Your Complete List of Early Action Deadlines for Every EA College
What’s Covered:
- Early Action, Early Decision, Regular Decision: A Refresher
- Early Action Application Tips
- Early Action Deadlines by Month
- What Are My Chances of Admission?
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 Tips
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.
Early Action Deadlines by Month
Schools with EA Deadlines in October
|
School Name |
Early Action Deadline |
Early Action II Deadline |
|
Georgia State University |
October 1 |
February 1 |
|
Hampden-Sydney College |
October 15 |
December 1 |
|
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
October 15 |
|
|
University of Georgia |
October 15 |
|
|
Westmont College |
October 15 |
November 1 |
|
Georgia College |
October 15 |
|
|
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
October 15 |
|
|
University of South Carolina—Columbia |
October 15 |
|
|
Georgia Institute of Technology |
October 17 |
November 1 |
|
American University in Beirut (AUB) |
October 31 |
|
|
Transylvania University |
October 31 |
December 1 |
Schools with EA Deadlines in November
|
School Name |
Early Action Deadline |
Early Action II Deadline |
|
Appalachian State University |
November 1 |
|
|
Assumption College |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
Augustana College (Illinois) |
November 1 |
|
|
Austin College |
November 1 |
February 1 |
|
Babson College |
November 1 |
|
|
Bard College |
November 1 |
|
|
Bard College Berlin |
November 1 |
|
|
Baylor University |
November 1 |
|
|
Bellarmine University |
November 1 |
|
|
Beloit College |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Berry College |
November 1 |
|
|
Butler University |
November 1 |
|
|
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) |
November 1 |
|
|
Carroll College (Montana) |
November 1 |
|
|
Case Western Reserve University |
November 1 |
|
|
Centenary University |
November 1 |
|
|
Chapman University |
November 1 |
|
|
Clark Atlanta University |
November 1 |
|
|
Clark University |
November 15 |
|
|
Colorado College |
November 1 |
|
|
Concordia College |
November 1 |
|
|
Creighton College |
November 1 |
|
|
Dean College |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Drexel University |
November 1 |
|
|
Duquesne University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Earlham College |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Elmira College |
November 15 |
|
|
Elon University |
November 1 |
|
|
Emmanuel College (MA) |
November 1 |
December 15 |
|
Fairfield University |
November 1 |
|
|
Fisk University |
November 1 |
February 1 |
|
Florida Gulf Coast University |
November 1 |
|
|
Florida Southern College |
November 1 |
|
|
Fordham University |
November 1 |
|
|
George Fox University |
November 1 |
|
|
George Mason University |
November 1 |
|
|
Georgetown University |
November 1 |
|
|
Gustavus Adolphus College |
November 1 |
|
|
Hamline University (MN) |
November 1 |
|
|
Hanover College |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Harvard University |
November 1 |
|
|
Howard University |
November 1 |
|
|
Indiana University Bloomington |
November 1 |
|
|
Johnson & Wales University—Charlotte |
November 1 |
|
|
Johnson & Wales University—Denver |
November 1 |
|
|
Johnson & Wales University—North Miami |
November 1 |
|
|
Johnson & Wales University—Providence |
November 1 |
|
|
Kalamazoo College |
November 1 |
|
|
Knox College |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Lake Forest College |
November 1 |
January 15 |
|
Lawrence University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Lewis & Clark College |
November 1 |
|
|
Linfield College |
November 1 |
|
|
Lourdes University |
November 1 |
December 15 |
|
Loyola Marymount University |
November 1 |
|
|
Macalester College |
November 1 |
|
|
Massachusetts College for Pharmacy & Health Sciences |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
November 1 |
|
|
Mercer University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Miami University (Ohio) |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Minerva Schools at KGI |
November 1 |
|
|
Morehouse College |
November 1 |
|
|
Mount St. Mary’s University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
New College of Florida |
November 1 |
|
|
North Carolina AT&T State University |
November 1 |
December 15 |
|
North Carolina State University |
November 1 |
|
|
Northeastern University |
November 1 |
|
|
