Is it harder to get in through regular decision?

I've been hearing that regular decision might be more competitive than early decision. Does anyone know if it's true that fewer people get accepted in regular decision rounds?

Yes, it's generally true that Regular Decision is somewhat harder than Early Decision or Early Action. Colleges have a limited number of spaces to offer to applicants. When they conduct their Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) rounds, several of these spaces are filled up. So, there are fewer spots available during Regular Decision (RD). This can make RD statistically more competitive.

However, it's also important to remember that the applicant pool in RD can differ significantly from that in ED or EA. The ED round applicant pool often contains students who are extremely committed to the institution, as ED is a binding agreement. These students may have stronger applications overall, thus creating a highly competitive process in the early rounds.

On the contrary, the RD pool is much more diverse because it includes applicants who are applying to many colleges and may not be as dedicated or well-matched to any single one, which could potentially make the RD pool less competitive.

Also, applying ED does have its advantages for applicants who are very certain about their top-choice school. On average, ED results in a 1.6x increase in your chances of admission to super selective schools. Applying EA boosts your chances too, but the effect is smaller.

Ultimately, it's critical to apply when you feel your application will be at its strongest. If applying ED or EA allows you to present your best self, then that could be the right strategy for you. But if more time will allow you to strengthen your application, then applying RD could be advantageous.