By Jessica Dickler

October 19, 2020

This month, thousands of high school students will submit their early action and early-decision applications to colleges.

By demonstrating a preference to a particular school, studies have shown, an early application can give you a leg up, which goes a long way with competition that’s as fierce as it has ever been.

Early-decision applicants were accepted 62% of the time, versus 52% for all applicants, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s most recent State of College Admission report.

In addition, getting a head start on the makeup of the freshman class helps admissions officers balance out enrollment needs with financial aid requests.

“It gives them a cheat sheet if they know two-thirds of the class ahead of time,” said Michael Horn, author of college guide “Choosing College.”