I am interested in applying for the top schools in the U.S. including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. Unlike many other schools, they offer Restrictive Early Action. How is this different from “Early Action”?
Restrictive Early Action, also known as Single-Choice Early Action, is a non-binding early action admissions option in which a student may not apply to any other private schools’ early program, except:
• A school outside of the US
• A non-binding rolling admissions program
• A public college or university whose admission is not binding
Like Early Action applicants, Restrictive Early Action students have until May 1 to decide if he/she wants to attend the particular school.
The three possible outcomes of Restrictive Early Action are:
- Admitted
- Admission is declined and the student cannot re-apply for the same year
- Admission is deferred to Regular Decision and will receive a final decision by April 1