How much does early decision increase chances?

Hi there, I'm currently a junior in high school and starting to think about my college applications. I've heard that applying early decision can improve your chances of admission, but I'm not sure by how much. Can anyone provide some insight on how much applying ED can boost your acceptance chances?

Applying Early Decision (ED) can indeed give applicants an advantage in the admissions process, but the boost varies significantly between colleges. This boost is typically due to the applicant pool being smaller and often more competitive, as well as the binding commitment signaling a high level of interest to the institution.

For example, at some highly selective colleges, the ED acceptance rate can be notably higher than the Regular Decision rate. Take a school like Duke University — for the Class of 2025, their ED acceptance rate was approximately 21%, in contrast to their overall rate of around 5.8%. However, it's important to remember that the Early Decision pool often includes legacies, athletes, and other applicants with distinct advantages or connections that could skew these percentages.

Furthermore, you should only apply ED if you are absolutely certain that the school is your top choice and you are comfortable with the financial implications, as ED acceptances are binding agreements to attend barring exceptional financial circumstances. If there's any hesitation or financial uncertainty, it may be wiser to consider non-binding Early Action (EA) or Regular Decision applications. Always assess your fit for the school academically, socially, and financially before deciding on an ED application. Also, look at the admissions statistics for your schools of interest to see how their ED acceptance rates compare to RD, but do so with a critical eye, understanding that each applicant pool is unique.