Northwestern University in Qatar |
November 1 |
|
|
Nova Southeastern University |
November 1 |
|
|
Oregon State University |
November 1 |
|
|
Penn State |
November 1 |
|
|
Pennsylvania State University |
November 1 |
|
|
Pepperdine University |
November 1 |
|
|
Princeton University |
November 1 |
|
|
Providence College |
November 1 |
|
|
Purdue University |
November 1 |
|
|
Rhodes College |
November 1 |
January 15 |
|
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology |
November 1 |
|
|
Saint Mary’s College of California |
November 1 |
|
|
Saint Michael’s College |
November 1 (Extended to November 10 – 2022) |
December 1 |
|
Salve Regina University |
November 1 |
|
|
Santa Clara University |
November 1 |
|
|
Sarah Lawrence College |
November 1 |
|
|
Simmons University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Soka University of America |
November 1 |
|
|
Southern Methodist University |
November 1 |
|
|
Spelman College |
November 1 |
|
|
St. Mary’s College of Maryland |
November 1 |
|
|
Stanford University |
November 1 |
|
|
Stonehill College |
November 1 |
|
|
SUNY Binghamton University |
November 1 |
|
|
Susquehanna University |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
Temple University |
November 1 |
|
|
Texas Christian University |
November 1 |
|
|
The Catholic University of America |
November 1 |
|
|
The Ohio State University |
November 1 |
|
|
The University of Tennessee Knoxville |
November 1 |
|
|
The University of Utah |
November 1 |
February 1 |
|
Thomas Jefferson University—East Falls Campus |
November 1 |
|
|
Trinity University |
November 1 |
|
|
Union College |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Akron |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Chicago |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Dallas |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
University of Dayton |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Delaware |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Denver |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Detroit Mercy |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Evansville |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Illinois at Chicago |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Maryland, College Park |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Massachusetts Boston |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Massachusetts Lowell |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Miami |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Michigan |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Minnesota Morris |
November 1 |
December 15 |
|
University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
November 1 |
|
|
University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
November 1 |
|
|
University of North Carolina Greensboro |
November 1 |
December 1 |
|
University of North Carolina Wilmington |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Notre Dame |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Oregon |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Richmond |
November 1 |
|
|
University of St. Thomas (MN) |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Vermont |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Virginia |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Wisconsin-Madison |
November 1 |
|
|
University San Francisco |
November 1 |
|
|
Ursinus College |
November 1 |
|
|
Villanova University |
November 1 |
|
|
Western Colorado University |
November 1 |
|
|
Wheaton College (IL) |
November 1 |
|
|
Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
November 1 |
January 1 |
|
Yale University |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Massachusetts Amherst |
November 5 |
|
|
Stetson University |
November 11 (2023 extension) |
January 15 |
|
Agnes Scott College |
November 15 |
January 17 |
|
Bridgewater State University |
November 15 |
|
|
Bryant University |
November 15 |
|
|
California College of the Arts |
November 15 |
|
|
California Lutheran University |
November 15 |
|
|
College of Mount Saint Vincent |
November 15 |
|
|
College of Saint Benedict |
November 15 |
|
|
College of St. Scholastica |
November 15 |
|
|
College of Wooster |
November 15 |
|
|
Concordia University, Irvine |
November 15 |
February 15 |
|
Concordia University, Portland, OR |
November 15 |
|
|
Covenant College |
November 15 |
|
|
DePaul University |
November 15 |
|
|
Eckerd College |
