Early Decision or Regular Decision?

Early Decision Program

Early Decision may be a more favorable pathway to jumpstart your college career and save time and stress in the application process. Applying Early Decision lets Wesleyan consider that we are your first choice college and that you are fully committed to joining us in the fall. It also allows us to get an early start on building our next incredible class of Cardinals. Early Decision can free you up to enjoy more of your senior year and to begin planning your transition to life at Wesleyan.

As soon as you have decided to apply, select Wesleyan as one of your colleges. Complete the Wesleyan Member Questions along with your application. 

Your Early Decision application includes the following:

Early Decision Agreement Form

Your signed Early Decision Agreement must be received by the ED application deadline. Students applying under Early Decision certify that Wesleyan is their first choice and agree to accept Wesleyan's offer of admission if extended. Students also agree to withdraw applications submitted to other colleges and not to initiate any new applications. The Early Decision Agreement form is available for download, but it is also provided as part of the Common Application.

How ED works in Common Application

If you are applying Early Decision to an institution, you need to complete the Common Application Early Decision Agreement form. In order to complete and submit this form online, the student must first select the Early Decision term option for one school.  Once you indicate this decision, the ED Agreement will be available in the Supplements section of your Common Application account.

1. You must read and sign the ED Agreement from within your Common Application account; a parent/guardian signature is also required. You must then notify the counselor that you are applying ED.
2. The counselor must then log into his/her account to read, sign and submit the ED Agreement from within his/her Common App School Forms account (if the counselor has agreed to complete school forms online).
   
   If the counselor is not completing the school forms online, the student must print the ED Agreement (within the school forms section) and give it to the counselor to send directly to the institution. Please note the counselor is responsible for the submission of the ED Agreement once the student has completed it.

• Special Note about Early Decision for International Students

  Wesleyan does not prohibit international students from applying for financial aid or from applying in either round of Early Decision. However, due to the highly selective nature of our selection process for international students, it is unlikely that we will offer financial aid admission in Early Decision. Most Early Decision applicants who are international students seeking financial aid will be deferred to the Regular Decision round for consideration with the entire applicant pool.

  Students applying for the Freeman Asian Scholarship (applicants applying for financial aid who are citizens or permanent residents of China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, or Singapore) should NOT apply in Early Decision as applicants for the scholarship will only be considered in the Regular Decision round.

  International citizens NOT seeking financial aid may apply for and be considered in both Early Decision rounds.