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Procrastination is not a good policy when it comes to completing college applications. The conventional wisdom that early applicants are more likely to get acceptance letters than their peers who file applications later is supported by U.S. News data.
Among the 216 ranked colleges that reported both their early and regular acceptance rates to U.S. News in an annual survey, the average early acceptance rate – 67.6 percent – for the fall 2016 entering class was 16.4 percentage points higher than the average regular acceptance rate: 51.2 percent.
At the majority of these colleges – 187 schools – the percent of applicants admitted via early decision or early action was higher than the acceptance rate among applicants in the regular admissions pool.
Early applicants have a significant admissions advantage at some schools. For example, at Governors State University, all of the Illinois school's early applicants for fall 2016 were admitted early, but only 40.2 percent of applicants in its regular admissions pool were accepted.
At the 10 colleges where early applicants have the greatest advantage over regular applicants, the average early acceptance rate was 86.5 percent, compared with an average regular acceptance rate of 31 percent.
Below are the 10 colleges whose early acceptance rates exceeded their regular acceptance rates by the biggest margin in fall 2016. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School (state) | Percent of early applicants admitted early* | Percent of regular applicants admitted | Difference in acceptance rates (percentage points) | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American University (DC) | 84.7% | 23% | 61.7 | 69 (tie), National Universities |
| Governors State University (IL) | 100% | 40.2% | 59.8 | RNP**, Regional Universities (Midwest) |
| Simmons College (MA) | 94% | 34.3% | 59.7 | 14, Regional Universities (North) |
| St. John's College (MD) | 82.6% | 24.1% | 58.5 | 53 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Trinity University (TX) | 74.1% | 17% | 57.1 | 1, Regional Universities (West) |
| St. John's College (NM) | 92.7% | 37.3% | 55.4 | 76 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of Tulsa (OK) | 78.7% | 26.4% | 52.3 | 87 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Arkansas | 83.1% | 31.2% | 51.9 | 133 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Denver | 87.2% | 36.1% | 51.1 | 87 (tie), National Universities |
| Augustana College (IL) | 87.8% | 36.7% | 51.1 | 101 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
*Combines early decision and early action programs at colleges that have both. Some colleges defer some applicants to the regular admissions pool, where they have an additional chance of admittance, so the percentage of early applicants who are eventually accepted may be higher.
**RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
Don't see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find acceptance rate data, complete rankings and much more. Sign up for the U.S. News Extra Help: College Admissions free email newsletter to receive expert advice twice a month.
U.S. News surveyed more than 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2017 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News' rankings of Best Colleges, Best Graduate Schools or Best Online Programs. The acceptance rate data above are correct as of Nov. 21, 2017.
source: usnews
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