Pay Attention! Early Action and Decision

After all your hard work in applying to colleges, you want to know if you have been accepted! Decisions could be coming sooner than you think if you’ve applied Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA), with most ED notifications coming before December 15th and most EA notifications coming by February. Make sure to check college early action notification dates in this article.

Early Action

If a school offers early action, this means that they have the option to submit your application earlier than the rest of the “regular” applications. This is paired with an earlier decision notification to you - the applicant. Most early action decision notification dates are before February, except for Northeastern University. The Northeastern early action notification date is February 15th for the class of 2028. More typical early action notification dates are in December or January. Some typical examples would be MIT and the University of Wisconsin. For the class of 2028, the MIT early action notification date was December 17th, and the University of Wisconsin early action notification date was January 28th. Other schools like the University of Vermont more generally state that the UVM early action notification date will be in late December.

Early Decision

Early decision is a binding application. It commits an applicant to attending that school if admitted. Applying ED also significantly boosts your chances of getting accepted. This is because colleges are motivated to have a high yield rate (or rate of people who enroll after being accepted). Admitting applicants who are committing to enroll if accepted increases a school’s yield rate, so you’re much more likely to be accepted if you apply ED. This makes applying ED a great option for those who are confident in a particular school. Notification dates for those applying ED will come pretty early, with most decisions being announced before December 15th.

Single Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action

Single Choice Early Action (SCEA) or Restrictive Early Action (REA) is an option given by some more elite schools. Think of this type of application as a hybrid between EA and ED. You apply early and agree not to apply ED to anywhere else (like the ED process), but it is also non-binding (like an EA application). This is an option at schools that are more comfortable with their yield rate and don’t feel the need to lock students into a binding agreement. CalTech, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, University of Notre Dame, and Yale are examples of this.



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North East Colleges

American University (40.6% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/31

- ED II: by 2/15

Amherst College (7% acceptance rate)

- ED: early to mid-December

Babson College (22.3% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- EA: by 1/1

- ED II: mid-February

Bates College (13.3% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/20

- ED II: by 2/15

Barnard College (8.8% acceptance rate)

- ED: mid-December

Bentley University (58% acceptance rate)

- ED I: late December

- ED II: early February

Boston College (16.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Boston University (14.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Bowdoin College (9.2% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: early February

Brandeis University (39.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/1

Brown University (5.1% acceptance rate)

- ED: by mid-December

Bryant University (68.8% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/1

- EA: mid-January

- ED II: by 2/15

Bryn Mawr College (31% acceptance rate)

- ED I: late December

- ED II: mid-February

Bucknell University (32.6% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Colby College (7.6% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Colgate University (12.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

College of the Holy Cross (36.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/15

Columbia University (3.9% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

Connecticut College (40.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Cornell University (7.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

Dartmouth College (6.4% acceptance rate)

- ED: by mid-December

Dickinson College (35% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: late February

Emerson College (42.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- EA: mid-January

- ED II: early February

Fordham University (54.1% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/20

- EA: 12/20

- ED II: 2/15

Franklin & Marshall College (36.2% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Georgetown University (12.2% acceptance rate)

- EA: by 12/15

Gettysburg College (56.3% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Hamilton College (11.8% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Harvard University (3.2% acceptance rate)

- REA: mid-December

Haverford College (14% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: early February

Johns Hopkins University (7.3% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/16

Lafayette College (33.6% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/15

Lehigh University (37% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (4% acceptance rate)

- EA: mid-December

Middlebury College (13% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Mount Holyoke College (52% acceptance rate)

- ED I: late December

- ED II: late January

Northeastern University (6.8% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 1/1

- ED II: by 3/1

- EA: by 2/15

New York University (12.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/15

Pratt Institute (50.4% acceptance rate)

- EA: by mid-December

Princeton University (5.7% acceptance rate)

- SCEA: mid-December

Providence College (52.8% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/1

- EA: by 1/1

- ED II: by 3/1

Rhode Island School of Design (19% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

