Early Decision Notification Dates: What to Do While You Wait

As Early Decision notification dates approach, it’s completely natural to feel a swirl of emotions: excitement, nerves, and everything in between. Waiting is never easy, but it can be purposeful. To help you navigate this time with clarity and calm, we’ve assembled a curated, up-to-date list of Early Decision notification dates, along with advice on how to stay mentally balanced, academically proactive, and fully prepared for what comes next.

CALM, COOL, AND COLLECTED

This is the perfect moment to take a breath and ground yourself, reconnect with routines that keep you steady, and carve out small pockets of rest, whether that’s a walk outside, a favorite hobby, or simply stepping away from screens. It’s also a critical time to stay engaged academically: keep your grades strong, continue participating in activities you care about, and maintain the commitments that are important to you.

You can also use this waiting period to thoughtfully organize your Regular Decision materials, clarify your college list, and begin outlining supplements for schools still on your radar. If ED2 is part of your strategy, now is the time to ensure your application materials are truly polished and aligned with your academic story. And if fear or what-ifs creep in, remember to lean on your support system that helped you get this far!

For more ideas on how to make the most of this in-between space, check out our “Top 10 Things to Do After Submitting Your College Application,” for top tips that never go out of style!

TTA Top Tip: Before your next set of application deadlines, take advantage of our expert guidance through our Application Review program to ensure you have fully maximized your application materials.

We’ve compiled a sample of Early Action and Early Decision notification dates for you so you can mark your calendars accordingly.

KEY EARLY DECISION NOTIFICATION DATES

*For a list of last year’s Early Decision notification dates, check out this post!

