Single Choice Early Action

Early Action Deadline: November 1.

You must send ALL application materials by this deadline for Early Action consideration. Please send us the Common Application or Universal College Application, the Harvard Supplement and the $75 application fee (or simple fee waiver request) as soon as you can and by October 15 if at all possible. This will allow us to create and begin processing your file.

Please note. The ED letter from the Common Application is NOT required for Harvard.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EARLY ADMISSION:

• Students applying to Harvard under the Early Action program are not permitted to apply early elsewhere in the fall under Single Choice Early Action, Early Action or Early Decision programs. Harvard will withdraw any offer of admission to a student who does so.



Frequently Asked Questions about Exceptions to Harvard's Single Choice Policy:

• If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college's Single Choice Early Action program?
  No.
• If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college's Early Action program that is not single choice?
  No - unless the college is a public institution.
• If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college's Early Decision program?
  You may not apply simultaneously to Harvard's Early Action program and another college's Early Decision program. However, after you receive notification from Harvard's Early Action program (around December 15), you are free to apply to any institution under any plan, including binding programs such as Early Decision II.
• If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another school's rolling admission program?
  Yes. You may apply to any college or university with a non-binding rolling admissions process.
• I am eligible for scholarships at my home state's institution only if I apply Early Action. Am I allowed to apply to Harvard Single Choice Early Action as well as to my state school?
  Yes.
• May I apply EA to another public institution if it is not in my home state?
  Yes. You may apply to any public college/university.
• I am also applying to colleges outside of the US – may I apply to them at the same time as I apply EA to Harvard?
  Yes.
• May I apply to another college under its Regular Decision plan before I receive from Harvard the admissions decision on my Single Choice Early Action application?
  Yes. You may apply in the fall to any institution under its Regular Decision program.

• Students admitted under an Early Decision program at another college must withdraw any pending application to Harvard and are not eligible for admission.
  
  
• We maintain a strong commitment to providing students and their families freedom and flexibility in choosing the best college and offering exceptionally generous financial aid. For over a generation, both Regular Decision and Early Action have allowed students to use the full senior year to develop future plans and to focus on which college will provide the best educational foundation for their individual needs and aspirations.

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Should Students Apply for Early Admission or Wait Until Regular Decision?

Early Action began at Harvard in the 1970s. Designed to provide freedom and flexibility, Early Action gives students an early indication of their chances for admission. Those admitted early are free to apply to other colleges, compare financial aid offers from other institutions, and need only make their final college choice by May 1, the national Common Reply Date.

Initially, Early Action (and other early admission programs such as Early Decision, which requires admitted students to enroll), received little attention. Relatively small numbers of students applied early, and the overwhelming majority of students waited to apply Regular Decision.

Today, more students apply early to college. Students and their parents are more sophisticated about the college admissions process. They begin the college search earlier and with better information than previous generations. College guidebooks, use of the Internet, and media coverage of college admissions and financial aid have increased markedly. In addition, colleges have reached out as never before in their efforts to recruit talented students.

Concerns About Early Admission

Many have asked whether too many students are applying early. They wonder if students are taking enough time and care to select colleges that best match their academic interests, career goals, and personal aspirations. Some have even used the word “hysteria" to describe the peer pressure that induces some students to feel that they must apply early “somewhere" —without considering which colleges might be best for them. Some students have concluded that it is imperative to apply early, whatever the circumstances, for fear of being left behind.

In eliminating early admission for three years, we hoped (along with a few other colleges that also suspended early admission) to reduce the frenzy surrounding applying early to college. The unforeseen economic turndown of recent years led students and their families to unprecedented levels of concern about admission to selective colleges—and to seek admission under early programs. Such programs traditionally served a disproportionate number of affluent students, but are now increasingly attractive to families seeking financial aid. As a result, we have re-instituted Early Action.

There is a good deal of confusion accompanying early admission programs. More colleges offer early programs, and there is a bewildering array of application options. Some colleges offer both Early Decision and Early Action programs. Others offer two Early Decision programs. And timing for these programs extends well beyond the traditional November 1 deadline and mid-December notification model. There is little wonder that students approach the college admissions process with more uncertainty and anxiety, particularly concerning early admission.

An Overview of Early Admission Programs

While our principal purpose is to discuss Early Action at Harvard, a brief overview of Early Decision will help to focus on the two programs' similarities and differences.

Early Decision

Early Decision is the early admission program offered by the majority of national colleges and universities (but not Harvard). Students must commit in advance to attend the Early Decision college if admitted under its early program. Some Early Decision colleges offer students a better chance of admission if they apply early. Students admitted Early Decision who seek financial aid can be released from their commitment to enroll if their financial aid award vary significantly from their ability to pay.

Early Action

Harvard College and a number of other institutions offer the Early Action option on the same timetable as Early Decision: a November 1 application deadline and a mid-December notification. There is, however, a significant difference between the programs: Early Action is non-binding, meaning that admitted students are not obligated to enroll.

In contrast to some Early Decision colleges, Harvard does not offer an advantage to students who apply early. Historically, higher Early Action acceptance rates have reflected the remarkable strength of Early Action applicant pools—not less rigorous admissions standards. For any individual student, the final decision will be the same whether the student applies early or regular. There is no incentive whatsoever for Early Action colleges to admit weaker candidates early and then have to reject stronger Regular Decision candidates. Diminishing the quality of the student body would be antithetical to the goals of the institution. If Harvard had seen an institutional advantage in using Early Action, it would not have eliminated the program for three years.

Two Key Features of Early Action

1. Flexibility in choosing colleges

A student admitted Early Action has until May 1, as do all admitted students, to accept his or her place in the entering class. Secure in the knowledge that they have one college option, students admitted Early Action share all the advantages of Regular Decision applicants. They can take the full senior year to apply to as many colleges as they wish and take the time—visiting campuses and gathering additional information—to make a definitive college choice. This freedom to choose a college over an extended period of time may account in part for Harvard's graduation rate, which, at 98 percent, is among the nation's highest.

2. Multiple financial aid options

Students admitted Early Action (and, of course, Regular Decision) have the option to compare a variety of financial aid offers if they choose to apply to other colleges during their senior year. Financial aid can be a decisive factor in choosing a college. In order to advance the fundamental goal of admitting the best students without regard to their financial circumstances, last year Harvard awarded about $158 million in financial aid to meet each family's demonstrated financial need. Nearly 70 percent of Harvard students receive some form of financial aid and more than 60 percent receive scholarship aid. All of Harvard's aid is need-based. Students and families should feel comfortable with their financial aid offer—long-term college satisfaction can depend upon it.

Early Action Versus Regular Decision: Practical Advice on Choosing When to Apply to College

In the absence of any strategic advantage to applying under either the Early Action or the Regular Decision program at Harvard, students should consider these factors:

• For many good candidates, Regular Decision offers an important practical advantage in the later application deadline (January 1), allowing more time to complete applications to Harvard and other colleges. Teachers and guidance counselors supporting the application will have more time to become familiar with the student. Regular Decision is clearly preferable for those whose candidacies will be strengthened by senior year extracurricular achievements and improved academic performance.
• For applicants whose records and accomplishments have been consistently strong over time, Early Action may be an attractive choice. Harvard's Early Action program allows admitted students to apply to other colleges during their Regular Decision programs and use the rest of the senior year until May 1, the national Common Reply Date, to compare admission and financial aid offers and make their final college choices.