It’s alphabet soup!
It can be confusing! All these acronyms. Here is a quick overview:
Early Decision (ED): Student commits to their 1st choice college and if admitted, agrees to enroll and withdraw all of their outstanding applications to other colleges. ED is binding!!
Early Action (EA): A non-binding plan whereby students apply by an early deadline and receive a decision in advance of RD notification.
Restricted Early Action (REA): A non-binding option similar to EA, however you may not be allowed to apply EA, ED, REA to other colleges. You must read the fine print to understand the restrictions.
Regular Decision (RD): An application that is submitted during the regular application cycle. This is typically the latest deadline and is non-binding.
Rolling Deadline (RL): Students can apply when the application is available until applications are no longer accepted. Students are notified of a decision as soon as the institution makes up its mind. This is non-binding.
Priority Deadline (PR): Some colleges require applications be submitted by a specific date to be considered for merit or scholarship money.