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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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!

Everyone who has regrets about their decision tries to rationalize it somehow. If they were happy with where their kid got in, they would not have to make snarky and untrue statements to other parents. These other parents who have the audacity to insult you to your face are insecure AF and I would just ignore them.

To answer your question, every single elite school has thousands of applicants who are capable of doing the work. They need to pick and choose amongst them, but there are many, many kids who have great stats, great ECs, wonderful LORs, etc. etc. Your kid gave up the option of applying RD to multiple other schools and maybe that gave them an advantage or maybe they would have gotten in RD anyway - you will never know and it does not matter. Congratulations to your DD!

[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?

Yes ED at T15 is often easier than RD based on our naviance which removes legacy and athlete hooks.
-ED is MUCH easier (GPA a full decile lower, as in borderline T20%, SAT 1450s) than RD for UChicago, WashU, Vandy and Columbia
-mildly but visibly easier (ie half a decile as in borderline top10% or outside, not top 5%, 1500+)at Northwestern, Duke, JHU, Cornell, Dartmouth Amherst
-a wash/not significantly easier for Penn, Brown, Wiliiams (ED and RD acceptances overlap, all top 5%/1520+)

Competitive private that sends 8-10% to T15ish

[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?

Yeah they do that at ours. Yet there is usually one kid every year who are true standouts and get into multiple T10/ivy in RD so it is a lame excuse. If their kid had really been a top kid they would have gotten in RD to Northwestern. Ignore them and enjoy Northwestern! Great school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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?

Yes ED at T15 is often easier than RD based on our naviance which removes legacy and athlete hooks.
-ED is MUCH easier (GPA a full decile lower, as in borderline T20%, SAT 1450s) than RD for UChicago, WashU, Vandy and Columbia
-mildly but visibly easier (ie half a decile as in borderline top10% or outside, not top 5%, 1500+)at Northwestern, Duke, JHU, Cornell, Dartmouth Amherst
-a wash/not significantly easier for Penn, Brown, Wiliiams (ED and RD acceptances overlap, all top 5%/1520+)

Competitive private that sends 8-10% to T15ish

Almost exact same at our NYC selective public feeder that sends about 25% to T15ish. ED does not help at Penn or Brown and early admissions at HYP is always a s**tshow. High stats + unhooked kids have to decide whether to hold out for the RD Ivy lottery ticket, or take the very likely ED acceptance to one of those slightly lower tier schools (unlike at many privates, the school will not make that call for you). Some kids use ED2 at Chicago or JHU as a way to meet in the middle (shoot your SCEA shot, then take the easier route). And a fair number who hold out for RD wind up at Cornell, which is not a terrible outcome, obviously.

I would disagree as far as the GPA/SAT for Chicago, Columbia, WashU etc. At our school they are identical to those who win the upper-Ivy lottery. The difference is hooks and ECs.

[Anonymous]

The Regular Decision acceptance rate at schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Penn, Rice, Brown, and Duke is ridiculously low. I think it was 3 percent at Vanderbilt this year. I’m sure the others are similar. When we did the Penn tour, the guide really encouraged people to apply ED because otherwise it becomes a lottery.

If you have a strong student and one of those schools is a definite first choice, I don’t see why you wouldn’t apply ED. They all give exceptionally good financial aid. Run the NPC and if that number works and the kid has the stats and ECs, go for it.

The downside of course is that you don’t get to shoot your shot at Stanford or MIT or Princeton or wherever. So if applying ED, it’s important that it is a genuine first choice school.

I personally hate ED. It compels everyone to game play. When acceptance rates are 10 to 20 percent in ED vs 3 to 5 percent in RD, it forces everyone to think strategically. Which is not ideal. We all want a system where students can consider all their options. But it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because ED acceptance rates are 2 or 3 times RD? Seems simple.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't matter at all.
In the end, whether you got in or not is all that matters.

Thus, it does matter since ED confers a statistical admissions advantage at many schools, which is precisely what OP is asking.

[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.

Someone who clearly didn’t bother to read the op-ed.