November 15 |
|
|
Emerson College |
November 15 |
|
|
Emory & Henry College |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Framingham State University |
November 15 |
|
|
Frostburg State University |
November 15 |
|
|
Goucher College |
November 15 |
|
|
Hampton University |
November 15 |
|
|
Hawaii Pacific University |
November 15 |
|
|
Hendrix College |
November 15 |
February 1 |
|
High Point University |
November 15 |
|
|
Hobart College |
November 15 |
|
|
Hofstra University |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
Hollins University |
November 15 |
|
|
Illinois Institute of Technology |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Illinois Wesleyan University |
November 15 |
|
|
John Cabot University in Rome |
November 15 |
|
|
John Carroll University |
November 15 |
|
|
Kettering University |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
La Salle University |
November 15 |
|
|
Lasell University |
November 15 |
|
|
Le Moyne College |
November 15 |
|
|
Long Island University |
November 15 |
|
|
Loyola University Maryland |
November 15 |
|
|
Loyola University New Orleans |
November 15 |
|
|
Lynn University |
November 15 |
|
|
Lyon College |
November 15 |
February 1 |
|
Marist College |
November 15 |
|
|
Marymount University |
November 15 |
|
|
McDaniel College |
November 15 |
|
|
Menlo College |
November 15 |
|
|
Merrimack College |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Millsap College |
November 15 |
|
|
Mitchell College |
November 15 |
|
|
Monmouth College (IL) |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
New England Institute of Technology |
November 15 |
|
|
New Jersey Institute of Technology |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
Northwest Nazarene University |
November 15 |
|
|
Ohio University |
November 15 |
|
|
Pace University |
November 15 |
December 1 |
|
Pacific University Oregon |
November 15 |
|
|
Point Loma Nazarene University |
November 15 |
|
|
Purchase College, SUNY |
November 15 |
|
|
Queens University of Charlotte |
November 15 |
January 18 |
|
Quinnipac University |
November 15 |
|
|
Randolph College |
November 15 |
|
|
Randolph-Macon College |
November 15 |
|
|
Reed College |
November 15 |
|
|
Rider University |
November 15 |
|
|
Roger Williams University |
November 15 |
|
|
Saint Anselm College |
November 15 |
|
|
Saint John’s University (MN) |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
Saint Joseph’s University |
November 15 |
|
|
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Seattle Pacific University |
November 15 |
|
|
Seattle University |
November 15 |
|
|
Seattle University |
November 15 |
December 15 |
|
Shepherd University |
November 15 |
|
|
Siena College |
November 15 |
|
|
Southern New Hampshire University |
November 15 |
|
|
St. John’s College (MD) |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
St. John’s College (NM) |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
St. John’s University (NY) |
November 15 |
|
|
Suffolk University |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY University at Albany |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY College at Old Westbury |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY College at Oneonta |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY Cortland |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY New Paltz |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY Oswego |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY Polytechnic Institute |
November 15 |
|
|
SUNY University at Buffalo |
November 15 |
|
|
Sweet Briar’s College |
November 15 |
|
|
Texas Lutheran University |
November 15 |
|
|
The American University of Paris |
November 15 |
October 1 |
|
The College of Idaho |
November 15 |
January 16 |
|
The College of Saint Rose |
November 15 |
|
|
The Culinary Institute of America (CA) |
November 15 |
|
|
The Culinary Institute of America (NY) |
November 15 |
|
|
The Culinary Institute of America (TX) |
November 15 |
|
|
The University of Scranton |
November 15 |
|
|
Tulane University |
November 15 |
|
|
University of Colorado Boulder |
November 15 |
|
|
University of Hartford |
November 15 |
|
|
University of Mary Washington |
November 15 |
|
|
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth |
November 15 |
|
|
University of Michigan—Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute |
November 15 |
|
|
University of New England |
November 15 |
|
|
