A restrictive early action program is one in which the applicant must meet all the requirements of regular admission and must apply early decision. In other words, this type of program requires applicants to be 100% sure they want to attend the school even before they have been admitted.
The most common restrictive early action schools are private institutions that require SAT or ACT scores. The reason is simple: these schools are highly selective, and they need as many qualified applicants as they can get. By applying early decision, you are essentially saying that you will attend if accepted. If you fail to meet their requirements or do not receive a letter of acceptance, then the school is free to take another student who meets its standards.
Restrictive Early Action Schools
There are many reasons why students might want to consider an early decision school over an early action one. For example, if you’re unsure about your chances of getting into your top choices and want to avoid the stress of waiting until March or April for letters from other colleges, then applying restrictive early action may be your best option. A restrictive early action program also can help you save money on tuition fees because many schools award merit aid only for students who commit by November 1st or December 1st (and some even require it).
The following schools are restrictive early action schools. A restrictive early action school is one that will only consider your application if you are admitted to their regular decision program.
If you apply to a restrictive early action school, you will not be able to apply to or be considered by any other schools.
Babson College (Restrictive Early Action)
Baylor University (Restrictive Early Action)
Boston College (Restrictive Early Action)
Bowdoin College (Restrictive Early Action)
Brown University (Restrictive Early Action)
Carleton College (Restrictive Early Action)
Claremont McKenna College (Restrictive Early Action)
Colby College (Restrictive Early Action)
Colgate University (Restrictive Early Action) Columbia University in the City of New York – Columbia University/Barnard College Consortium Program (Columbia-Barnard Consortium Program), Columbia-Barnard Consortium Program at Barnard/Columbia; Columbia-Barnard Consortium Program at Barnard/Columbia; Columbia-Barnard Consortium Program at Barnard/Columbia; Columbia-Barnard
