The ED debate: is it really easier to get in for a non-athlete?

[Anonymous]

Northwestern used to be a school where ED did help. Probably helps less these days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many parents who tell me our DD got into Northwestern because she did ED but their child didn’t get in because of RD. DD is not an athlete and not full pay. We get about 50% of her bill paid by non student loan aid by NU.

Is it really THAT much easier to get in ED for a student like ours? She also competed with very good students who were on the ball about applying early.

I feel that sometimes people use not EDing as an excuse for why their child doesn’t get an acceptance. Wdyt?

So, you have met some people with sour grapes over not getting into NU in RD. Very little in life is fair and the college admissions game is no different. NU gave you tons of aid. Were the complainers boxed out of ED because they couldn't afford the NPC estimate, or because they simply made different application deadline choices? Either way, that's not your problem. Just because others couldn't make it work doesn't mean your dd didn't deserve admission. Congrats and I hope your dd enjoys NU!

[Anonymous]

We were told by a senior admissions person at NU while there on tour that ED is a significant advantage, 20% acceptance rate. They will meet need so you can rely on the net price calculator to estimate your need. We were also told they turn down valedictorians with perfect stats every year.

We will get no FA and are UMC, not rich, but admittedly DCUM UMC. DC is likely applying ED because it is the best fit for them. This will be very tight for us but we have saved about half the cost and will make it work.

Saying that you would have gotten in if ED’d is fictional because this is always a choice where to ED, those that chose too high chose to make a bet and that is the nature of losing bets, if I had only chosen differently I would have won.


Maybe this is what DC is doing but there really is no place that hits DC the same as NU so they are making that bet. But we are pretty confident that DC will get in somewhere that is a good fit. The hardest part of this process is choosing good targets and safeties for relatively high stats kids.

[Anonymous]

As a perspective from a prominent boarding school, St. Paul's has encouraged students to apply strategically:

"While the College Advising Office routinely encourages students to think strategically about their early applications, that advice felt 'more important than in past years,' according to Ainor.

“'We don’t always know what will happen in the regular decision round, so if they could fill a seat, that’s what colleges were trying to do,' she says. 'Some were filling 10% more than last year in early decision.' Out of the 145 members of the Form of 2021, 62 were slated to enroll at a particular college by February, before regular decisions began rolling out."

https://share.google/IsZwXDbqU4hEbY65l

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP. Is there ED advantage at Duke for unhooked kids?

No

[Anonymous]

So let me get this straight, OP's daughter got into Northwestern ED and now she wants us to assure her that ED is as hard as RD (for non athletes) because some other yenta made her feel less-than for her daughter getting in ED? This is a crazy scenario.

Yes, there is an advantage to ED. The school knows you're committed and rewards that. You shouldn't feel bad for having a good admissions strategy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Much easier to get ED and an unfair process that many families are not able to use. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/08/early-decision-lawsuit-college-admissions/

As a NU alum, I am ashamed how much NU leans into it these days.

There’s nothing “unfair” about it. Kids can run the NPC before applying, and if they’re admitted and qualify for aid but it doesn’t match the amount from the NPC, then they’re not bound to attend. Eminently fair.

[Anonymous]

When DD got accepted into NU as an ED applicant, the ED acceptance rate wsa 25% and the regulur acceptance rate was 11%. That was 6 years ago, not sure about now.

[Anonymous]

sorry for the typos

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much easier to get ED and an unfair process that many families are not able to use. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/08/early-decision-lawsuit-college-admissions/

As a NU alum, I am ashamed how much NU leans into it these days.

There’s nothing “unfair” about it. Kids can run the NPC before applying, and if they’re admitted and qualify for aid but it doesn’t match the amount from the NPC, then they’re not bound to attend. Eminently fair.

I agree its not "unfair," full pay has an advantage in RD and waitlist as well, that isn't the fault of the colleges. I do wish the schools would provide more data so students could use ED strategically, i.e. what portions of the colleges ED admits are athletes, legacies, Questbridge. The main problem I have with ED is having to resort to anecdotal data on message boards to try and help your kid make a binding decision . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much easier to get ED and an unfair process that many families are not able to use. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/08/early-decision-lawsuit-college-admissions/

As a NU alum, I am ashamed how much NU leans into it these days.

I get being ashamed but they’re never going to stop. That’s the thing about rich-people schools, they are built to flatter and cater to rich people.

I don’t understand this sentiment. I was a need-based scholarship kid and DD will be full-pay. I am grateful for the “rich” families who I believe subsidized my college education. You do realize that there needs to a very good number of “rich” families for colleges to be able to give need-based scholarships, right?

This argument is a bunch of bs. The elite schools have huge, tax-free endowments and in most cases pay very little property tax as well. Lots of money sloshing around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DP. Is there ED advantage at Duke for unhooked kids?

No

How do you know this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Northwestern used to be a school where ED did help. Probably helps less these days.

Our kid was debating between Northwestern and Brown last year for ED. Our CC told us there is a leg up to applying ED to Northwestern as a full pay student but not so much at Brown. Our son is got in ED for Northwestern (he did have good stats).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much easier to get ED and an unfair process that many families are not able to use. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/08/early-decision-lawsuit-college-admissions/

As a NU alum, I am ashamed how much NU leans into it these days.

There’s nothing “unfair” about it. Kids can run the NPC before applying, and if they’re admitted and qualify for aid but it doesn’t match the amount from the NPC, then they’re not bound to attend. Eminently fair.

I agree its not "unfair," full pay has an advantage in RD and waitlist as well, that isn't the fault of the colleges. I do wish the schools would provide more data so students could use ED strategically, i.e. what portions of the colleges ED admits are athletes, legacies, Questbridge. The main problem I have with ED is having to resort to anecdotal data on message boards to try and help your kid make a binding decision . . .

lol

The whole ED is to cover up for their institutional priority admits so they don't feel inferior. Yes, they will still admit some unhooked kids ED. But the advantage is much smaller for unhooked ED (except for Chicago, Tulane, BC, etc.). Now no one can say that, look, the bottom 25% class are filled in ED.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Much easier to get ED and an unfair process that many families are not able to use. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/08/early-decision-lawsuit-college-admissions/

As a NU alum, I am ashamed how much NU leans into it these days.

I get being ashamed but they’re never going to stop. That’s the thing about rich-people schools, they are built to flatter and cater to rich people.

I don’t understand this sentiment. I was a need-based scholarship kid and DD will be full-pay. I am grateful for the “rich” families who I believe subsidized my college education. You do realize that there needs to a very good number of “rich” families for colleges to be able to give need-based scholarships, right?

This argument is a bunch of bs. The elite schools have huge, tax-free endowments and in most cases pay very little property tax as well. Lots of money sloshing around.

DP. That is not how endowments work.