Skidmore College (25.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Smith College (22.9% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: late January

Swarthmore College (7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Syracuse University (51.8% acceptance rate)

- ED I: late December (rolling)

- ED II: late January (rolling)

Trinity College (36.1% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by mid-December

- ED II: by mid-February

Tufts University (10% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

Union College (46.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- EA: late December

- ED II: by 2/15

University of Rochester (38.9% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: early February

University of Vermont (59.8% acceptance rate)

- ED: 12/1

- EA: late December

Vassar College (18.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: early February

Villanova University (23% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- EA: by 1/20

- ED II: by 2/15

Wellesley College (16% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Wesleyan University (14.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/10

Williams College (8.5% acceptance rate)

- ED: by 12/15

Yale University (4.6% acceptance rate)

- SCEA: mid-December

West or Western Colleges

California Institute of Technology (2.7% acceptance rate)

- REA: mid-December

Chapman University (72.5% acceptance rate)

- ED: mid-December

- EA: mid-December (rolling)

Claremont McKenna College (10.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Colorado College (20% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- EA: late December

- ED II: mid-February

Harvey Mudd College (13.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/15

Loyola Marymount University (41.3% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- EA: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Occidental College (39.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/20

Pitzer College (18.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/18

- ED II: by 2/15

Pomona College (7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

Santa Clara University (52.1% acceptance rate)

- ED I: late December

- EA: late December

- ED II: mid-February

Scripps College (28% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Stanford University (4% acceptance rate)

- REA: by mid-December

University of Denver (77.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: early December

- EA: late December (rolling)

- ED II: mid-February

University of Southern California (12% acceptance rate)

- EA: mid to late January

South or Southern Colleges

College of Charleston (75.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/1

- EA (in-state): 12/1

- EA (out-of-state): 12/15

- ED II: 3/1

Davidson College (16.9% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/16

- ED II: by 1/31

Duke University (6.3% acceptance rate)

- ED: mid-December

Elon University (74.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/1

- EA: 12/20

Emory University (11.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by 12/15

- ED II: by 2/15

George Washington University (49% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by late December

- ED II: by late February

University of Georgia (42.5% acceptance rate)

- EA: by 12/1

University of Miami (18.9% acceptance rate)

- ED I: by mid-December

- EA: by late January

- ED II: by late February

University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill (17.1% acceptance rate)

- EA: 1/31

University of Richmond (24.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: around 12/15

- EA: around 1/25

- ED II: around 2/15

University of Virginia (18.7% acceptance rate)

- ED: by 12/15

- EA: by 2/15

Vanderbilt University (6.7% acceptance rate)

- ED I: mid-December

- ED II: mid-February

Wake Forest University (21.4% acceptance rate)

- ED I: Rolling

- EA: by 1/15

- ED II: around 2/15

Washington & Lee University (17% acceptance rate)

- ED I: 12/15

- ED II: 2/1

William & Mary (33.5% acceptance rate)

- ED I: early December

- ED II: early February

Download a printable copy of the list

Conclusion

Applying Early Decision or Early Action CAN dramatically impact your college application strategy. Keep these things in mind:

●     With Early Action, you get to submit your applications and receive your results earlier without the binding commitment, giving you the flexibility to consider multiple options.

●     Early Decision, on the other hand, offers a higher chance of acceptance with the commitment to attend if accepted—perfect for those who have a clear first choice.

●     For the elite schools, Single Choice Early Action or Restrictive Early Action blends the benefits of both without the binding nature, giving you the best of both worlds.

As you wait for your notification dates, keep track of each school's timelines to stay ahead. Knowing when you’ll hear back can help you manage your expectations and plan your next steps. Applying early gives you peace of mind and a head start in college planning. Remember, stay informed, stay organized, and keep your eye on the long game. It’s a lot of work, but it ensures your work pays off.

Happy Testing!

-Marc