Without a doubt, Stanford University is one of the most highly selective and sought-after colleges in the world. Gaining admission to this private research university takes a whole lot of strategy (and for those who don’t apply with a singular hook, a string of luck!). And one of the most time-honored and Ivy Coach-endorsed strategies for earning admission to The Farm is applying in Stanford’s Early Action round. Why would applying Early give you a leg up over everyone else? Read on to find out more.

Stanford University’s Early Action Acceptance Rate Is Not Publicly Released

Naturally, the first thing you might want to know when considering applying for Early Action to Stanford is the EA acceptance rate. But Stanford has other plans. The elite institution keeps this information close to the vest and does not publish EA statistics in the Common Data Set, a federally mandated repository of college admissions data, where most other schools share such insights. Yes, we know the overall acceptance rate to Stanford — and it’s descended well below 5% in recent cycles — but Early Action data remains a mystery.

But we don’t need to know the Early Action acceptance rate to determine that it’s higher than the Regular Decision acceptance rate. Why? It’s an open secret in the world of elite college admissions that Early Action applicants are highly prized over their RD counterparts. These strategic applicants demonstrate their interest by positioning Stanford above all the rest. Admissions officers become cagey when confronted with this fact, as Stanford claims it does not track Demonstrated Interest, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Believe us when we say: Stanford is on the lookout for highly enthusiastic students who are unequivocally certain that Stanford is their top choice of school. And who better demonstrates this interest than those who apply in the Early Action round? Sure, Early Action isn’t binding (unlike Early Decision rounds at other schools, where applicants must commit to attending if admitted), but when you’re a school that’s as highly sought after as Stanford, you don’t need a binding admissions round because you’re confident just about anyone who gets in will end up enrolling. So, it’s not just about applying Early, it’s about showing Stanford that you will be that rare student who hits the ground running and takes advantage of every last thing its campus has to offer.

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

Congratulations to Ivy Coach’s students who earned admission to the Stanford Class of 2030! Our team of former elite college admissions officers, which includes Ivy Coach’s Jose Magana, a former Stanford admissions officer, has helped three out of every four of our package clients gain admission to Stanford over the last five years by leveraging our secret sauce: a competitive, singular hook. Stanford admissions officers routinely deny students with perfect grades and test scores (yes, even those who apply in the Early Action round!) for being dull, uninspiring, or lacking a clear passion. Ivy Coach’s admissions assistance is the antidote to these common problems.

If you’re a student who applied in the Early Action round to Stanford and were deferred or denied admission, let’s review the steps you can take to turn things around and optimize your odds of admission. Getting into your dream college is closer than it may seem, but you must take action.

Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation to receive an outline of our go-forward services, services with Ivy Coach’s Jose Magana, a former Stanford admissions officer. 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. Once you have completed these steps, the next step is to work with us to reposition your remaining Regular Decision applications. And remember: timing is everything in the elite college admissions process. Just a few days of delay can turn the tides against you in the wake of a deferral or rejection.