Debate Continues Over Early Admissions Policies for Colleges

A September 24, 2006 article from The Associated Press discusses an ongoing debate within the higher education community regarding the advantages and disadvantages of colleges offering applicants an early admissions option. Of the colleges with early admissions policies, some use "early decision" (which requires early applicants who have been accepted to make an immediate commitment to attend the college) and others offer "early action" (where early applicants are notified in December of their admission status, but are still allowed to apply to other colleges in the spring before making a final decision). Those in support of having early admissions policies believe that it benefits students (by shortening the waiting period and minimizing anxiety) and colleges (by allowing the administration to know when they have hit their target class size). Opponents, however, contend that early admissions policies may be unfair to disadvantaged students, who might apply later in the year or need to know how much financial assistance they will be receiving before making the commitment to attend a particular college.

The article is available at the CNN.com Web site.