<p>I know all the Pros and Cons to ED so please don't turn this thread into that. :)</p>
<p>I'm just curious. If you plan on applying to a school ED, could you apply to schools EA or Rolling and then withdraw your applications if you get accepted ED?</p>
<p>Schools are all over the map with this question. You need to read carefully the exceptions to each school’s early action or early decision program.</p>
<p>For example, Stanford’s early action program restricts a student from applying early action or early decision elsewhere (with certain exceptions).</p>
<p>You are really going to have to study the ED school and the EA school closely with regard to rules and timing. Typically you’ll receive your ED acceptance and financial aid estimate and there will be a set amount of time to accept the offer…whether those dates line up with the EA notification date is going to vary depending on the combination you put together. If you have an earlier ED and a later EA your “plan” won’t work. You also need to very carefully read your ED college’s statements on ED to ensure that the “out” is clear and the reasons you can decline an ED offer are transparent. Clearly you understand what ED is and the meaning so make sure you are clear on the particular college’s position. Rolling admissions schools are also all over the place in terms of how quickly that send acceptances and rejections, there are kids who applied to UofM were quickly deferred and did not hear for months on end so choose your rolling admission school carefully… but generally if you get your rolling app in September chances are you would know before your ED or EA situation. Again, read carefully some early action programs have restrictions where else you can apply.</p>
<p>It will depend on each school’s policy. For instance, as ellemenope pointed out, Stanford has a relatively restrictive EA policy, and I think Yale’s is similar. But you could apply EA to MIT and ED to another school, provided you withdraw your application from MIT if admitted ED. I think Chicago’s policy is like MIT’s.</p>
<p>You’ll have to review each school’s policy on its website.</p>
<p>And last year, if you applied ED to Brown, you couldn’t apply anywhere else until after Dec 15th, unless it was rolling. That is, no EA anywhere.</p>
<p>You can apply to one college ED. You can apply to as many as you want EA as they are only early action and you are not required to go there. Once you are admitted ED, you then have to withdraw all other applications. EA’s are great as they let you know early on if you get admitted. That first acceptance takes all the pressure off! Good luck!</p>