There is a sense among students that applications for early decision carry more weight for admissions counselors, Ms. Bisso said.
Applications for early action were up by 1percentt from last year, when the acceptance rate was 18.3percentt.
Applications for early admission to the M.A. program are subject to the same standards for admission as regular-year applications to the free-standing M.A. program.
All applications for Early Admission that are not accepted will be automatically entered into the regular admission process, unless explicitly withdrawn by you.
Applications for early action at Harvard College rose 5percentthis yearar to 6,473, and 14.5percentt, or 938 students, were admitted to the Class of 2021.
SAT scores are a critical part of admissions at most colleges, and many, particularly for the Ivy League, require applications for early admissions to be postmarked by Nov. 1.
In a change of policy that has caused great confusion, Harvard will no longer refuse to consider applications for early admission from students who have applied early elsewhere, even if the other college requires a promise to attend if admitted (as Harvard does not).
Already among the nation's most competitive colleges, with an admissions rate of about 8percentt — on par with Juilliard or Harvard — Cooper saw about a 70percentt surge in applications for early decision this year, after annual increases of 5percentto10percentcent over the last decade.
