Not really. SCEA schools still allow applications to state schools, so EA is possible if the state school allows it.

Anonymous wrote:Several of the schools that offer EA only (not ED) are at the top of the heap yield-wise: Princeton, Stanford, Notre Dame. ND even allows students to apply EA to other places. As PP said, there is the benefit of spreading the work out for admissions officers. These schools can also afford to do the right thing for students, which is to allow them to retain choice in the process until the spring.

ND actually has REA, which is not binding, but restricts students from applying ED elsewhere. They can, however, apply to as many EA schools as they want.

A lot of the Ivy Leagues schools like Princeton and Yale offer SCEA (single choice early action), which restricts applicants from applying early action or early decision elsewhere.

The REA option, I believe, is more fair in terms of giving students better opportunities for admission at other schools. Locking into an SCEA is risky because then you are stuck applying RD to all your other schools, which, in many cases, reduces your chances.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is, why doesn't every school offer EA or REA instead of ED? It's a way of showing your preference for a school without getting locked in or forced to forego other opportunities.

Because it is better for the school's yield to offer ED rather than EA or REA. A better yield means a better USNW ranking.

Incorrect. USN has not used Yield in their calculations since 2004.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings

ED does help school protect their yield and predict their enrollments and financial aid budgets.

It helps not just with predicting financial aid, but it helps to minimize it. It ensures filling a larger portion of the class with students who are less likely to need aid.

Anonymous wrote:But the schools still tout yield regardless of whether USNWR does.

Really? Where?

And why didn't the PP say that then?

But the schools still tout yield regardless of whether USNWR does.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is, why doesn't every school offer EA or REA instead of ED? It's a way of showing your preference for a school without getting locked in or forced to forego other opportunities.

Because it is better for the school's yield to offer ED rather than EA or REA. A better yield means a better USNW ranking.

Incorrect. USN has not used Yield in their calculations since 2004.

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings

ED does help school protect their yield and predict their enrollments and financial aid budgets.

There are a large number of very qualified and interesting potential students for whom ED is not really an option.

When you signal that you will go no matter what, and undermine your own opportunity to apply elsewhere, game theory suggests that you will be offered less aid (merit/financial is almost all the same when we're talking about very expensive schools and families that can afford $50 but not $70).

Maybe places like Stanford don't want to lose access to this population?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My question is, why doesn't every school offer EA or REA instead of ED? It's a way of showing your preference for a school without getting locked in or forced to forego other opportunities.

Because it is better for the school's yield to offer ED rather than EA or REA. A better yield means a better USNW ranking.

ED helps lock in any recruited athletes and other students the college really wants. If these students don’t apply ED they know what kind of kids they will need to really press for RD apps.

Most of the schools that offer REA or ED also allow for EA to state schools.

Anonymous wrote:My question is, why doesn't every school offer EA or REA instead of ED? It's a way of showing your preference for a school without getting locked in or forced to forego other opportunities.

Because it is better for the school's yield to offer ED rather than EA or REA. A better yield means a better USNW ranking.

My question is, why doesn't every school offer EA or REA instead of ED? It's a way of showing your preference for a school without getting locked in or forced to forego other opportunities.

Several of the schools that offer EA only (not ED) are at the top of the heap yield-wise: Princeton, Stanford, Notre Dame. ND even allows students to apply EA to other places. As PP said, there is the benefit of spreading the work out for admissions officers. These schools can also afford to do the right thing for students, which is to allow them to retain choice in the process until the spring.

First, there was ED. Then, there was outcry (rightly) that ED was unfair to lower income students who needed to compare offers. Top schools got rid of ED in favor of EA or REA. While this was admirable, in fact many of these schools were already schools that did not have problems with locking in kids for yield. Now, many schools have found they cannot compete in that landscape and have had to go back to ED.

It allows colleges to spread the workload over more months.

Kids send their applications in November so admissions counselors have work to do in Nov and early December, then a little break, and then the Jan applications come in.

My kid is younger so I'm just learning about all this; I appreciate the insight.

My friend's kid applied to Stanford EA (decisions came out yesterday but I'm trying to give them space...my fingers are crossed!)

I don't understand why a college offers EA. So if my friend's kid gets in, he can just sit on that decision and apply regular to other schools, right? How does that in the interests of, or benefit, the EA school?

Then I was thinking, well, it blocks kids from doing ED anywhere else. So is that the strategy of EA...to draw select kids away from other schools who offer ED?