How much does applying Early Decision actually increase acceptance chances?

The truth is that Early Decision can improve acceptance chances, but the increase varies widely depending on the school. Some highly competitive boarding schools fill a meaningful portion of their class from the Early Decision pool because those applicants are signaling a strong, genuine commitment. Schools appreciate that clarity, especially when they are filling very limited slots. At other schools, the bump may be modest. It really depends on how many students apply early and how many seats the school chooses to allocate to ED applicants in a given year. The most important thing to keep in mind is that ED applicants are very prepared. They are often strong students who started their testing, essays, and interview prep early on. So while ED can help, it is not a guarantee, and you should approach it strategically.