[pkaye]

Early admissions are not binding (compared to early action which is less common.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_admission Many colleges also have a waitlist for admissions to backfill from.

[klinskyc]

Early Decision !== Early Action. Early action is non-binding and is less popular in top-tier colleges. Early action is generally binding - https://professionals.collegeboard.org/guidance/applications...

There's also restricted early action, which restricts what schools you can apply to along side the REA school, but is non-binding