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Have you been seeking further details regarding this matter for years, but have not been able to find it? Now you can stop searching and get all the data you need right here. We provide you with all the necessary details regarding the restrictive early action schools.

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The list of colleges offering REA/SCEA is smallโ€”the program is available only at Boston College, Georgetown University, Harvard UniversityPrinceton UniversityStanford University, the University of Notre Dame, and Yale University.

  • You can be done with your college search by mid-December. This can alleviate months of stress and uncertainty from your senior year.
  • Admit rates are higher (sometimes over twice as high) for the early applicant pool. Keep in mind that colleges will always say that the admission standards are the same for early and regular applicants, and the higher admit rates come about because the early applicant pool tends to include the strongest applicants. Still, the common wisdom is that if you are a competitive applicant, your chances are better in the early applicant pool.
  • You aren’t required to attend the college you’ve applied to early. This is a significant advantage over early decision, and it allows you to do overnight visits in the winter or spring before making a final college decision.

What is Restrictive Early Action?

Students applying for restrictive early action or single-choice early action indicate to a college that itโ€™s their first-choice school by signing an agreement that they will file just one early application at a private institution. Students may, however, apply to other colleges via regular admissions or rolling admissions. They may also apply for a public schoolโ€™s early application program or apply to a foreign college or university at any time, so long as those programs are non-binding.

Students applying for REA/SCEA will need to submit an application to their chosen institution early, typically the beginning of November. They can expect an application decision often around mid-December. Being accepted restrictive early action is non-binding and students have until May 1st (universal decision day) to make their decision. Students who are accepted SCEA can therefore wait until they have all their regular admissions decisions back before committing.

What Are the Pros of Applying Restrictive Early Action?

The pros of applying to an REA/SCEA program is that if accepted, students can put the college application process behind themโ€”allowing them to focus their energy on preparing for college, and alleviating the stress and uncertainty of waiting to hear back from their dream school. Colleges like REA/SCEA applicants because theyโ€™re able to single out students who are truly interested in attending their institution; because of this, admission rates are higher for students who apply early. Keep in mind, the early applicant pool also contains the strongest candidates, which gives early admission rates a boost too.

Restrictive early action/single-choice early action lets students hear back from their first-choice school early and gives them the opportunity to compare cost, financial awards, and visit (or revisit) the school before committing.

What to Know About Restrictive Early Action

Students aren’t the only ones in the admissions world who want certainty โ€“ so do colleges. Enter restrictive early action, a nonbinding pathway that limits the number of colleges a student can apply early to while offering applicants a shot at their dream school.

While applicants are under no obligation to attend if accepted, schools that use restrictive early action ask prospective students to apply early only at that institution. Typically, such colleges require students to sign a form stating that they will not apply to other early admissions programs.

“Restrictive early action is similar to an early action plan in that you can apply earlier than other applicants and receive your decision earlier than other applicants,” explains Allen Koh, CEO of admissions firm Cardinal Education. “The way it is different is that you are not allowed to apply to other early decision or early action universities with the exception of public universities.”

That specific exception, he explains, is because public universities may take longer to make a decision. “And because public universities are so much more affordable,” Koh adds. “Universities think it would be unethical not to let students apply to the public universities.”

Another common exception is for students who are applying to foreign universities, experts note.

Understanding Restrictive Early Action

Applicants who choose the restrictive early action route are essentially foregoing the chance to apply early at other schools. Families may also know restrictive early action by another name: single-choice early action, which refers to the same type of admissions program.

Unlike early decision, applicants are not bound to attend a college if accepted via a restrictive or single-choice early action program.

“Basically, restrictive early action is a nonbinding, noncommittal way in which students can demonstrate that a specific school, particularly one of the most selective private schools in our country, is their number one choice,” says Cindy Chanin, founder and director of the admissions firm Rainbow EDU Consulting & Tutoring.

Who Should Apply Via Restrictive Early Action

As with early admissions plans in general, restrictive early action isn’t for everyone. It tends to require students to submit application materials well before others applying for regular decision.

“Generally speaking, most universities in this country have an early deadline of some sort of Nov. 1. Some are earlier, some are later,” Koh says. That tends to be true for all early action and early decision programs, restrictive or not, he notes. Students often hear back in December, and decisions are typically required by the standard May 1 deadline.

The accelerated deadline also means that students need a strong portfolio. Christy Pratt, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, says students should apply via restrictive early action only if they are truly ready.

“If they’ve had a strong showing ninth through 11th grade, the rigor has continued to build and there’s nothing significant changing between the end of their junior year and their senior year that would benefit our review, then absolutely go for restrictive early action,” Pratt says.

Restrictive early action schools such as Notre Dame want to see more than standout grades in incoming applications. Prospective students should also have strong essays and letters of recommendation, interesting extracurricular activities and personal narratives that reveal the content of that applicant’s character. Such applicants tend to be academic all-stars highly coveted by colleges.

What are the Different Types of College Admission Deadlines?

  • Early Decision: this is a binding applicationโ€”if a student is accepted, theyโ€™re committed to going to that school. The deadline most commonly occurs in the early fall of a studentโ€™s senior year.  
  • Early Action: similar to early decision, with the major difference being that acceptance is not binding; a student can still decide whether or not they want to attend if accepted.
  • Restrictive Early Action: also like early action, REA is non-binding, but students may only apply to one private school REA. They can usually apply EA to public schools, however.
  • Regular Decision: the standard application deadline, typically occurring in January of a studentโ€™s senior year.
  • Rolling Admission: allows students to apply any time up to a certain dateโ€”the application will remain open and students are admitted until the institution fills its class.

Drawbacks of Applying Single-Choice Early Action

  • You need to have a polished application ready to go by November 1st. Some applicants rush to meet the early deadline, and as a result put forth an application that doesn’t represent their best work.
  • You can’t apply to other colleges through an early admission program. With regular early action, you can apply to multiple schools early.
  • You might receive a rejection letter in December, and this can be demoralizing as you continue to work on other college applications and wait for regular admission decisions.

As you think about whether or not to apply to a college through single-choice early action, keep in mind why the school is providing this option. When a college gives an offer of admission, it wants the student to accept that offer. An applicant who applies single-choice early action is sending a clear message that the college in question is his or her first-choice school. There is really no clearer way to demonstrate interest than applying early, and colleges can improve their yield significantly if they admit students with clearly demonstrated interest. Even though you are not bound to attend the college, you have sent a strong message that you are highly likely to attend. From the perspective of the admissions office, a high yield is extremely valuableโ€”the college gets the students it wants, the college can better predict the size of the incoming class, and the college can rely less on waitlists.

Many of the country’s very top colleges (included most with single-choice early action programs) state that they do not consider demonstrated interest when making admissions decisions. This may be true when it comes to factors such as campus visits and optional interviews. However, such schools are being insincere when the early applicant pool is accepted at a much higher rate than the regular applicant pool. The interest in the school that you demonstrate by applying early does matter.

A Final Word About Single-Choice Early Action

If you have your heart set on attending Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Boston College, Princeton or some other college with a single-choice or restrictive early action program, applying early is most likely a good choice. Make sure, however, that you have a strong application ready to go by November 1st, and make sure there are no other colleges offering early action or early decision that you would rather attend.


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