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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!
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.Â
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.Â
ED 2Â 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.
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.Â
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!
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.Â
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.
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.
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.Â
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.
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.
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% |
Even if you’re fully committed to your top school choice, there are financial aid considerations to keep in mind.Â
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.
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!