Could a person apply same time Harvard SCEA and pubic universities EA for scholarships purposes? Is it allowed by Harvard or big no no? What about Univ of Southern California which is a private university as USC asks to apply early to be considered for scholarship purposes?
https://college.harvard.edu/frequently-asked-questions
FWIW: UCLA is a public university, so yes you could apply to Harvard SCEA and UCLA early. However, you cannot apply to Harvard SCEA while also applying early to a private college such as Williams, Pomona, Georgetown, Wesleyan, Northwestern, USC etc.
thanks a lot @gibby, I knew you will know that is why I posted here.
SCEA at private (Harvard, Yale, etc.) + EA at public (U Mich, UCLA, etc.) is fine.
SCEA at private (Harvard, Yale, etc.) + EA at international (LSE, Oxford, etc.) is fine
SCEA at private (Harvard, Yale, etc.) + EA or ED at another private (like USC) is not permitted.
Applying to USC (other private colleges) early for scholarship purposes is NOT early action because the decision comes out in March and it’s non-binding, therefore it is permitted under the REA rules.
I thought USC just wanted you to file your Regular Decision application by an earlier deadline. Has that changed?
^You are correct nothing has changed, RD with an early deadline is NOT the same as EA.
thanks @jzducol this information is very helpful. Is there a link for this information, I would really appreciate it as we are thinking strategy.
^Unfortunately, the link for the 2017-18 cycle was removed and the new one for next year has not been up yet.
Thanks if you happen to see it, please post it in near future when you have access to it. Thanks a lot
@gibby @tdy123 Per UCLA admissions website:
“UCLA does not offer an early action or early decision program.” If fact, I think this rule applies to all UCs.
Sorry, my bad. I was more concerned the OP understood that UCLA was a PUBLIC INSTITUTION (the OP said it was private) rather than investigating whether UCLA offers early admission (which they don’t).
One other little nuance: Many private colleges and universities (but not USC) now have Early Decision 2 programs – a second round of binding early decision, with an application deadline usually the same as the regular decision deadline, and a decision (which may include deferral) in early-mid February. You can always apply ED2 to a private institution after you have gotten your SCEA notification in mid-December. You may well be able to file an ED2 application while your SCEA application is still pending. At least in the past, some of the SCEA universities defined a forbidden “early” admission program as one promising a decision before January 15, so that ED2 would not count. (But check that against current rules. They change somewhat year-to-year.)
You don’t really need a link to know that you can submit a merit scholarship application to USC and still apply SCEA to Harvard. USC’s website clearly says that it does not have any Early Decision or Early Action program, and that all applicants will receive decisions by April 1 (although merit scholarship decisions will be made and notified in February). That clearly won’t count as an early admission program for SCEA purposes.
I agree with those above - USC does not have EA. They ask that for merit scholarship consideration that you submit by Dec 1 (I think). In this case, it would not violate Harvard’s rules.