Help: Accidentally Applied Regular Decision Instead of Early Action

I was supposed to apply early action but realized I submitted a regular decision application by mistake. Does anyone know if colleges let you switch application types after submission, or am I stuck waiting longer for results?

I'm afraid once applications have been submitted, most colleges do not allow you to change from Regular Decision to Early Action. The deadlines for each admission plan are set to help the admissions offices manage their review process efficiently. After a deadline passes, the staff move ahead with evaluating the applications they've received. As a result, the admissions committe will likely not have the capacity to reclassify your application.

However, it never hurts to contact the admissions office directly for confirmation. Be sure to approach the conversation politely and explain your mistake. Even though you're unlikely to have the submission moved to Early Action, they may appreciate you bringing the situation to their attention, and it puts you on their radar in a proactive and accountable way.

While you might be disappointed now, this could end up being a toss-up. Applying Regular Decision gives you more time to add achievements to your application, and you won't be bound by an Early Decision agreement if you applied Early Decision to elsewhere. So, while the wait might be longer, it's not all negative. Hang in there!