How Does Regular Decision Compare to Regular Action?

I'm a bit confused about the differences between regular decision and regular action. Is there any substantial difference in terms of timeline or acceptance rates, or are they essentially the same thing?

I see where your confusion could come from, as the names sound remarkably similar. However, in terms of college admissions, there is technically no such thing as "Regular Action." The terminology used by colleges and universities typically includes Early Decision, Early Action, Restrictive Early Action, and Regular Decision.

Early Decision (ED) is a binding admissions process where you commit to attend the college if accepted. Early Action (EA) is a non-binding decision process where you'll receive an admissions decision earlier than the regular decision timeline, but you're not beholden to attend if admitted.

Restrictive Early Action (REA), also known as Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA), works much like EA, but with the additional restriction that you can't apply EA or ED to any other schools.

Regular Decision is the normal process by which students apply by published deadlines, with the promise of receiving an admissions decision no later than April 1st. There are no restrictions against applying to other schools, and if accepted, you are not obligated to enroll.

Acceptance rates can vary depending on the method of application. For instance, a school might have a higher acceptance rate for its Early Decision applicants compared to its Regular Decision applicants. However, that doesn't mean it's necessarily easier to get in via ED as those applicant pools can be extremely competitive with high-achieving students.

I hope this clears up any confusion. You might have meant Early Action when you said Regular Action, but if not, this should clarify things up!