Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college with a moderately selective admission process for those academically ambitious students who are seeking all the charms of the liberal arts college experience without the stress of a single-digit acceptance rate. But even so, it’s never advisable to enter senior year of high school without a definitive plan for optimizing your odds of admission to the best schools within reach. And if Lafayette College is calling out to you and there isn’t a doubt in your mind that you’d like to wind up there next year, then heed Ivy Coach’s advice: apply via Early Decision.

Let’s back up. Early Decision is a binding admission process offered by many of America’s elite schools that allows students to apply before Regular Decision applicants get their materials in, thus freeing up admission officers to give ED students an extra degree of consideration that typically results in heightened acceptance rates relative to RD candidates. At Lafayette, Early Decision is split into two rounds: Early Decision I and Early Decision II. Early Decision I is for the applicants who really mean business, as this round happens earlier in the cycle and conveys a higher degree of Demonstrated Interest.

Wait, did you say Demonstrated Interest? That we did. Lafayette College admission officers absolutely do care whether their applicants have toured campus, attended virtual info sessions, expressed a deep familiarity with the resources and opportunities available on campus, and yes, applied Early. Demonstrated interest is indeed a major factor that contributes to the boosted odds of admission given to ED applicants. But just how much of a boost are we talking about?

Lafayette College Early Decision Admission Statistics Over 20+ Years

Well, if we take a gander at the historical acceptance rate data at Lafayette, we see that the combined ED I and ED II acceptance rate typically produces a 10 point increase relative to the RD rate during any given cycle:

Admissions Cycle	Lafayette College Class Year	Early Decision (I +II) Admission Rate	Regular Decision Admission Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	Not Reported	Not Reported
2024-2025	Class of 2029	38.0%	29.5%
2023-2024	Class of 2028	42.4%	31.5%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	43.6%	31.5%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	43.4%	33.6%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	43.5%	40.7%
2019-2020	Class of 2024	51.1%	35.6%
2018-2019	Class of 2023	50.8%	31.5%
2017-2018	Class of 2022	51.6%	29.4%
2016-2017	Class of 2021	46.1%	30.8%
2015-2016	Class of 2020	49.0%	28.3%
2014-2015	Class of 2019	48.6%	30.2%
2013-2014	Class of 2018	47.6%	29.7%
2012-2013	Class of 2017	53.1%	34.1%
2011-2012	Class of 2016	56.3%	34.5%
2010-2011	Class of 2015	65.0%	40.3%
2009-2010	Class of 2014	69.0%	41.7%
2008-2009	Class of 2013	61.9%	42.4%
2007-2008	Class of 2012	56.2%	37.2%
2006-2007	Class of 2011	61.0%	34.9%

Breakdown of Lafayette College’s Class of 2030 Early Decision Admits

As of the time we’re writing this blog, there’s no data covering the Early Decision I admits for the Class of 2030. But we don’t need a press release to know that once the data does roll in, it’ll show that the ED cohort for the Class of 2030 produced a 100% yield rate.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward for Deferred or Rejected Lafayette Applicants

If you’re a student who applied in an Early Decision round to Lafayette and were deferred or rejected for admission, instead of wallowing in your defeat, focus on the new horizons that just opened before you! But pivoting requires quick action, so don’t delay before you start thinking strategically.

Your first move should be to contact Ivy Coach to schedule a complimentary consultation. For deferred candidates, we offer a PostMortem application review and assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest. For rejected candidates, we provide a PostMortem application review. We will even facilitate your pivot to a highly effective strategy during the Regular Decision round after evaluating your application for its strengths and weaknesses. Our team of former elite college admissions officers is here to equip you with the tools you need to wind up with an acceptance letter from an elite school.