<p>Duke is definitely my number one choice and I am strongly considering applying early decision despite my interest in other schools, but before I make such a commitment I would like to know if applying early decision will actually improve my chances of acceptance? Any input?</p>
<p>Applying ED generally does increase your admission chances, because you’re declaring your commitment to the school and, if the school accepts you, they improve an important marketing statistic, their yield (the number of accepted students who actually matriculate). HOWEVER, there are important caveats, first of which is, if financial aid is needed, you won’t be able to compare awards from other schools which accept you. Applying ED therefore confers an advantage to those who don’t need aid - this is one reason Harvard did away with ED. Another problem is, if you fall in love with only one (elite) school, there’s a distinct chance you’ll be disappointed, so it might be better to apply RD or EA to a number of schools where you know you’ll be happy.</p>
<p>I agree for the most part with neuron39, but don’t assume that if you need substantial financial aid (like I did) you shouldn’t apply ED. Duke is need-blind and is one of few schools with a “100% need met” policy, so your Duke FA package will be the exact same whether you get admitted ED or RD. In regards to acceptance, the stats favor ED applicants because it shows committment- [Duke</a> University Admissions: Class of 2013 Profile](<a href=“http://admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2013profile.html]Duke”>http://admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/who_2013profile.html)</p>
<p>BallerDuke: If it’s not too much to ask, what were you stats when you were accepted (test scores, GPA, rank, etc)?</p>
<p>yeah no problem, just shoot me a PM</p>
<p>I’ve seen an analysis that applying early to Duke effectively gives you the admission rate of a legacy. Duke admission staff are very up front about the improved odds of an ED applicant. But only do it if you are very sure.</p>
<p>It does offer a boost, yes; even more so for URMs, athletes, and legacies.</p>