Poor children at a disadvantage in early admission in the US

The constraints and scholarship restrictions of early college admissions are narrowing opportunities for low-income applicants, experts say.

In the US, universities usually enroll students in two rounds, including early admission (deadline around November 15) and regular admission (deadline December 15 or January).

In particular, applying through Early Decision (ED) helps candidates increase their chances of admission, especially at top universities. However, this is a binding admission form, meaning that if accepted, candidates must study as committed and cancel their remaining wishes. Therefore, only candidates who have researched carefully and are sure of their financial ability should apply.

Sai Mandhan, 18, is a math and computer science student at the University of Maryland on a scholarship. Last year, he planned to apply early to Cornell University, one of the eight Ivy League schools, but ultimately dropped out because his family was "not comfortable with being financially tied down."

If he passed, his family would have to pay $80,000-90,000 in tuition each year (about 2.2 billion VND), plus a $400 deposit fee according to Cornell University's ED policy.

“Either way, going to schools like that costs a lot of money,” he said. Attending them was made even more impossible by the fact that Sai’s family did not qualify for any financial aid.

Similar to Sai, many candidates from low- and middle-income families are unable to get into elite universities during the ED, mainly due to being tied to high tuition fees with little support.

Photo: Wavebreak Media — Photo: *Wavebreak Media*

According to Dr. Rachel Rubin, director of aneducational services company in the US, scholarships are used to attract students to study. Therefore, in the early admissions period, schools tend to offer fewer scholarships or financial aid packages.

In fact, financially challenged applicants can apply for scholarships through QuestBridge - a scholarship program affiliated with major universities, but the number is limited. This year, Dartmouth College accepted 47 candidates under this category, accounting for about 7% of the total 625 candidates admitted early.

Late last year, the university’s statistics also showed that only 17% of early admission students in the 2023-2027 class came from low-income families. That shows that early admission in the US is not popular with poor students.

In addition, not being fully informed about the benefits of the ED round also disadvantages low- and middle-income candidates.

While the super-rich are willing to spend up to $1 million to hire a private admissions consultant for their children, candidates with lower financial means have to learn about the application process themselves. As a result, they often miss out on financial aid policies or scholarship programs even though they are eligible.

Marcella Bombardieri, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, a public policy research and advocacy organization, advises candidates to seek help from adults to prepare well for the early admissions round.

"You have to prepare early and thoroughly in your senior year. You have to have adults around to guide and help you," Ms. Marcella emphasized.

Currently, in order to create fairness for all candidates, some prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale, Notre Dame or Stanford actively recruit students using the form of Restrictive Early Action. Applying this way, candidates still receive early results and have a higher chance of being accepted, but do not have to commit to enrolling like ED.

Phuong Anh (According to CNN )

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