Early Decision Deadlines for Every College
What’s Covered:
- What Is Early Decision?
- Early Decision vs. Early Action
- Tips for Applying Early Decision
- Early Decision Deadlines for Every School
- What Are My Chances of Admission?
Thinking of applying to a college under an early decision plan? For students who are dead set on a specific school, doing so can ease the anxiety of waiting until April for your admissions decision as well as give you a slight advantage in the admissions process.
If you do decide to apply ED, remember that you’ll need to start the process earlier than your peers who are applying under regular decision plans. Below are deadlines for every college and university that offers an ED plan, along with a summary of the process, how it differs from early action and regular decision, and factors to keep in mind.
What Is Early Decision?
Under an early decision plan, students apply to their top college early and must attend if they are accepted. You can only apply to one college ED. Some colleges also offer a separate ED II plan, which we’ll describe in greater detail below.
Applying early decision often gives students about whom admissions committees are on the fence a slight advantage. Still, you must be very committed to attending that school and shouldn’t just apply early for the advantage if you’re not really sure since you must matriculate if you accepted, except in the case of emergencies or unusual circumstances.
What Is Early Decision II?
Like ED I, ED II is binding, meaning you must matriculate at that college if you are admitted under the plan. However, the deadlines for ED II plans are later than those for ED I and often coincide with regular decision deadlines. Some colleges offer both plans.
Applying ED II means you gain the same advantage of committing to one school and thus boosting your likelihood of admission. This is because colleges want a high yield rate—the ratio of admitted students to those who enroll—and early decision plans produce students who are committed to matriculating.
Another advantage to ED II is that it gives you the opportunity to apply ED to multiple schools if you’re denied admission or deferred from your first choice
Early Decision vs. Early Action
ED is binding, while early action is nonbinding. Some colleges have restricted early action plans. REA is nonbinding, but you may only apply to one college under this plan.
Most schools offer EA or ED, but not both. To learn more about early action, read Your Complete List of Early Action Deadlines for Every EA College.
To find out more about the differences among the early plans available, check out EA vs ED vs REA.
Tips for Applying Early Decision
There are many factors to keep in mind when applying early decision:
(1) Assess your financial situation.
Remember that ED is binding; unless you really can’t pay, you are obligated to matriculate at the college if you are admitted. Meanwhile, applying RD gives you the chance to compare financial aid offers.
(2) Make sure the college is absolutely your first choice.
Visit campuses, talk to past and current students, and do thorough research before you come to closure.
(3) Be realistic about the edge this gives you.
ED benefits candidates who are on the fence for admissions, meaning it’s a “middle” school for you, but it’s not going to make up for weak test scores or grades. It probably won’t put reach candidates over the edge, and if it’s a safety school for you, you might just hedge your bets and apply regular decision.
(4) Be aware of the timeline.
You’ll need to pay attention to earlier deadlines. ED application deadlines are usually in November, so get a head start on your essays over the summer and make sure you’ve secured your recommendations before October. It’s also a good idea to have your other applications ready in case it’s not good news since you won’t have much time to meet RD deadlines after you hear.
Early Decision Deadlines for Every School
Below is a complete list of early decision I and II deadlines at every school that offers the plan.
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
ED I: November 1
Allegheny College
ED I: November 15
American University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Amherst College
ED I: November 1
Babson College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 2
Barnard College
ED I: November I
Bates College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 10
Beloit College
ED I: November 1
Bennington College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Bentley University
ED I: November 1
Boston University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 4
Bowdoin College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 5
Brandeis University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 3
Brown University
ED I: November 1
Bryant University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Bryn Mawr College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Bucknell University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Carleton College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Carnegie Mellon University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Case Western Reserve University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Centre College
ED I: November 15
Champlain College
ED I: November 15
ED II: December 15
Christopher Newport University
ED I: November 15
Claremont McKenna College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 10
Clarkson University
ED I: December 1
Colby College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Colgate University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
College of the Atlantic
ED I: December 1
ED II: January 15
College of the Holy Cross
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
College of William and Mary
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 2
College of Wooster
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Colorado College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Columbia University
ED I: November 1
Connecticut College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
ED I:
- Albert Nerken School of Engineering: November 1
- Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture: December 1
- School of Art: December 1
Cornell University
ED I: November 1
Dartmouth College
ED I: November 1
Davidson College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 8
Denison University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
DePauw University
ED I: November 1
Dickinson College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Drew University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Duke University
ED I: November 1
Elon University
ED I: November 1
Emory University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Fairfield University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Five Towns College
ED I: December 1
Flagler College
ED I: November 1
Florida Southern College
