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What is Early Decision (ED) in College Admissions?

14/12/2023•59 minute read

Early Decision (ED) can impact your chance of getting into your dream university. This article explains the ins and outs of ED: what it is, the deadlines, the pros and cons of applying ED, and financial aid considerations. Whether you're a high school student navigating the college application journey or a parent seeking clarity, this guide will help you decide whether applying ED is right for you!

What is Early Decision (ED)?

Early Decision (ED) is a college application process where you can submit your application to a preferred college early in your senior year — typically by November. Early Decision results are announced around mid-December.

Early Decision is a legally binding agreement. This means that if you are accepted via ED, you are required to enroll at that particular college and withdraw all applications from other schools. It's a significant commitment that should be approached with thorough understanding and careful consideration.

Early Decision is distinct from other application routes, such as Regular Decision (RD) and Early Action (EA). While EA allows applicants to apply early to multiple institutions and receive non-binding early responses, ED is a binding agreement.

Applying Early Decision can have profound implications on your academic journey. Most importantly: In return for your demonstrated commitment to a school, you can get an edge in the admissions process.

Can you apply Early Decision to one school and also apply at the same time to other schools Early Action or Regular Decision?

Yes! You can only apply Early Decision to one school, but you can apply Early Action and Regular Decision to multiple schools at the same time. Just know that you must withdraw all other applications if you are accepted to your Early Decision school.

What is Early Decision 2 (ED 2)?

ED 2 is a second-round opportunity to apply in Early Decision. The deadline is around January 1, with results announced in mid-February. The acceptance rate is slightly lower than ED 1, but still higher than the regular decision round.

You might decide to apply via ED 2 if you were rejected by your first choice ED school and want to boost your odds of acceptance to your second choice school. Or, you may decide to apply ED 2 to your top choice school if you want to apply early with a binding decision but want more time to prepare your application.

ED 2 is less common than ED 1. Some notable universities that offer ED 2 are NYU and Tulane.

When are Early Decision application deadlines and results?

Application deadlines: Early Decision deadlines, like Early Action deadlines, typically fall around November 1st. Results are released around the middle of December, depending on the school.

So if you apply ED, you will know by the end of December of your senior year whether you’ll be attending that school next fall!

Pros and Cons of Applying Early Decision

Pros of Early Decision

1. Increased Admission Chances: ED has the highest acceptance rate out of the three application deadline options (ED, EA, and RD). This is probably due to a combination of factors, including both a smaller pool of applicants and very strong applications.

2. Demonstrated Interest: Schools like to see that you’re prioritizing them, and they often fill a substantial portion of their incoming class during the early rounds — even up to 50%

3. Streamlined Process: ED accelerates the application process and gives you an early admission decision. You’ll know whether you were accepted by December of your senior year.

4. Potential Scholarship Opportunities: Some colleges award more substantial financial aid packages to ED applicants. This is not a general rule, though. Ask each school about available scholarships to know for sure.

Cons of Early Decision

1. Binding Commitment: If accepted through ED, you are obligated to attend that institution. This restricts your options to explore other potential offers or compare financial aid packages.

2. Pressure to Decide Early: The ED application deadline is earlier than the regular decision deadline. This can increase your stress if you’re not ready to commit by November of your senior year.

3. Financial Implications: Given the binding nature of ED, families might face challenges if the financial aid package is not sufficient. Admissions officers expect that you have considered the financial implications of your application when you apply early.

What happens if you are deferred after applying Early Decision?

If you are neither accepted nor denied outright, you will be deferred to the Regular Decision round. In this case, the college will reevaluate your application with the larger pool of applicants.

Some colleges release you from the binding agreement when you are deferred or waitlisted, enabling you to apply to other institutions.

If you are rejected after applying ED, you can’t apply again to the same school that academic year.

Early Decision Schools and Acceptance Rates

There are many schools in the US that offer Early Decision. Some of the most popular universities that offer ED are:

Below is a complete alphabetical list of US universities that offer Early Decision with 2023’s Early Decision and Regular Decision acceptance rates.

