As the school year comes to an end, college applications begin to open for the upcoming 2026 Fall admissions cycle. While juniors begin to craft their essays and aggregate their past years’ activities, they have to make choices about the timing of their applications. They run into terms like rolling admissions, regular or early decision, early action, and restrictive early action. Each of these comes with different rules, pros, and cons, so it is important to be familiar with them to take some stress off of applications.
A primary difference between the types of decisions is whether or not they are early. Early simply means that the application deadline is earlier, typically by a month or more. Early decision (ED) describes an application where the applicant is required to attend the college or university if they are accepted. ED is typically only used in private universities, and has an impact on the other application someone submits. While ED usually has the benefit of a higher acceptance rate, it comes with the drawback of a binding agreement. ED specifies that if they admit someone, they must attend. There can be some adjustments for extenuating life circumstances that hinder an applicant’s ability to attend, but overall, if someone is accepted ED, they must withdraw all other applications to colleges. Early action (EA) is the other form of early application deadline. EA is non-binding and an applicant can submit early to multiple universities. This form of application allows for earlier results, more time to decide between colleges, quicker access to financial aid, and demonstrates interest in a college, which can mean a higher likelihood for acceptance. Restrictive early action (REA) is a type of early action that only allows early application to one university. Admission does not require attendance like with ED, but it does have higher acceptance rates.
The other two most common forms of admission timelines are rolling admissions and regular decision. Rolling admissions is a system where the only real deadline is at the end of admission season. Applications are reviewed and decided as they are submitted, so results can arrive quickly and there is less stress on the timeline. Regular decision (RD) is the term for the final deadline of a college’s application cycle. Each college has these, and it is the only option for school groups like the UCs and CSUs.