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 Early-to-mid December Babson College EDI/EA: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Barnard College Mid-December Bates College EDI: by December 20th; EDII: by February 15th Boston College EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 15th Bowdoin College EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Boston University EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 15th Brown University Mid-December Bucknell University EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February California Institute of Technology (Caltech) EA: Mid-December Carnegie Mellon University ED1: December 15th; ED2: February 1st Claremont McKenna College EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 15th Colby College EDI: on or before Dec. 15th; EDII: on or before Feb. 15th Colgate University EDI: Mid-December; EDII: late February Columbia University December 15th Connecticut College EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Cornell University Mid-December Dartmouth College Mid-December Dickinson College EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Duke University Mid-December Emerson College EDI/EA: Mid-December; EDII/EAII: by February 1st Emory University EDI: by December 15th; EDII: by February 15th Georgetown University December 15th Hamilton College EDI: by December 15th; EDII by February 15th Harvard University Mid-December Harvey Mudd College EDI: mailed December 15th; EDII: mailed February 15th Haverford College EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 15th Johns Hopkins University EDI: December 11th; EDII: February 12th Massachusetts Institute of Technology Mid-December Middlebury College EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February New York University EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 16th Northwestern University Mid-December Pomona College EDI: by December 15th; EDII: by February 15th Rice University by mid-December Stanford University December 15th Swarthmore College Online Mid-December Tufts University EDI: mid-December; EDII: mid-February Tulane University ED: by December 15th; EA: January 15th University of Chicago EA/EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February University of Michigan EA: late January University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill January 31st University of Pennsylvania ED: Mid-December University of South Carolina EA: Mid-December University of Virginia ED: Mid-December; EA: aim to release by Mid-February Vanderbilt University EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Villanova University EA: by January 15th; EDI: by December 15th; EDII: by March 1st Wake Forest University EDI: Rolling; EDII: approximately February 15th Washington University in St. Louis EDI: December 17th; EDII: February 18th Wellesley College EDI: Mid-December; EDII: late February Wesleyan University EDI: Mid-December; EDII: Mid-February Williams College December 15th Worcester Polytechnic Institute EAI: January 15th; EAII: March 1st; EDI: December 15th; EDII: February 15th Yale University SCEA: online Mid-December 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!