Class of 2026 Early Decision & Early Action Notification Dates

“The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

–Jean Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Over the last two years, the college admissions world has seen myriad changes. Subject tests abandoned, lack of testing opportunities for students, many colleges and universities adjusting their testing requirements due to COVID-19 and the fallout from the pandemic, to now adopting those policies as their new way of doing things. So many changes to adjust to and understand makes for an even murkier higher ed landscape… and it was pretty murky to begin with!

Even with these many changes, a few constants remain. 1. Odds still go WAY up at most schools in the early rounds and 2. Strong data points (including test scores and grades) are imperative to set you apart. Students working with Top Tier Admissions know this and have strong data points to support their applications and a wise early action and early decision strategy.

Now that the November 1 deadline has passed, we’ve compiled a sampling of early decision and early action notification dates for you. Sit back, relax and let the admissions letters (acceptances we hope) roll in!

Notice a school of interest not listed? Simply let us know in the comments and we’ll gather the information for you and post.

EARLY DECISION & EARLY ACTION NOTIFICATION DATES –CLASS OF 2026

Amherst College	December 10^th
Babson College	EDI/EA: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Barnard College	December 14th
Bates College	EDI: December 11^th; EDII: by February 15^th
Boston College	EDI: December 2^nd; EDII: February 15^th
Bowdoin College	EDI: December 10^th; EDII: Mid-February
Boston University	EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Brandeis University	EDI: December 9^th; EDII: February 1^st
Brown University	December 16^th at 7pm Eastern
Bucknell University	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)	EA: Mid-December
Carnegie Mellon University	ED1: December 15^th; ED2: February 1^st
Claremont McKenna College	EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Colby College	EDI: on or before December 15^th; EDII: on or before February 15^th
Colgate University	EDI: December 13^th at 7:13pm; EDII: late February
Columbia University	December 14^th, after 7pm Eastern
Connecticut College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Cornell University	December 13^th at 7pm Eastern
Dartmouth College	December 10^th
Dickinson College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Duke University	December 16^th at 7pm Eastern
Emerson College	EDI/EA: Mid-December; EDII/EAII: by February 1^st
Emory University	EDI: by December 15^th; EDII: by February 15^th
Georgetown University	December 13th at 7pm Eastern
Georgia Tech	EAI: (GA students only) December 11^th; EAII: (Non-GA students only) TBA
Hamilton College	EDI: by December 15^th; EDII by February 15^th
Harvard University	December 16^th
Harvey Mudd College	EDI: mailed December 15^th; EDII: mailed February 15^th
Haverford College	EDI: December 10^th; EDII: February 15^th
Johns Hopkins University	EDI: December 10^th; EDII: February 11^th
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	December 18^th at 3:14pm Eastern
Middlebury College	EDI: December 11^th at 8am; EDII: Mid-February
New York University	EDI: December 15^th at 4pm Eastern; EDII: February 16^th
Northwestern University	Mid-December
Pitzer College	ED1: December 10^th; EDII; by February 15^th
Pomona College	EDI: by December 15^th; EDII: by February 15^th
Princeton University	SCEA: December 16^th at 7pm Eastern
Rice University	December 10^th
Scripps College	EDI: December 10^th: EDII: Mid-February
Stanford University	December 15^th
Swarthmore College	Online Mid-December
Tufts University	EDI: December 14^th; EDII: February 3^rd
Tulane University	ED: November 22^nd; EA: December 20^th
University of Chicago	EA/EDI: December 17^th, late afternoon; EDII: Mid-February
University of Georgia	EA: December 7^th
University of Miami	ED1: December 10^th; EA: January 28^th, early February; EDII: Late February
University of Michigan	EA: January 28^th
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	January 31^st
University of Pennsylvania	ED: December 16^th
University of Richmond	EA: January 25^th; EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
University of Rochester	ED1: December 10^th; EDII: Early February
University of South Carolina	EA: Mid-December
University of Virginia	ED: December 10^th; EA: February 4^th
University of Wisconsin -Madison	EA: January 28^th
Vanderbilt University	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February
Villanova University	EA: by January 15^th; EDI: by December 15^th; EDII: by March 1^st
Wake Forest University	EDI: Rolling; EDII: approximately February 15^th
Washington University in St. Louis	EDI: December 9^th; EDII: February 18^th
Wellesley College	EDI: Mid-December; EDII: late February
Wesleyan University	EDI: December 11^th; EDII: Mid-February
Williams College	December 10^th
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	EAI: January 15^th; EAII: March 1^st^;EDI: December 15^th; EDII: February 15^th
Yale University	SCEA: online December 15^th

EARLY DECISION II

With some November 15 deadlines remaining along with the many EDII deadlines looming (typically early January), be sure your application and essays are maximized and your academic experiences leveraged. Whether you consider our Application Review Program or our Common App 911/Essay Guidance Program bundle, we’ve got you covered!