If applying early decision A) will it boost your chances of getting in? B) Will it effect any potential scholarship offer because if the accept you , you are already committed to attend
Thanks in advance…
A) As with most questions, it depends on the school. At some schools it’s a small advantage if any. At others, it could push someone who’s borderline to be an accept. The link below gives fairly recent info on the difference between ED and RD admission rates. If a school has a big difference (like Amherst with 35% vs. 12%), most of that is probably a result of things like athletes or alumni children getting in early, but at least a little is probably the advantage committing to a school gives.
https://www.iecaonline.com/PDF/IECA_Library_ED-vs-RD-Acceptances.pdf
B) If a school says their financial aid is need-based, aid is not really supposed to be different in an ED round. But your options for appealing their decision might be less, as they’re not competing with anybody. For aid that’s not need-based, presumably schools will offer in any round what they think gets them the best students. Most schools probably want their ED acceptances to feel they can afford the school, but some schools could offer a little less and see who accepts it.
If you are thinking off applying early to the most selelctive colleges, ED only helps if you are already extremely well-qualified, barring athletes, legacies, etc… At less selective schools, it might be a little more of a boost.