Note that the following states do not have any schools that offer undergraduate Early Decision: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Early Decision Colleges and Acceptance Rates

University	State	Early Decision Acceptance Rate	Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	New York	N/A	66%
Allegheny College	Pennsylvania	38%	64%
American University	Washington, D.C.	86%	41%
Amherst College	Massachusetts	32%	7%
Babson College	Massachusetts	38%	22%
Bard College	New York	89%	60%
Barnard College	New York	33%	9%
Bates College	Maine	48%	14%
Beloit College	Wisconsin	67%	66%
Bennington College	Vermont	30%	45%
Bentley University	Massachusetts	78%	58%
Birmingham-Southern College	Alabama	N/A	57%
Boston College	Massachusetts	28%	17%
Boston University	Massachusetts	25%	14%
Bowdoin College	Maine	26%	9%
Brandeis University	Massachusetts	64%	39%
Brown University	Rhode Island	15%	5%
Bryn Mawr College	Pennsylvania	62%	31%
Bucknell University	Pennsylvania	58%	33%
Carleton College	Minnesota	22%	17%
Carnegie Mellon University	Pennsylvania	13%	11%
Case Western Reserve University	Ohio	34%	27%
Champlain College	Vermont	67%	56%
Christopher Newport University	Virginia	92%	85%
Claremont McKenna College	California	30%	10%
Clarkson University	New York	81%	78%
Clemson University	South Carolina	N/A	43%
Colby College	Maine	42%	8%
Colgate University	New York	25%	12%
College of the Atlantic	Maine	80%	60%
College of William and Mary	Virginia	50%	33%
Colorado College	Colorado	44%	14%
Columbia University	New York	12%	4%
Connecticut College	Connecticut	49%	40%
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	New York	33%	22%
Cornell University	New York	N/A	7%
Davidson College	North Carolina	43%	17%
Dartmouth College	New Hampshire	21%	6%
Denison University	Ohio	31%	22%
DePauw University	Indiana	50%	66%
Dickinson College	Pennsylvania	58%	35%
Drexel University	Pennsylvania	92%	80%
Drew University	New Jersey	98%	73%
Duke University	North Carolina	16%	6%
Elon University	North Carolina	90%	74%
Emory University	Georgia	26%	11%
Fairfield University	Connecticut	83%	52%
Flagler College	Florida	70%	81%
Florida Southern College	Florida	72%	57%
Fordham University	New York	67%	54%
Franklin & Marshall College	Pennsylvania	58%	36%
Furman University	South Carolina	41%	67%
George Washington University	District of Columbia	66%	49%
Gettysburg College	Pennsylvania	55%	56%
Grove City College	Pennsylvania	95%	71%
Hamilton College	New York	34%	12%
Hampden-Sydney College	Virginia
Harvey Mudd College	California	19%	13%
Haverford College	Pennsylvania	41%	14%
High Point University	North Carolina	79%	79%
Hillsdale College	Michigan	33%	21%
Hobart and William Smith Colleges	New York	74%	68%
Hollins University	Virginia	N/A	72%
Ithaca College	New York	94%	75%
Johns Hopkins University	Maryland	15%	7%
Juniata College	Pennsylvania	67%	76%
Kalamazoo College	Michigan	75%	80%
Kenyon College	Ohio	44%	34%
Lafayette College	Pennsylvania	43%	34%
Lake Forest College	Illinois	38%	60%
Lawrence University	Wisconsin	69%	72%
Lehigh University	Pennsylvania	66%	37%
Lewis & Clark College	Oregon	72%	69%
Lynchburg College	Virginia	81%	96%
Macalester College	Minnesota	53%	28%
Maine College of Art	Maine	N/A	72%
Manhattan College	New York	N/A	82%
Marist College	New York	77%	63%
Maryland Institute College of Art	Maryland	N/A	86%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts	N/A	4%
McDaniel College	Maryland	N/A	82%
Mercer University	Georgia	N/A	75%
Meredith College	North Carolina	N/A	73%
Merrimack College	Massachusetts	47%	75%
Miami University	Ohio	N/A	88%
Middlebury College	Vermont	42%	13%
Missouri University of Science and Technology	Missouri	N/A	81%
Muhlenberg College	Pennsylvania	73%	66%
Nazareth College	New York	91%	84%
New College of Florida	Florida	N/A	75%
New Jersey Institute of Technology	New Jersey	N/A	66%
New York University	New York	N/A	12%
North Carolina State University	North Carolina	N/A	47%
Northeastern University	Massachusetts	33%	7%
Northwestern University	Illinois	22%	7%
Oberlin College and Conservatory	Ohio	N/A	35%
Occidental College	California	59%	39%
Pitzer College	California	40%	18%
Pomona College	California	17%	7%
Providence College	Rhode Island	87%	53%
Purdue University	Indiana	N/A	53%
Quinnipiac University	Connecticut	89%	84%
Ramapo College of New Jersey	New Jersey	85%	70%
Reed College	Oregon	33%	44%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	New York	54%	65%
Rhodes College	Tennessee	58%	48%
Rice University	Texas	19%	9%
Rollins College	Florida	55%	50%
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology	Indiana	N/A	73%
Saint Mary's College	Indiana	71%	84%
Salisbury University	Maryland	91%	91%
San Diego State University	California	N/A	39%
Santa Clara University	California	83%	52%
Sarah Lawrence College	New York	59%	50%
Scripps College	California	40%	28%
Siena College	New York	N/A	71%
Skidmore College	New York	51%	26%
Smith College	Massachusetts	49%	23%
Southern Methodist University	Texas	71%	52%
Southwestern University	Texas	34%	45%
Spelman College	Georgia	29%	28%
St. John Fisher College	New York	76%	73%
St. Lawrence University	New York	73%	63%
Stanford University	California	N/A	4%
Stevens Institute of Technology	New Jersey	59%	46%
Stonehill College	Massachusetts	89%	73%
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	New York	75%	70%
SUNY Maritime College	New York	N/A	80%
Swarthmore College	Pennsylvania	19%	7%
Syracuse University	New York	60%	52%
Texas Christian University	Texas	79%	56%
The College of New Jersey	New Jersey	97%	64%
Trinity College	Connecticut	54%	36%
Tufts University	Massachusetts	N/A	10%
Tulane University	Louisiana	68%	11%
Union College	New York	69%	47%
University of California, Berkeley	California	N/A	11%
University of California, Davis	California	N/A	37%
University of California, Irvine	California	N/A	21%
University of California, Los Angeles	California	N/A	9%
University of California, Merced	California	N/A	89%
University of California, Riverside	California	N/A	69%
University of California, San Diego	California	N/A	24%
University of California, Santa Barbara	California	N/A	26%
University of California, Santa Cruz	California	N/A	47%
University of Chicago	Illinois	N/A	5%
University of Connecticut	Connecticut	N/A	55%
University of Delaware	Delaware	N/A	72%
University of Denver	Colorado	62%	78%
University of Georgia	Georgia	N/A	43%
University of Miami	Florida	57%	19%
University of Michigan	Michigan	N/A	18%
University of Notre Dame	Indiana	N/A	13%
University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania	16%	7%
University of Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	N/A	49%
University of Portland	Oregon	N/A	93%
University of Puget Sound	Washington	53%	83%
University of Redlands	California	100%	82%
University of Richmond	Virginia	44%	24%
University of Rochester	New York	43%	39%
University of San Diego	California	N/A	53%
University of San Francisco	California	62%	71%
University of Scranton	Pennsylvania	N/A	84%
University of South Carolina	South Carolina	N/A	64%
University of Southern California	California	N/A	12%
University of the South	Tennessee	60%	52%
University of Vermont	Vermont	N/A	60%
University of Virginia	Virginia	45%	19%
University of Washington	Washington	N/A	48%
University of Wisconsin-Madison	Wisconsin	N/A	49%
Ursinus College	Pennsylvania	98%	82%
Vanderbilt University	Tennessee	18%	7%
Vassar College	New York	39%	19%
Villanova University	Pennsylvania	55%	23%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)	Virginia	50%	57%
Wake Forest University	North Carolina	N/A	21%
Washington and Lee University	Virginia	42%	17%

