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EARLY DECISION
EARLY DECISION
1) EARLY DECISION is a unique option when it comes to applying to college because it's binding. That's why you should only apply this way if you're 100% sure you want to go to the school and will be able to enroll regardless of the financial aid offer you receive.
2) If you apply early decision, you'll sign a statement of binding agreement to enroll. Since this is a big commitment, most colleges with early decision also require your parents and school counselor to sign this form, which can usually be found online through the Common Application or a school's individual application form.
3) Regardless of whether you apply Early Decision I or II, all early decision applicants have to accept their offers and send in their deposits quickly after notification, rather than waiting until the national response date of May 1.
4) You also want to give your high school at least three weeks' to a month's notice for sending off your transcript and any other official documents that need to be sent to colleges.
College | State | Early Decision Deadline | Early Decision Deadline II | Early Decision Notification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Allegheny College | PA | 1-Nov | N/A | Not reported |
American University | DC | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 31, February 15 |
Amherst College | MA | 1-Nov | N/A | Early- to mid-December |
Babson College | MA | 1-Nov | 2-Jan | Mid-December to mid-February |
Barnard College | NY | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-December |
Bates College | ME | 15-Nov | 10-Jan | December 20, February 15 |
Beloit College | WI | 1-Nov | 1-Dec | December 1, January 1 |
Bentley University | MA | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | Late December, early February |
Boston College | MA | 1-Nov | 2-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Boston University | MA | 1-Nov | 4-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Bowdoin College | ME | 15-Nov | 6-Jan | Mid-December, early February |
Brandeis University | MA | 1-Nov | 2-Jan | December 15, February 1 |
Brown University | RI | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-December |
Bryant University | RI | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 1, February 15 |
Bryn Mawr College | PA | 15-Nov | 1-Jan | Not reported |
Bucknell University | PA | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Carleton College | MN | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Carnegie Mellon University | PA | 1-Nov | 3-Jan | December 15, early February |
Case Western Reserve University | OH | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 2, February 10 |
Claremont McKenna College | CA | 1-Nov | 10-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Clarkson University | NY | 1-Dec | N/A | 1-Jan |
Colgate University | NY | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
College of William and Mary | VA | 1-Nov | 5-Jan | Early December, early February |
College of the Holy Cross | MA | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Colorado College | CO | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Columbia University | NY | 1-Nov | N/A | 15-Dec |
Connecticut College | CT | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Cornell University | NY | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-December |
Dartmouth College | NH | 1-Nov | N/A | 15-Dec |
Davidson College | NC | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | December 16, January 31 |
DePauw University | IN | 1-Nov | 15-Dec | December 15, January 15 |
Denison University | OH | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Dickinson College | PA | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | Mid-December, late February |
Drew University | NJ | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Duke University | NC | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-December |
Elon University | NC | 1-Nov | N/A | 1-Dec |
Emory University | GA | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Fairfield University | CT | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Franklin & Marshall College | PA | 15-Nov | 6-Jan | December 15, February 6 |
Furman University | SC | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 1, February 1 |
George Washington University | DC | 1-Nov | 5-Jan | Late December, late February |
Grinnell College | IA | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | Mid-December, Early February |
Hamilton College | NY | 15-Nov | 6-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Hamline University | MN | 1-Nov | N/A | 20-Dec |
Harvey Mudd College | CA | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | January 8, March 5 |
Haverford College | PA | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | December 15, early February |
Hobart and William Smith Colleges | NY | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Johns Hopkins University | MD | 1-Nov | 2-Jan | Mid-December, Mid-February |
Kalamazoo College | MI | 1-Nov | N/A | 1-Dec |
Kenyon College | OH | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Lafayette College | PA | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, mid-February |
Lake Forest College | IL | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 1 |
Lehigh University | PA | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Macalester College | MN | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | December 5, January 30 |
Manhattan College | NY | 15-Nov | N/A | 1-Jan |
Marist College | NY | 15-Nov | 15-Feb | Mid-December, late February |
Miami University | OH | 1-Nov | N/A | 1-Dec |
Middlebury College | VT | 1-Nov | 3-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Mount Holyoke College | MA | 15-Nov | 3-Jan | Late December, late January |
Muhlenberg College | PA | 15-Nov | 1-Feb | Mid-December, late February |
New York University | NY | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Northeastern University | MA | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | January 1, March 1 |
Northwestern University | IL | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-December |
Oberlin College | OH | 15-Nov | 2-Jan | December 15, February 1 |
Occidental College | CA | 15-Nov | 10-Jan | December 15, February 20 |
Pitzer College | CA | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | December 18, February 15 |
Pomona College | CA | 8-Nov | 8-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Providence College | RI | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 1, Late February |
Quinnipiac University | CT | 1-Nov | N/A | Mid-November |
Ramapo College of New Jersey | NJ | 1-Nov | N/A | 5-Dec |
Reed College | OR | 1-Nov | 20-Dec | December, February |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | NY | 1-Nov | 15-Dec | Mid-December, mid-January |
Rhodes College | TN | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | Rolling (within four weeks of submission) |
Rice University | TX | 1-Nov | 4-Jan | Not stated |
Rochester Institute of Technology | NY | 1-Nov | 1-Jan | December 15, January 15 |
Rollins College | FL | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | December 15, February 1 |
Sacred Heart University | CT | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 1, February 1 |
Salisbury University | MD | 15-Nov | N/A | 15-Dec |
Santa Clara University | CA | 1-Nov | 7-Jan | Late December, mid-February |
Sarah Lawrence College | NY | 1-Nov | 2-Jan | Late December, Early February |
Siena College | NY | 1-Dec | N/A | Not reported |
Skidmore College | NY | 1-Nov | 8-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Smith College | MA | 15-Nov | 1-Jan | Mid-December, late January |
Springfield College | MA | 1-Dec | 15-Jan | Not reported |
St. John Fisher College | NY | 1-Dec | N/A | Rolling |
St. Lawrence University | NY | 1-Feb | N/A | Rolling |
Stevens Institute of Technology | NJ | 15-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Stonehill College | MA | 1-Dec | 1-Feb | Late December, mid-February |
Susquehanna University | PA | 15-Nov | N/A | 1-Dec |
Swarthmore College | PA | 15-Nov | 4-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Syracuse University | NY | 15-Nov | 5-Jan | December 22, mid-January |
Texas Christian University | TX | 1-Nov | 1-Feb | January 1, March 3 |
The College of New Jersey | NJ | 1-Nov | N/A | 1-Dec |
Trinity College | CT | 15-Nov | 17-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
Trinity University | TX | 1-Nov | 1-Feb | December 1, March 1 |
Tufts University | MA | 1-Nov | 4-Jan | Mid-December, early February |
Tulane University | LA | 1-Nov | 16-Jan | December 15, February 15 |
Union College | NY | 1-Nov | 15-Jan | December 15, February |
University of Chicago | IL | 1-Nov | 6-Jan | Mid-December, mid-February |
University of Miami | FL | 1-Nov | 6-Jan | Mid-December, late February |
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