Harvard College announced that it will restore its early admissions program starting this fall, four years after it eliminated the option on the grounds that it tended to attract better prepared students from families with higher incomes. On the same day Harvard made its announcement, Princeton revealed that it too would re-instate early action next year. With Harvard and Princeton both restoring early action, all eight Ivy League schools now have early admissions processes in place.
At the time Harvard eliminated early action, the school’s admissions officials thought that other elite universities would follow Harvard’s lead, but few did. As a result, many sought-after students continued to apply to schools with early admissions programs, in hopes of securing a spot early in their senior year.
Harvard University President Drew Faust explained that Harvard will structure the early admissions program to maximize access as interest among students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Those students “were missing out on the opportunity to consider Harvard,” Smith said in a written statement. “We have decided that the college and our students will be best served by restoring an early option.”
Harvard’s early admissions program will remain non-binding. Students who are admitted early will be under no obligation to attend. Students who apply by November 1st will be notified in mid-December of their status – whether they have been admitted, rejected, or deferred for consideration with the regular pool of applicants.
The deadline for regular applicants will remain January 1st with admission decisions available in early April. All admitted students, whether admitted early, or in the regular admissions process, will have until May 1 to decide whether to enroll.
