When applying to universities in the US for an undergraduate degree, you may come across unfamiliar, and confusing terms, which make the process more complex than it already is. All universities in the US have their own deadlines and most universities have more than one type of admission deadline. These can be broadly classified into five categories:

1. Regular Decision Deadlines
2. Early Action Deadlines
3. Early Decision Deadlines
4. Restrictive Early Action Deadlines
5. Rolling Admissions

Regular Decision Deadlines

Regular Decision or RD is the most basic deadline for any university. It is offered by most of the universities and is the normal process by which students apply, with a promise of receiving an admission decision no later than April 1 of their senior year of high school. Some universities may give admissions decisions well before April 1, but the student is under no obligation to make a decision about whether to attend until the common response date of May 1. RD is not a binding agreement, which means that if the student gets accepted to a particular university, they can choose to attend or not attend that particular university. Moreover, RD is a non-restrictive contract, which means that a student can apply to multiple colleges for regular decision.

Early Action Deadlines

Early Action or EA is a type of a deadline where the university allows you to apply early. Early action gives you a higher rate of admission, however, if you get rejected while applying for EA, you are not allowed to apply RD to that particular university. EA is a non-binding agreement, which means that if the student gets accepted to a particular university, they can choose to attend or not attend that particular university. Moreover, EA is also a non-restrictive contract, which means that a student can apply to multiple colleges for early action.

Early Decision Deadlines

Early Decision or ED is similar to EA because in both of these you can apply to a university early. ED is a binding agreement, which means that if the student gets accepted to a particular university, they would have to attend that university. Under the ED contract, the student agrees to withdraw all other applications, and not accept any other offers of admission, after receiving their acceptance from their ED university. Moreover, ED is a restrictive contract, which means that a student can apply to only one college for early decision.

Restrictive Early Action Deadlines

Restrictive Early Action or REA is a combination of EA and ED. Under REA, a student can apply to a university early. REA is a non-binding agreement, which means that if the student gets accepted to a particular university, they can choose to attend or not attend that particular university. However, REA is a restrictive contract, which means that a student can apply to only one college for REA. This deadline is not offered by many universities.

Rolling Admissions

Rolling Admissions mean that the university has no one deadline rather a series of months between which it will accept applications. Usually, it’s better to apply early in case of rolling admissions as there are higher chances of getting accepted. The notification of admission is also made on a rolling basis. 

Please note that all these deadlines can be found by visiting the universities’ official websites. You can also get in touch with our expert counselors at UniRely, and they will help you manage your time through the college admission cycle.