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Originally posted by Nina:
I don't have a wsj subscription so can't read more than the first few sentences, but colleges "pressuring" "nudging" "asking" students to consider early decision is hardly new. What am I missing?

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Some colleges and universities have started asking students who have applied through the regular admissions process to try a binding option that would boost their chances and help the schools lock in acceptances.

Tulane University, Colorado College, Lehigh University and a handful of others now reach out to students who have submitted an application but haven’t yet received a decision, asking them to commit to their school early if the application is successful. At some schools, the first early-decision round typically closes in November, and the second in January.

“If Tulane is your first choice school, you may want to consider switching to Early Decision II,” with a Jan. 7 deadline, according to an email sent to an applicant and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “If you are admitted, your college search is over.”

Not many schools have taken this approach but those that do say they are reminding students of their options. “We send informational emails that tell people the different options once they’ve applied,” said Daniel Warner, vice provost for admissions and financial aid at Lehigh University.

Some high-school guidance counselors, students and parents say the emails are often read as pressuring students into committing to a college before they are ready. Students who receive these emails and decide to apply early decision aren’t guaranteed to be accepted, but if they are admitted, they are obligated to pull all other applications. That means they can’t compare different financial-aid packages.

“I’ve had discussions at forums about this complaint. We all want to serve the students, but at the end of the day I’m the dean of admissions and I have a responsibility to my institution,” said Satyajit Dattagupta, dean of undergraduate admissions at Tulane.

Mr. Dattagupta said he introduced the emails last year and they yielded an additional 625 early-decision applications. Of that group, 95 earned admission and enrolled.

Early decision has been growing for years and is used by some schools to fill more than half of their incoming freshman class. For colleges, it helps guarantee enrollment at a time when they are competing more fiercely for students.

“We’re all pushing early decision now,” said Mark Hatch, Colorado College’s vice president for enrollment. “This is a runaway train and it’s not going to stop.”

Kelsey Cohen, a high-school senior in Austin, Texas, applied to Tulane under a process that wouldn’t bind her to go to the school if she was accepted. Last week, the school told her that her admission decision was deferred. It also asked her to consider applying under the next round of early decision, which has a Jan. 7 deadline. That would mean if she were accepted, she would have to drop her applications to other schools.

Randy Cohen, Ms. Cohen’s father, responded to his daughter via email: “They’re just trying to force your hand.”

Ms. Cohen said she thought the tactic was “dumb.”

“If I didn’t apply early decision the first time, I’m not going to apply after you defer me,” she said.

Sara Harberson, a private admissions counselor in Lancaster, Pa., who advises high schoolers on college application, says, “They are tapping into the students’ own vulnerabilities to benefit themselves.” She said this is the first year she has seen this tactic employed.

“A lot of the criticism is not off the mark,” said Colorado College’s Mr. Hatch, noting he didn’t think the criticism would slow schools’ use of the technique.

At Colorado College, 27% of students who applied early decision in 2018 were admitted compared with just 5% who applied regular admission. The overall admit rate for the year was 15%.

Mr. Hatch said by asking every student if they want to apply early decision, the college is making admissions more transparent. “We’ve opened it up to everyone,” he said.