ED I: November
Franklin & Marshall College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Furman University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
George Washington University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 5
Gettysburg College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Gordon College
ED I: November 1
Goucher College
ED I: November 15
Grinnell College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Grove City College
ED I: November 1
ED II: December 1
Hamilton College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 4
Hampden-Sydney College
ED I: November 1
Hampshire College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Hartwick College
ED I: November 1
Harvey Mudd College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 5
Haverford College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
High Point University
ED I: November 3
Hillsdale College
ED I: November 1
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
ED I: November 15
Hollins University
ED I: November 1
Ithaca College
ED I: November 1
Johns Hopkins University
ED I: January 15
ED II: February 25
Juniata College
ED I: November 15
Kalamazoo College
ED I: November 1
Kenyon College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Lafayette College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Lake Forest College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Lawrence University
ED I: November 1
Lehigh University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Lewis & Clark College
ED I: November 1
Lynchburg College
ED I: November 15
Macalester College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Marist College
ED I: November 15
ED II: February 15
Mary Baldwin College
ED I: November 15
Maryland Institute College of Art
ED I: November 1
Meredith College
ED I: October 30
Merrimack College
ED I: November 15
Miami University
ED I: November 1
Middlebury College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 3
Mississippi College
ED I: December 1
Moody Bible Institute
ED I: December 1
Morehouse College
ED I: November 1
Mount Holyoke College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 4
Muhlenberg College
ED I: November 15
ED II: February 1
Nazareth College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 10
New York University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Northeastern University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Northwestern University
ED I: November 1
Oberlin College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 2
Occidental College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 10
Ohio Wesleyan University
ED I: November 15
Pitzer College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 6
Pomona College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 8
Prescott College
ED I: December 1
Providence College
ED I: November 1
Ramapo College of New Jersey
ED I: November 1
Reed College
ED I: November 15
ED II: December 20
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
ED I: November 1
ED II: December 15
Rhode Island School of Design
ED I: November 1
Rhodes College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Rice University
ED I: November 1
Roanoke College
ED I: November 15
Rochester Institute of Technology
ED I: December 1
ED II: January 1
Rollins College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 5
Sacred Heart University
ED I: December 1
Saint Mary’s College
ED I: November 15
Salisbury University
ED I: November 15
Santa Clara University
ED I: November 1
Sarah Lawrence College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Scripps College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 5
Sewanee: University of the South
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Siena College
ED I: December 1
Skidmore College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Smith College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Southern Methodist University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
Spelman College
ED I: November 1
Springfield College
ED I: December 1
ED II: January 15
St. John Fisher College
ED I: December 1
St. Lawrence University
ED I: February 1
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
ED I: November 1
St. Olaf College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
State University of New York Maritime College
ED I: December 1
Stevens Institute of Technology
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Stonehill College
ED I: December 1
ED II: February 1
Susquehanna University
ED I: November 15
Swarthmore College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 4
Syracuse University
ED I: November 15
Texas Christian University
ED I: November 1
ED II: February 1
The College of New Jersey
ED I: November 1
The Jewish Theological Seminary
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Trinity College
ED I: November 15
ED II: February 14
Trinity University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Tufts University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 4
Union College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 15
University of Miami
ED I: November 1
EDII: January 1
University of Pennsylvania
ED I: November 1
University of Puget Sound
ED I: November 1
University of Richmond
ED I: November 1
ED II: December 1
University of Rochester
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 5
University of San Francisco
ED I: November 1
Ursinus College
ED I: December 1
Vanderbilt University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Vassar College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
ED I: November 1
Wabash College
ED I: November 15
Wake Forest University
ED I: November 15
Warren Wilson College
ED I: November 1
Washington & Jefferson College
ED I: December 1
Washington and Lee University
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Washington College
ED I: November 15
Washington University in St. Louis
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 4
Webb Institute
ED I: October 18
Wellesley College
ED I: November 1
ED II: January 1
Wells College
ED I: November 15
Wesleyan College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Wesleyan University
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 1
Wheaton College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 15
Whitman College
ED I: November 15
ED II: January 10
Willamette University
ED I: November 15
Williams College
ED I: November 15
Wittenberg University
ED I: November 1
Wofford College
ED I: November 1
What Are My Chances of Admission?
Want to learn about your chances of getting into one of these colleges? CollegeVine can shed some light on your chances of acceptance. Our free Chancing Engine uses factors like academics, extracurriculars, and demographics to estimate your individual odds of admission at hundreds of schools across the country. It can also provide valuable insight into how to improve your profile!