University of New Hampshire |
November 15 |
|
|
University of New Haven |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
University of Puget Sound |
November 1 |
|
|
University of Redlands |
November 15 |
|
|
University of the Pacific |
November 15 |
|
|
University Tampa |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Warren Wilson College |
November 15 |
|
|
Westminster College (Pennsylvania) |
November 15 |
|
|
Wheaton College (MA) |
November 15 |
|
|
Whittier College |
November 15 |
|
|
Whitworth University |
November 15 |
January 15 |
|
Willamette University |
November 15 |
|
|
Wofford College |
November 15 |
|
|
Birmingham-Southern College |
November 16 |
|
|
Manhattanville College |
November 18 |
|
|
Maine Maritime Academy |
November 30 |
|
|
University of Maine |
November 30 |
Schools with EA Deadlines in December
|
School Name |
Early Action Deadline |
Early Action II Deadline |
|
Adelphi University |
December 1 |
|
|
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences |
December 1 |
|
|
Albion College |
December 1 |
|
|
Alfred University |
December 1 |
|
|
Allegheny College |
December 1 |
February 1 |
|
Bennington College |
December 1 |
|
|
Caldwell University |
December 1 |
|
|
Canisius College |
December 1 |
|
|
Centenary College of Louisiana |
December 1 |
|
|
Centre College |
December 1 |
|
|
Christopher Newport University |
December 1 |
|
|
Colby-Sawyer College |
December 1 |
|
|
Colorado State University |
December 1 |
|
|
Curry College |
December 1 |
|
|
DePauw University |
December 1 |
|
|
D’Youville College |
December 1 |
|
|
Franklin University Switzerland |
December 1 |
|
|
Furman University |
December 1 |
|
|
Guilford College |
December 1 |
|
|
Hampshire College |
December 1 |
|
|
Illinois College |
December 1 |
|
|
Ithaca College |
December 1 |
|
|
Jacobs University Bremen |
December 1 |
February 1 |
|
Juniata College |
December 1 |
January 15 |
|
King’s College |
December 1 |
|
|
Lesley University |
December 1 |
|
|
Lewis University |
December 1 |
|
|
Lycoming College |
December 1 |
|
|
Maine College of Art |
December 1 |
|
|
Maryland Institute College of Art |
December 1 |
|
|
Marymount Manhattan College |
December 1 |
|
|
Massachusetts College of Art and Design |
December 1 |
|
|
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts |
December 1 |
|
|
Molloy College |
December 1 |
|
|
Monmouth University |
December 1 |
|
|
Montserrat College of Art |
December 1 |
|
|
Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles |
December 1 |
|
|
Neumann University |
December 1 |
|
|
Notre Dame de Namur University |
December 1 |
February 1 |
|
Oglethorpe University |
December 1 |
|
|
Ohio Wesleyan University |
December 1 |
|
|
Old Dominion University |
December 1 |
|
|
Otis College of Art and Design |
December 1 |
|
|
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |
December 1 |
|
|
Presbyterian College |
December 1 |
|
|
Quest University Canada |
December 1 |
|
|
Radford University |
December 1 |
|
|
Regis College |
December 1 |
|
|
Russell Sage College |
December 1 |
February 1 |
|
Salisbury University |
December 1 |
|
|
Sewanee: The University of the South |
December 1 |
|
|
St. Louis College of Pharmacy |
December 1 |
|
|
University of Cincinnati |
December 1 |
|
|
University of Kentucky |
December 1 |
|
|
University of Southern Maine |
December 1 |
|
|
University of Maine at Farmington |
December 1 |
|
|
University of Rhode Island |
December 1 |
|
|
Wabash College |
December 1 |
|
|
Wagner College |
December 1 |
|
|
Washington College |
December 1 |
|
|
Wittenberg University |
December 1 |
|
|
Meredith College |
December 1 |
|
|
Longwood University |
December 1 |
|
|
Nichols College |
December 1 |
|
|
Coe College |
December 10 |
|
|
College of Charleston |
December 15 |
|
|
Drew University |
December 1 |
|
|
Iona College |
December 15 |
|
|
Otterbein University |
December 15 |
|
|
Ramapo College of New Jersey |
December 15 |
|
|
Sacred Heart University |
December 15 |
February 1 |
|
Wells College |
December 15 |
|
|
Western Michigan University |
December 15 |
Schools with EA Deadlines in January
Note that none of these schools have EA II Deadlines, so none are listed in this table.
|
School Name |
Early Action Deadline |
|
Kean University |
January 1 |
|
Luther College |
January 1 |
|
University of Guelph |
January 12 |
|
Marlboro College |
January 15 |
|
Washington & Jefferson College |
January 15 |
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!
