In both, students hear if they've been admitted earlier in the process and so can take action earlier. High school students apply in the fall of their senior year and the colleges notify them of acceptance generally by January without requiring them to commit financially. Students have until early May to accept or decline an offer of admission. If you are accepted, you send in a deposit, and you may not apply to any others. But having said that, there are many variations of early decision.
Early decision is becoming more prevalent and, as it does, institutions add their own twists.
More on early decision A common denominator is that early decision is a binding agreement between you and the college. If the college accepts you, you pay a deposit within a short period of time and sign an agreement stating you will not apply to other colleges. To keep students from backing out, some colleges mandate that applicants' high school counselors cannot send transcripts to other institutions. In many ways, early decision is a win-win for both students and colleges. Students can relax and enjoy their senior year of high school without waiting to see if they've been accepted.