College early-admission applications up 37 percent

"This is perhaps the single biggest increase that we have ever had for this program," said Ted O'Neill, Dean of College Admissions. "It shows that there is a deepening national interest in the College and what it offers to students."

The Early Action program allows high school seniors to apply for admission to the College by Nov. 15 and receive a decision by the end of December. Traditionally, seniors apply to colleges by late December or early January and receive a decision in early April.

"To some degree our increase is part of a national trend, since many other schools have reported increased applications to early-decision programs. However, we are up far more than most schools," O'Neill said.

The College's Early Action program is different from early-decision programs at other colleges in that a student's acceptance of Chicago's offer is not binding, and students have until May 1 to make their decisions. Most early-decision programs have far more restrictions.

"Chicago is in a small group of schools, including Harvard and MIT, that feel that Early Action is a better system than others," said O'Neill. "We find more and more that very good applicants are applying for early admission to schools. We feel that our Early Action program allows a chance to start a conversation with those interested in Chicago early in the admissions process, to let them know where we stand on their chances for admission and to give them the freedom to make the right choice."