Early Decision and Financial Aid

Even if you’re fully committed to your top school choice, there are financial aid considerations to keep in mind.

As mentioned earlier, if you are accepted ED but cannot afford to attend the school, you may be released from your legally binding commitment.
You won’t be able to compare financial aid packages when you apply Early Decision. You must be willing to accept whatever financial aid package is offered by the school.
You can still apply for federal aid if you apply ED. The FAFSA form opens October 1, and early decision deadlines are around November 1. So you should have a month to fill out the forms before your ED deadline.
You may not receive a merit-based scholarship if you apply ED. Colleges typically use merit scholarships to entice great students to attend. But they don’t have incentive to offer scholarships to students who have already committed.
If you have applied for other scholarships, you may not hear back from them until after your Early Decision results have been released.

Strategies for Successful Early Decision Applications

1. Thorough Research: Understand the institution's culture, programs, and offerings to ensure a genuine fit before committing.

2. Financial Preparation: Assess the college's financial aid policies thoroughly and discuss potential implications with your family or financial advisors.

3. Application Readiness: Complete all necessary components, such as essays, transcripts, and recommendations, well in advance to meet the early deadline effectively.

Should you apply Early Decision to college?

If you’ve had your sights set on one college and are sure it's the perfect fit for you, there’s little downside to applying Early Decision. Depending on the school, you might increase your chances of acceptance by applying ED. By applying ED, you will demonstrate your interest and commitment to your top choice school — qualities admissions officers love to see.

Be sure to consider your financial situation when deciding whether to apply ED.

Keep in mind that Early Decision alone doesn't give you a better chance of getting accepted. You still need to submit the strongest possible application and be a good fit for that school.

For help with deciding whether to apply ED and crafting your strongest possible application, book a free consultation with one of our skilled academic advisers today!