American University	EA: Mid-January; EDI: Mid-December: EDII: Mid-February
Amherst College	Early to Mid-December
Babson College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February; EA: by Mid-January
Barnard College	Mid-December
Bates College	EDI: by December 20^th; EDII: Mid-February
Baylor University	EA: No later than February 1^st; EDI: no later than December 15^th
Bentley University	EDI: Late December; EDII: Early February
Boston College	EDI: December 2^nd; EDII: February 15^th
Bowdoin College	EDI: December 12th, 7pm ET; EDII: Early-February
Boston University	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Early February
Brandeis University	EA: February 1^st; EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Brown University	December 15^th, 3pm Eastern
Bryn Mawr College	EDI: Late December; EDII: Mid-February
Bucknell University	EDI: December 4^th; EDII: Mid-February
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	Mid-December
Carleton College	EDI: December 15^th; EDII February 15th
Carnegie Mellon University	ED1: December 15^th
Claremont McKenna College	EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Case Western University	EA: On or about December 20^th; EDI: December 6^th; EDII: February 7^th
Colby College	EDI: on or before Dec. 15^th; EDII: on or before Feb. 15^th
Colgate University	EDI: December 12^th; EDII: Mid- February
College of the Holy Cross	EDI: December 15^th; EDII February 15^th
College of William and Mary	EDI: Early December; EDII: Early February
Colorado College	EA: January 8^th; EDI: December 11^th; EDII: February 12th
Columbia University	December 16^th, 7pm Eastern
Connecticut College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Cornell University	Mid-December
Dartmouth College	Mid-December
Dennison College	EDI/II: about a month after the application deadline
Dickinson College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Late February
Duke University	December 15^th, 7pm Eastern
Emerson College	EDI: Mid-December; EA: Mid-December; EDII: Early February
Emory University	EDI: December 10^th; EDII: by February 15^th
Fairfield University	EA: December 20^th-January 15^th; EDI: December 4^th; EDII: February 15^th
Franklin and Marshall	EDI/II: 30 days from application deadline
Fordham University	EA: December 20^th; EDI: December 20^th; EDII: February 15^th
Georgetown University	December 15^th
George Washington University	EDI: by Late December; EDII: by Late February
Gettysburg College	EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 1^st
Georgia Institute of Technology	EA1: December 5^th; EA2: TBD
Grinnell College	EDI: December 5^th; EDII: Early February
Hamilton College	EDI: by December 19^th; EDII by February 15^th
Hampshire College	EA: February 15^th; EDI: December 15^th: EDII: February 1^st
Harvard University	Mid-December
Harvey Mudd College	EDI: December 15^th 6pm PT; EDII: February 15^th
Haverford College	EDI: December 15^th; EDII: Early February
Johns Hopkins University	EDI: December 12^th; EDII: February 13^th
Kenyon College	EDI: Mid-December: EDII: Mid-February
Lafayette College	EDI: Mid-December: EDII: Mid-February
Lake Forest College	EAI/EDI: December 15^th: EAII/EDII: February 1^st
Lehigh University	EDI: Mid-December: EDII: Mid-February
Macalester College	EA: December 10^th EDI: December 7^th: EDII: January 25^th
MIT	December 16^th, 6:26pm Eastern
Middlebury College	EDI: December 6^th; EDII: Mid-February
Muhlenberg College	EA: January 1^st: EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
New York University	EDI: December 11^th; EDII: February 15^th
Northeastern University	EDI: January 1^st; EA: by February 15^th; EDII: by March 1^st
Northwestern University	December 16^th
Oberlin College	EA: January 15^th: EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 1^st
Penn State University	by December 24^th
Pitzer College	EDI: by December 18^th: EDII: by February 15^th
Pomona College	EDI: by December 15^th; EDII: by February 15^th
Princeton University	December 11^th, 7pm Eastern
Rice University	EDI: December 13^th; EDII: mid-February
Rochester Institute of Technology	EA: Late January: EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-January
Santa Clara University	EA/EDI: Late December; EDII: Mid-February
Sarah Lawrence College	EA: Late December; EDI: Late December: EDII: Ealy February
Scripps College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Sewanee University of the South	EA/EDII: Late January; EDI: Mid-December
Skidmore College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Smith College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Late January
Southern Methodist University	EA: TBD; EDI: Mid-December; EDII: January 15th
Stanford University	Mid-December
Stonehill College	EA: Early January; EDI: Late December: EAII: Late February/Early March; EDII: Late February
Stevens Institute of Technology	EA: February 1^st; EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Swarthmore College	EDI: Online Mid-December; EDII: online Mid-February
Syracuse University	EDI: Late December; EDII: Mid-January
Trinity College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Trinity University	EA: December 15^th; EDI: December 1^st; EDII: March 1^st
Tufts University	EDI: December 12^th; EDII: mid-February
Tulane University	EA: January 10^th; EDI: November 26^th; EDII: February 15^th
Union College	EA: January; EDI: December 6^th; EDII: February
University of Chicago	EA/EDI: December 17^th; EDII: February 13^th
University of Miami	EA: January 23^rd; EDI: December 12^th; EDII: Late February
University of Michigan	EA: January 30^th; EDI: December 24^th
University of Notre Dame	REA: December 16^th
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	EA: by December 20^th for North Carolina residents, by February 10^th all other applicants
University of Pennsylvania	December 18^th, 7pm Eastern
University of Richmond	EA: January 23^rd; EDI: December 12^th; EDII: February 13th
University of Rochester	EDI: Mid-December: EDII: Early February
University of South Carolina	Mid-December
University of Texas – Austin	EA: January 15th
University of Virginia	ED: by December 15^th; EA: by February 15^th
Vanderbilt University	EDI: Mid-December 17th; EDII: Mid-February
Vassar College	EDI: TBD; EDII: TBD
Villanova University	EA: by January 20^th; EDI: November 21^st; EDII: by February 15^th
Wake Forest University	EA (first-generation): January 15^th; EDI: Rolling; EDII: February 15^th
Washington and Lee University	EDI: December 20^th; EDII: February 1^st
Washington University in St. Louis	EDI: December 12^th; EDII: February 13^th
Wellesley College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Wesleyan University	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Williams College	December 15^th
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	EAI: Late January; EAII: LateFebruary;EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Yale University	December 17^th, 5pm Eastern

Deferral Boot Camp

Let’s make your case stronger.

enroll now

YOUR PATH FORWARD

As you move through these final weeks before early decisions are released, stay steady, stay thoughtful, and trust that there is a path forward that fits you.

If you receive the news you’ve been hoping for, we’ll celebrate with you! And if a deferral or denial comes your way, know that it’s not a stopping point, it’s simply a redirection. We encourage students facing a deferral to approach the next step strategically and confidently; our Deferral Boot Camp offers expert guidance on how to respond with strength and clarity.

College Essay Guidance

Experience personalized, expert guidance to elevate your college essays and secure your spot at top universities.

enroll now

For those planning for Regular Decision or considering ED2, this is the moment to elevate every component of your application, from personal statements to school-specific supplements. Our College Essay Guidance team is ready to help you refine your narrative, deepen your impact, and present your strongest voice to admissions committees.

Want to stay in the loop? Follow us on Instagram @toptieradmissions and subscribe to our blog for expert advice and admissions insights.

Know someone else navigating the college process? Pass it along — they’ll thank you later!