Does Early Decision 2 Increase Admission Chances?

I'm weighing my options for college applications and stumbled upon ED2. In your experience, does applying Early Decision 2 increase your chances of getting accepted compared to Regular Decision? Feeling a little bit stressed about making the right choice!

Absolutely, I can understand why you'd feel this way—it's a big decision! Generally speaking, applying Early Decision 2 (ED2) can increase your likelihood of admission versus applying through Regular Decision due to a few factors. First, it demonstrates to the school that they are a high priority for you, which colleges appreciate because it can help improve their yield (the percentage of admitted students who enroll). Keep in mind that while the acceptance rates during ED2 might still be higher than during Regular Decision, they are usually not as high as Early Decision 1 rates.

One thing to remember is that ED2 is binding. If you are accepted, you are expected to withdraw all other applications and attend that college. Before choosing ED2, ensure the college is truly your top choice and that you've looked into the financial implications, as you will be committing without the ability to compare financial aid offers. Some colleges have a higher percentage of admissions for ED2 candidates compared to their Regular Decision pool, so you might want to check the statistics for your particular schools of interest—like if a college's ED2 admit rate is 20% compared to its Regular Decision rate of 10%, that's a significant difference.