August 21, 2025
EA, ED, REA, RD, Binding, Nonbinding, Rolling….
College application deadlines are confusing. Is there a difference between Early Action and Early Decision? What does it mean to apply before the Regular Decision deadline? What is meant by Binding or Rolling Admissions? How does when I apply affect my application? Different deadlines make sense for different students, schools, and programs. Here’s a quick overview.
Students who apply Early Action (EA) have September, October, November, and December deadlines and receive admission decisions as early as December or January. The most common EA deadline is November 1. EA applications are non-binding; students who apply under this deadline are not bound to attend if they are accepted. There is no limit on how many EA applications you can submit.
The EA timeline has advantages. When you apply early, you receive your decision early. This provides time to consider other acceptance offers, focus on regular decision applications if rejected, and apply to scholarships. It also means less pressure; when an applicant receives that first acceptance, they may feel that a weight is lifted.
EA is also often key to consideration for specific academic programs (e.g. Ohio State Engineering), university honors programs, and competitive scholarship programs. Applying EA may increase the likelihood of admission, housing options, and even merit scholarships.
Early Decision (ED) is similar to Early Action. Students submit application materials by October or November to hear back by December or January. There is, however, one critical difference: students who apply ED are bound to attend that school if accepted. Students must withdraw all other applications and submit a nonrefundable deposit if accepted to their ED college. ED signals that a student is extremely interested, which can make a student a more compelling applicant. Some colleges have significantly higher rates of acceptance for ED applicants.
On the condensed decision-making timeline for ED, students cannot compare financial aid offers from other institutions. Therefore, students should research the financial aid policies of the school before they apply.
Some colleges, including Baylor University, now use the terms “Binding Admission” and “Nonbinding Admission” instead of Early Decision and Early Action. They are similar in meaning to ED (Binding) and EA (Nonbinding). Regular Decision is also nonbinding.
Regular Decision (RD) follows a more traditional timeline. Students generally submit their application materials by early January (specific deadlines vary by school) with offer letters sent by March or April and a deadline of May 1 to accept. RD has no binding requirements or obligations. Students can apply to multiple schools and consider all their responses and financial aid offers.
Regular Decision is often the most popular deadline, so there is additional competition. This, combined with the later notification of admission status, can cause anxiety for students and families. If students are accepted, they may have fewer options for housing and additional scholarships later in the admissions cycle.
The Restricted Early Action (REA) is also known as Single Choice Early Action. The REA application plan is a compromise between ED and EA. Schools with REA have additional rules to pay attention to that may vary from school to school. In general, REA is an early application that limits applications to other programs. For instance, an REA applicant to the University of Notre Dame may apply to any EA program at private or public colleges. However, the REA applicant to Yale can only apply EA to public schools. If you are interested in applying REA, we recommend taking time to learn that institution’s unique REA rules.
Colleges with Rolling Admissions evaluate applications as they are received and release decisions over time. Rolling Admissions gives students the flexibility to submit their application materials when they are ready. Students can also choose to apply to some rolling admissions colleges late in senior year.
The process for evaluating rolling admissions is less strict; however, there are often fewer slots available. Financial aid and housing may be limited as students who apply earlier receive acceptance and rewards. For later applicants, there is less time to compare offers.
The different types of application deadlines—Early Action, Restricted Early Action, Early Decision, Binding and Nonbinding, Regular Decision, and Rolling Admissions—define much of the college application process. Students and families should fully understand what their chosen application deadlines mean before applying.
Class 101 students prepare their application materials naturally throughout high school, so there is never a rush for any deadline. The majority of our students submit most college applications before EA and ED deadlines.
Although we have closed our Class of 2026 at Class 101-Dayton, we are available to answer questions that seniors encounter as they complete college applications. Call us at 937-705-5113 with your questions.
August 22, 2025
The college list is the foundation of college planning at Class 101. Many factors help students define their college lists: location, the student’s college fit preferences, family expectations, and academic program information. For some students, their area of study has to be a primary consideration. If they would like to major in something few schools […]
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