Early-round applicants to elite colleges, without a doubt, have an edge over their Regular-round counterparts. That’s why all of Ivy Coach’s package clients apply to their top choices during the Early Decision/Action round. It’s just too much of an advantage to disregard. Let’s unpack the reasons why the early bird gets the worm in elite college admissions.

Early Application vs. Regular Decision Acceptance Rates Across the Ivy League

Below is a breakdown of the Early Decision/Action vs. Regular Decision admissions statistics across the Ivy League for the Class of 2027:

Ivy League Colleges	Overall Acceptance Rate	Regular Decision Acceptance Rate	Regular Decision Applications Accepted	Regular Decision Applications Received	Early Decision / Action Acceptance Rate	% of Class Filled by Early Applications	Early Decision / Action Applications Received	Early Decision / Action Applications Accepted	Expected Number of Students to Enroll	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted
Brown University	5.08%	3.88%	1,730	44,532	12.98%	51.70%	6,770	879	1,700	51,302	2,609
Columbia Univeresity	3.93%	NYP	NYP	51,391	NYP	NYP	5,738	NYP	NYP	57,129	2,246
Cornell University	NYP	NYP	3,324	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	1,670	NYP	NYP	4,994
Dartmouth College	6.07%	4.54%	1,173	25,832	19.21%	50.26%	3,009	578	1,150	28,841	1,751
Harvard University	3.41%	2.34%	1,220	47,384	7.56%	n/a*	9,553	722	1,665	56,937	1,942
University of Pennsylvania	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	2,400	59,463	NYP
Princeton University	4.50%	NYP	NYP	NYP	NYP	n/a*	NYP	NYP	1,558	39,644	1,782
Yale University	4.35%	3.22%	1,433	44,506	10.89%	n/a*	7,744	842	1,554	52,250	2,275

As this chart indicates, Regular Decision acceptance rates are dwarfed by Early Decision/Action acceptance rates at all Ivy League schools. This trend, which is also true of virtually all other elite universities, is present across all recent application cycles and will continue into the foreseeable future. Early round applicants are favored by admissions officers because, in the case of binding Early admission agreements, they’re so enthusiastic about the school that they’re willing to forgo admission to other schools in order to attend, and in the case of non-binding Early admission agreements, they’re far likelier to matriculate than Regular round admits. If it were your job to curate an incoming class, wouldn’t you rather draw from the pool of students who couldn’t wait to throw their names in for consideration? 

5 Reasons to Apply to College in the Early Roun

1. Statistical advantage

The proof is in the pudding! Early-round applicants are more likely to get into their top school than their Regular-round counterparts. The same application stands a better chance during the Early round.

2. Peace of mind

Early-round applicants can round off the second half of their senior year with the peace of mind that comes with a top college admission while their peers scramble to finish applications. You’ll get to breeze through your last months in high school with the reassurance that a bright future lies ahead.

3. Time to pivot and strategize

If you do face deferral or rejection once Early round decisions come out, you’ll still have time to pivot to a new admissions strategy by taking the weaknesses of your previous application into account (preferably with the professional help of an Ivy Coach PostMortem!).

4. Beneficial for legacy, recruited athletes, and underrepresented minority applicants

Whether you like it or not, legacy applicants and recruited athletes only get an admissions boost in the Early round. Fewer underrepresented minority applicants apply Early, which is a shame because this would also enable them to reap this advantage! If you’re worried about comparing financial aid packages, plug the numbers into prospective schools’ Net Price Calculator and compare the results.

5. School spirit!

Okay, so maybe this reason is slightly less important than the rest. But then again, admissions officers want to admit enthusiastic cohorts of students who are 100% sure their school is where they are meant to be. This is one of the factors accounting for the Early-round advantage — Demonstrated Interest!

The Early Round Advantage Is Not About Legacy Status or Athletic Recruitment

We at Ivy Coach would like to address the myth that the Early round is only advantageous for legacy applicants and athletic recruits. This is not true. It is true that Early admission rounds at elite universities usually draw a significant proportion of these sorts of highly competitive applicants, but the same is true of the Regular Decision round, which typically draws more underrepresented minority, first-generation to go to college, and low-income applicants. In other words, both rounds are filled with students who are highly sought after by admissions officers. No matter when you apply, you’ll be up against some heavy competition.

We speak now directly to the students who don’t fall into either one of these camps and are still unsure when they should apply. Apply Early. You will still get an admissions edge even if you aren’t a recruited athlete or legacy applicant, because you will be demonstrating to your top choice school that your mind is already made up as to where you would like to spend the next four years. If you or your child is heading into senior year of high school, don’t drag your feet on this (quite literally) one shot to attend the school of your dreams!