Ahead of our upcoming January 15 deadline, we’re breaking down the key differences between applying ED II vs. RD. 

It is a very exciting time for AU Admissions: Early Decision I application decisions have been released, Early Action application reviews are in full-swing, and we are nearly one month away from our January 15 deadline for Early Decision II (ED II) and Regular Decision (RD) applicants! As we look toward this deadline just around the corner, it is a great time to break down the differences between ED II and RD.

Early Decision and Regular Decision are two types of admission decision plans, both of which are offered by American University. Early Decision can be broken down into ED I and ED II, which are identical apart from their associated application deadlines. While the ED I deadline, November 1, has passed, students who wish to apply Early Decision to AU can still do so with our upcoming ED II deadline.

Early Decision, whether it be I or II, is a binding decision plan, which means that the applicant agrees at the time of application submission to attend AU if they are admitted. For this reason, ED applicants must submit an Early Decision Agreement Form—signed by the applicant, their parent or guardian, and their high school counselor—along with the rest of their application materials; if admitted, ED applicants must withdraw their applications to all other institutions. Early Decision applicants can expect an admissions decision approximately six weeks after the application deadline.

There are unique benefits to applying Early Decision to American University, including a smaller applicant pool, an automatic application fee waiver, and a need-blind review of application materials. For a comprehensive list of the benefits of applying Early Decision to AU, check out our webpage. 

On the other hand, Regular Decision is a nonbinding decision plan. Students applying Regular Decision can expect to receive an admit, deny, or waitlist decision by April 1. Students admitted to American University through the Regular Decision pool have until May 1 to decide whether to enroll at AU.

Early Decision is an excellent option for students who feel confident that AU is their first-choice school and who are ready to attend if admitted. Hear different perspectives from current AU students who applied ED: Sydney ’28 and Lakeisha ’27, and Gabriela ’27 & Kylie ’28. For those students who are uncomfortable with the binding nature of Early Decision, Regular Decision may be a preferable option.

Need more guidance about which decision plan is right for you? Check out the recording from our Virtual Information Session this fall for more information about American University and the decision plans we offer.