Donna Windle, senior counselor at Wichita's Northwest High School, emphasizes to her seniors the level of commitment required for early decision. Waiting for word on aid Once accepted, early decision candidates can't apply to any other colleges, but they typically don't find out about financial aid until the spring, months after committing to a school. Marshall will know by Dec. 15 if Duke has accepted her. She won't hear about financial aid until April. But she knows that isn't an option for all.
Some schools offer a nonbinding version of early decision called early action.
It allows students to be accepted by December if they apply in November, but they don't have to commit to attending. University of Notre Dame administrator Bob Mundy said early action helps spread out the admissions office's spring workload by settling about 20 percent of freshmen in the fall. Scholarships come early At Kansas universities, applying early can help with financial aid. Students must apply by Nov. 1 for some of the larger scholarships at Wichita State, Kansas State and the University of Kansas, said Billy Landes, senior counselor at Derby High School. Admissions directors at K-State and KU agree they're seeing more students applying earlier.