Early Action, or EA, has become a popular program among colleges in the United States. This admissions program allows students to apply to colleges and hear back from them early, but leaves them the option to apply elsewhere during the normal admissions timeline, compare options, and make a more informed decision about where to attend.

While not everyone chooses to apply somewhere under an early application program, there are notable benefits to making use of this timeline, from the potential security of knowing you’re already admitted to a college early in the process, to improved chances of acceptance at certain schools. It’s an option that’s well worth considering as you’re planning your approach to college applications.

Keeping track of deadlines during college application season can already be a challenge, and the EA process complicates your calendar further. Never fear! In this post, we’ve compiled a list of application deadlines for colleges with EA programs, as well as some helpful tips and background information to help you navigate the EA process. 

Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision: A Refresher

The “normal” timeline for college admissions involves submitting your college applications in the fall of your senior year of high school, hearing back from colleges in late March or early April, and having to make a decision about where to attend by May 1st. This timeline is known as the Regular Decision (RD) timeline.

However, you’ll also find variations on this typical timeline. In addition to the RD process, many colleges now also offer some kind of early application process, through which applicants can submit applications, have them assessed, and receive an admission decision much earlier.

If you apply under the early application option at a college, you submit your application early, during the fall of your senior year of high school. You’ll also get a decision earlier, often in December, before your fall semester even ends. While you may be deferred, meaning that your application has been pushed back to the RD round for further consideration, you may also be accepted or rejected at this point.

Early application programs come in two major types: Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA). There are a few other types of early application programs that you might encounter, and a given college may offer a variety of different application plans.

Some colleges offer rolling admissions, in which applications are evaluated and decisions are made as they’re received, rather than waiting for a standard application deadline and notification date. Some colleges offer a second, later round of ED, known as ED II. Special programs, such as Questbridge, may have early application dates as well. However, ED and EA are the main options for most applicants. 

ED programs generally have strict rules. They’re single-choice, meaning that you cannot apply to any other schools early. They’re also binding, meaning that if you’re accepted, you are contractually obligated to attend. EA programs are more flexible, and give students more freedom to delay a final decision and compare different admissions offers.

The defining feature of EA programs is that they’re not binding—if accepted, you still get to choose whether to attend that college, and usually you don’t have to make a decision right away. You can even apply to other colleges during the regular admissions round and wait for them to make admissions decisions before you make your final college choice.

Some EA programs are also not single-choice, meaning that they don’t ask you to refrain from applying to any other colleges early. However, some EA programs do have this restriction. This approach is known as Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA), or alternatively, Restricted Early Action (REA). If you apply to an SCEA program, you’re not allowed to apply to any other colleges under EA or ED programs.

The most popular due dates for EA applications are in November, either on November 1st or November 15th, or around December 1st. Top-tier, highly competitive schools are likely to use one of these dates. However, plenty of colleges have earlier or later deadlines, so it is essential to look up the dates for your particular school. We offer a full list of deadlines for EA schools at the end of this post.

Applying EA spreads out your application workload, demonstrates your strong interest in the college, and may improve your chances of being admitted at certain schools. If you’re accepted in the EA round, you get to celebrate and enjoy the security of already having one college option secured—and since EA isn’t binding, you can still consider offers from other colleges.

For more detailed information about EA and how to prepare for an EA application, visit these posts from the CollegeVine blog:

• EA vs ED vs REA
• Does Applying Early Decision Increase My Chances?
• Is Applying Early Decision Right For You?
• 6 Things to Consider Before Early Application Deadlines

Early Action Application Deadlines: The Full List

This list is organized by the month of each school’s first EA deadline. For each application due date, you’ll find an alphabetical list of schools that use that due date as their EA application deadline. For schools that offer a second, later Early Action deadline (EA II), we have included those dates as well.

Keep in mind that these colleges aren’t the only ones that allow you to apply early. Other schools also accept early applications under ED, rolling, or scholarship application programs. The schools included here are specifically those that use EA terminology and do not have a rolling admissions process overall.

Remember, before you submit an application to any college, visit the college’s undergraduate admissions website and thoroughly read all the application instructions. Schools may have ED or other early application programs in addition to EA. When you submit your application, double-check that you’re submitting it within the correct program.

Application dates and requirements may change. Every year, a few of these deadlines switch, so it is important to double check each school admissions website. Occasionally, schools have special timeline requirements associated with their EA deadlines, so it is very important that you check out the admissions page before submitting your application.

Complete List of Early Action Deadlines for Every EA College

Schools with an EA Deadline in September

Schools with EA Deadlines in October

Schools with EA Deadlines in November

Schools with EA Deadlines in December

Schools with EA Deadlines in January

Note that none of these schools have EA II Deadlines, so none are listed in this table.

Feeling overwhelmed by how many deadlines there are to track? Let us help you! Our online applications portal contains school profiles on hundreds of competitive colleges, so we can help you create your school list and manage your applications all in one place. We’ll also let you know your real admissions chances, and show you how to improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account to get a boost on your college journey today.