrollment,” says AJ Tutoring’s Andrikopoulos.
This reality intensifies the stakes for regular decision students, who battle for a decreased number of spots and, often, tougher odds.
Vanderbilt University accepted 15.2% of their 5,825 early decision applicants, or around 889 students. As a result, only 1,512 regular decision applicants out of 41,336 were accepted, which translates into a regular admission admit rate of 3.7%. Across all admissions cycles at Vanderbilt, an estimated 5.1% of applicants were accepted.
“The benefits are clear for students: a higher likelihood of acceptance compared to the regular decision pool,” says AJ Tutoring’s Andrikopoulos. “However, it also means that the process can favor well-prepared students, with the resources and guidance to make a confident choice early, along with recruited athletes, legacy students, and other students with an admissions hook.”
Indeed, regular decision applicants tend to be from less well-resourced backgrounds, according to Common App research, as applying early decision—which is a binding commitment—generally precludes a student’s ability to compare financial aid packages that universities may offer. Students who apply early aren’t as often weighted by these considerations.
“Applying early is closely associated with the educational and socioeconomic characteristics of applicants’ home communities,” the research states.
In addition, the research finds that Asian students were more likely to apply early decision while White and Multiracial students were most likely to apply early action, which is non-binding. Meanwhile, Black or African American, Native Hawaiaan or Other Pacific Islander, Native American or Alaska Native, and Latinx applicants were least likely to apply early at all.
“We observe large demographic disparities in who applies early,” the College App research notes.
Universities are careful not to encourage students to view early admission options as a strategic tool. “Harvard does not offer an advantage to students who apply early,” the university’s website states. Harvard has a “Restrictive Early Action” option, which means students are not obligated to enroll if accepted but are not allowed to apply early to any other school at the same time.
“While admit rates tend to be higher in Restrictive Early Action, this reflects the remarkable strength of the applicant pool rather than a benefit of application timing,” Harvard’s website notes.
As this year’s early admissions deadlines approach—for some schools, on November 1—higher education observers are watching to see whether trends hold.
There are some signs that freshman places being filled via early admissions may be declining, albeit slightly. The percentage of new students Barnard accepted early most recently is slightly below the 62% accepted for the Class of 2026 and the 60% for the Class of 2027, according to the student-run Columbia Spectator newspaper. Should early admissions continue to play a strong role in shaping incoming classes, however, there’s potential for some checks to be implemented.
“It’s possible that universities could face pressure to limit the number of ED acceptances, either from external forces like government regulation or internal pressures to maintain diversity in their applicant pool,” says AJ Tutoring’s Andrikopoulos. “ED tends to favor students with access to more resources—whether it’s private college counseling or institutional support—so there may be calls for reform to ensure that access is more equitable.”