International students missing out under US Early Decision system

Stakeholders are worried about the Early Decision (ED) system – where students apply early to their first-choice institution and, if admitted, are required to commit to attending. Although admission is not guaranteed, the common practice is that students must ‘lock in’ once accepted and withdraw all other applications, even in different countries.

But with rising visa denials in Donald Trump’s United States, fears are rising that international students could be at an unfair disadvantage.

Education consultant Elisabeth Marksteiner, pointed out that even if a student applies for a visa as soon as they have been accepted by an institution, they could be denied in late August, with the semester due to start in early September

“Suddenly the student has no live applications anywhere in the entire world. There is no plan B – the whole point about ED is it takes out all insurance, effectively,” she told The PIE News.

“There are some countries where we know it can be 11 months to get a visa appointment… there is no way that you are going to make it.”

Advice from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) on ED was updated in August to make it more specific and transparent for parents and school counselors alike.

“The updates aim to ensure applicants, parents/guardians, and counselors fully understand the implications of an ED commitment under various possible scenarios,” it said.

The practice has become a popular way for institutions to gauge their enrolment numbers ahead of time. And according to Marksteiner, enforcing binding ED agreements is a low-stakes approach for elite institutions – even if it means some international students won’t be able to take up their place.

“The people who are most using ED are the ones at the top of the pile. They will always be able to fill their class,” she said.

The people who are most using ED are the ones at the top of the pile. They will always be able to fill their class
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ED offers often use complicated wording and “legalese” that, according to Marksteiner, can leave parents and high schoolers feeling uneasy.

“It seems to me that we have lost effectively our moral compass in holding ED agreements in the way that we do,” she explained.

In September, Tulane made headlines after it slapped Colorado Academy with a one-year ban on ED applications after one of its students allegedly pulled out of an offer.

However, some institutions are changing their policies to make sure than non-US applicants do not have to withdraw their applications from other parts of the world.

Visa delays have been a persistent problem for US higher education institutions under the second Trump administration – part of an “escalating cascade” of attacks on international students, according to an address by Presidents’ Alliance CEO Miriam Feldblum at this week’s PIE Live North America conference in Chicago.

Since taking office for the second time, President Trump has imposed a travel ban on 19 countries, enforced an immigration crackdown that has affected thousands of international students and suspended visa interviews across the world for several weeks – a move whose effects are still being felt.

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