My younger daughter is about to be a senior in NOVA and wants to apply to UVA, but does not know when to apply- ED, EA, or RD.
She has good grades with 9 AP classes and a 4.3 GPA, but is not in the top 10% of her class (very close at top 12%). She also has a decent SAT score of 1450 and has some great ECs, like starting a nonprofit, working as a freelancing technician, and has coded apps that are on the App Store. She also has great teacher recommendations and essays.
She wants to wait to strengthen her GPA and transcript and apply RD. A part of her does want to apply ED because it is her top choice and it might be easier to be accepted (correct me if I’m wrong on this one!). She also wants to apply ED because if she was deferred, the admissions commitee could have more opportunities to look over her application as opposed to possibly just getting rejected RD. What should she do? Thanks for helping us navigate this- it has been even more confusing since UVA decided to add ED for the upcoming cycle.
Your daughter has grades and scores quite similar to my twin sons, also from NOVA. Both were accepted EA last year. Her numbers are totally in the ballpark. UVA uses a holistic approach, so at this point it’s really about essays, recommendations, activities, etc.
Do not wait to apply RD. Apply ED if it’s her top choice and you can afford it otherwise apply EA. RD will likely be much harder with a more competitive pool.
Colleges that have ED typically have higher ED admission rates (sometimes significantly higher) than RD. The issue with UVA is that there is no historical experience upon which to base a conclusion. One might assume it is easier to be admitted ED, but the university itself is asserting that ED, EA and RA will all be evaluated for admission on the same basis, https://admission.virginia.edu/admission/instructions. Historically, UVA has had only a little higher admission rate for EA than RA (currently about 28% EA and 26% RA), and thus one cannot conclude applying EA necessarily creates an advantage (or disadvantage). Also, rejection rather than just deferral is a possible decision if applying ED or EA, and in recent years about 90% of the enrolled freshman have been in the top 10% of their high school class, although I am guessing the in-state percentage is likely somewhat better (lower percentage) than that. First semester, senior year grades will not be used to determine ED admission. However, EA decisions will be released Feb 1 and a mid-year report is to be submitted and can be used for EA, and thus if a mid-year report (now just a self-report) of first semester grades can be made by mid-Jan, they may be considered for RA.
Based on the above and what you provide, I would conclude she is probably OK applying EA rather than just RA. The issue with ED is that it is still an unknown for UVA and there is a risk of being rejected entirely if you apply ED and you are not in the top 10% of class with grades through junior year.
We really don’t know what the ED pool will look like since we’ve never had all three options before. I do want to point out that the RD pool has never been the stronger pool in our review. I’ve always shared that the EA round has been stronger.
Our advice has always been to apply at a peak point in senior year. For some, early is great. For others, having one more semester of work is best.
Hi Dean J,
My son is an oos double legacy. He has a 34 act but relatively low gpa 3.7 because he took all honors freshman year and had some issues adjusting to high school. Last year he got a 3.97 and hopes to continue an upward trajectory. At our alumni meeting he was told to apply RD since he can show continued improvement. He knows Virginia is his first choice. It always has been. He wants to apply ED. Based on his grades do you recommend waiting and showing another semester of grades? Can people be deferred from ED and then he can show grades to appeal? Thank you!
If the first semester of senior year will show continued improvement, I often suggest the Regular Decision option. At UVA, we are not “easy” on one group of applicants. That being said, he should also consult with his counselor about the right plan.
Please keep in mind that GPA does not provide the detail that admission officers at UVA need in the review, so citing a number isn’t meaningful to me.
If you need to get in touch with me, feel free to comment on my blog or reach out directly via email, twitter, or instagram. I am not able to regularly respond to inquiries here.