This month we were able to hear from New York University admissions representatives in an exclusive Ask Me Anything event hosted on the College Confidential forum. Kennedy Carlick, NYU Senior Assistant Director of Admissions, and Ivan Brea, NYU Class of 2023 student, answered all the College Confidential community’s questions about applying early to NYU.

In a poll asking why the community is interested in the event, 74 percent noted that they were interested in talking with the NYU reps because they plan to apply Early Decision to NYU.

In the same poll, 56 percent of the community voted that they were interested in finding out about student life at NYU, getting answers to admissions questions, and interested in planning tips for applying to NYU in the future.

In response to the poll, we will be highlighting a few questions that dive deep into these topics.

Camz: Do those who apply through Early Decision I have a higher chance of admission than Early Decision II applicants? What is the true distinction between them?

Kennedy: Early Decision I and II accept students with comparable academic profiles, and both have a higher acceptance rate than Regular Decision. You might notice that we accept more students in ED1 compared to ED2, but this is because there’s generally a larger applicant pool in ED1 compared to ED2, not because ED1 is any less competitive when it comes to the types of students we admit. From the student perspective, the only real difference between the ED deadlines is the date the application is due!

Devpatel2: I am currently planning on applying ED1 to NYU and was wondering if a certain school is more selective for acceptance for instance my first choice of major is within the Stern school of business, however my alternatives are within the College of Arts and Sciences. Additionally, I wanted to know if NYU tracks demonstrated interest as I plan to take an in person campus tour tomorrow.

Kennedy: Individual school acceptance rates fluctuate from year-to-year, but our general university acceptance rate is 12 percent. Stern and CAS are typically considered our most selective colleges, but like I said, numbers fluctuate over the years depending on student interest.

NYU does not track demonstrated interest- we think it’s interest enough just to complete our application!

HazelEnvirons: If a student applies ED to a specific program or school, but lists others as backup choices, is there a possibility that they will be accepted ED to NYU but not to their specific program of choice? If that happens, is ED still binding?

Kennedy: Yes, it’s possible that a student might be admitted to an alternate choice that they listed on the application. Students are only admitted to alternate choices once it has been determined that they are not admitted to their first choice program. If a student is admitted to anything other than their first choice campus or program, the ED decision is no longer binding. However, the student will still have to let us know within a week or two whether they intend to accept our offer- so it’s still an accelerated timeline for the admissions decision. But the student would be able to decline the offer if they wanted to.

CharlieLA: [I] wanted to know the acceptance percentage difference between ED1 and ED2, if there is one.

Ivan: The percentage difference are nearly identical. The major difference between EDI and EDII are the deadlines/notification time with EDI being due Nov. 1st and you would hear back around December 15th. EDII is due Jan.1st and you would hear back around Feb. 15th. Good luck!

Kennedy: Nope, we admit students with similar profiles in ED1 and ED2. The biggest difference is the deadline itself.

Kerri_Smith: What happens if you are accepted ED but do not receive a financial package that works with your budget? Is there any way to get an idea in advance what type of aid can be expected?

Kennedy: Our Early Decision policy (on our website) says you may request to be released from the Early Decision agreement if you are awarded a financial aid package that does not meet enough of your financial need to allow you to attend. Our Office of Financial Aid has a calculator on its website that can help you get a sense of how much aid you might receive.

Ivan: ED decisions are binding with the exception of a financial package not working with one’s budget. Thus, you are able to decline with no penalty. We have a net price calculator that can be found here online.

Magali: Is the decision to give a scholarship or not the same whether you apply for ED or RD?

Kennedy: Consideration for financial aid is almost entirely need-based and is not impacted by the admissions deadline you apply for. An ED admit will get the same financial aid considerations as an RD admit.

Adarsh_pillay: If a candidate is not submitting sat scores will that affect their chances at all in any way (scholarship or financial aid wise)

Ivan: This cycle, we are test optional meaning if one does not submit scores, this will not hurt them in any way.

Rifah_Snigdha: What is the deadline for teachers and counselors to submit all official documents (official transcript, recommendation letters, etc.) for early decision?

Kennedy: We typically ask that all application materials are in by the application deadline, although there’s a grace period of about a week after the application deadline when supplemental materials (transcripts, rec letters, etc) can be submitted. Any later than that, we can’t guarantee that’ll be able to use them- but we try our best to accept all documents.

Hanquinlan: I was just wondering how much emphasis was put on the activities section of the Common App, especially considering the amount of activities that were cancelled and/or postponed during COVID. For me, I also wasn’t able to participate in many activities due to the fact that I was commuting to and from school. Where would I write about this?

Kennedy: NYU prioritizes the academic portion of the application. Although we do review every component, the transcript and optional testing is by far the most important section. We understand that COVID-19 has impacted students’ lives in various ways, from your academic experience to the extracurriculars you were able to participate in, and keep that context in mind when reviewing applications. If you want to give more context to you particular circumstances, you can do so in the Additional Information Section of the Common Application.

Nicolas_Ollivier: What happens when an applicant gets rejected from the school for their primary academic interest but accepted to their alternate options? Does the applicant get to choose between the majors they were accepted to, or are they given a major based on the order they put in the common app?

Kennedy: You are only admitted to one NYU major- so you wouldn’t be choosing between various admitted majors.

Nicolas_Ollivier: In your experience, what is the most and least important feature of an applicant when determining which applicants get into NYU (i.e. extracurriculars, leadership, strong grades)?

Kennedy: The most important feature of an applicant is a strong academic history. But I think another equally important feature is that the applicant has done the research to apply to the program that is a best fit for their interests!

Nicole_A: What do y’all look for in essays (supplemental & personal)?

Ivan: We look for your authentic self! Be yourself as we want to hear about YOU from YOU! So do not write in a way that you think we will like, write about what you desire in a way that showcases your individuality.

Rifah_Snigdha: Will going as an undecided major increase the chances of getting in? If someone chooses a major and decides that it isn’t fit for them, will they be allowed to change it?

Kennedy: Applying as an undecided major does not increase your chances of admission.

Changing your major within your college is typically pretty straightforward, but it isn’t guaranteed that you’ll be able to change your major from one college to another. You have to spend the first year in the program you were admitted to, and you would have to apply for internal transfer to another NYU college.

In addition to all of these great questions, several people asked about acceptance rates for specific programs.

And while Kennedy and Ivan were not able to provide those numbers, they did give overall admissions stats. “What I can say is that 12.2 percent of applicants received offers of admission to NYU’s New York campus last cycle. Three of NYU’s undergraduate colleges offered admission to fewer than 10 percent of applicants—including the College of Arts and Science (7 percent), the Stern School of Business (7 percent), and the Rory Meyers College of Nursing (3 percent)—from NYU’s record-breaking pool,” clarified Ivan.

To learn more about Early Decision check out CC’s Early Admission Central where you can find links to trending discussions, helpful articles, and early application deadlines.

And for more discussion on applying Early Decision to NYU and other universities be sure to join the CC community!