<p>Harvard states that for their EA option you are: "not permitted to apply early elsewhere in the fall under Restrictive Early Action or Early Decision programs."</p>
<p>Is there a difference between "Early Action" and "Restrictive Early Action"?</p>
<p>As an example, seems that MIT is "Early Action". Can you apply there and Harvard early?</p>
<p>I’ve searched collegeconfidential and gone on the Harvard website. According to them you if you apply to Harvard SCEA, then the only other universities you can apply to early action are public universities and those with rolling admissions.</p>
<p>A few schools have what’s called Single-Choice Early Action: as you mentioned, Harvard is one, and others include Stanford and Yale. If you choose to apply to Harvard, you are not allowed to apply to any other early type of program, including ED, EA, and SCEA. If accepted, however, you are not obligated to attend. </p>
<p>MIT is just regular Early Action. This is similar to Harvard’s in that if accepted you don’t have to attend, but it is different because it allows you to apply to other EA (note: not other SCEA) schools.</p>
<p>If you apply to an ED school, such as the University of Pennsylvania, you are obligated to attend if you are accepted. However, if you apply ED, you can generally (and I say generally because some schools have certain restrictions) apply to other EA (not SCEA) schools. For example, you could apply to UPenn ED, and, in addition to that, apply to MIT. Therefore, if excepted to UPenn, you would have to withdraw your MIT application. If you aren’t accepted by UPenn, but do gain admission to MIT, you can choose to attend. </p>
<p>I hope this helps clear things up!</p>
<p>Thanks…but I am still not clear… (dense me)</p>
<p>The Harvard Supplement says that you can’t apply to other “Restrictive Early Action” and as you point out, MIT is “regular” Early Action.</p>
<p>This is different than Stanford that says that you can’t apply to “any early action or early decision”. </p>
<p>Is there a difference between “Restrictive Early Action” and MIT’s “Early Action”? Can you do both Harvard and MIT early?</p>
<p>Nevermind:
Found info on their website:
“If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college’s Early Action program that is not single choice?
No - unless the college is a public institution.”</p>
<p>I thought the supplement was a little unclear.</p>
<p>If you apply Single-Choice-Early-Action (SCEA) to Harvard, you CANNOT apply early to MIT, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, or anywhere else. You can, however, apply early to your state school.</p>
<p>Harvard’s website is VERY clear on the issue: [Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Early Action](<a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/application_process/early.html]Harvard”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/application_process/early.html)</p>
<p>Q:If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college’s Single Choice Early Action program?
A: No.</p>
<p>Q: If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college’s Early Action program that is not single choice?
A: No - unless the college is a public institution.</p>
<p>Q: If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another college’s Early Decision program?
A: You may not apply simultaneously to Harvard’s Early Action program and another college’s Early Decision program. However, after you receive notification from Harvard’s Early Action program (around December 15), you are free to apply to any institution under any plan, including binding programs such as Early Decision II.</p>
<p>Q: If I apply single choice early action to Harvard may I apply to another school’s rolling admission program?
A: Yes. You may apply to any college or university with a non-binding rolling admissions process.</p>
<p>Q: I am eligible for scholarships at my home state’s institution only if I apply Early Action. Am I allowed to apply to Harvard Single Choice Early Action as well as to my state school?
A: Yes.</p>
<p>Q: May I apply EA to another public institution if it is not in my home state?
A: Yes. You may apply to any public college/university.</p>
<p>Q: I am also applying to colleges outside of the US – may I apply to them at the same time as I apply EA to Harvard?
A: Yes.</p>
<p>Q: May I apply to another college under its Regular Decision plan before I receive from Harvard the admissions decision on my Single Choice Early Action application?
A: Yes. You may apply in the fall to any institution under its Regular Decision program.</p>
<p>thanks Gibby.
I did eventually see that on the website.
What I first saw what was on the common app supplement which had the term “Restictive Early Action”. Seems what that means is “Any Early Action”. The word “Restrictive” threw me.</p>