Harvard University plans to stop offering applicants the option of applying early, on the theory that the program hurts the chances of admission for financially needy and minority applicants, The New York Times reported today. Many critics have observed that early-admission programs, in which some colleges admit large portions of their classes well before their regular admissions deadlines, tend to help only affluent students, who don’t need to base their decision on where to matriculate on which college offers the best financial-aid package.

But none of the highly selective colleges with early-admission programs was prepared to eliminate them for fear of losing out in the competition for top students. Now that Harvard has taken this major step, other elite institutions are likely to find it easier to follow suit.