Competitive college applicants often consider Early Action and Early Decision as a part of their application strategy. After all, there’s a reason why colleges with early decision programs, such as Ivy League institutions, are among the most competitive colleges in the country. By demonstrating a clear commitment to a specific college, students who apply early are given special consideration during the review process; they also receive their college decisions early.
In this article, we will focus on Early Decision II. So if you’re wondering what is Early Decision II?, you’ve come to the right place. Likewise, we will review other common questions about Early Decision, such as: How much does Early Decision help? Is Early Decision binding? And how many Early Decision programs can you apply to?
First off, what is Early Decision? Early Decision is a program that allows students to apply to their top school early. Because they apply early, they also receive their final decision early. It’s important to realize that Early Decision programs (both ED I and ED II) are binding, which means that students are required to attend if they are accepted, regardless of the financial aid package they receive.
So what are the advantages of applying early? By applying through an Early Decision program (either I or II), students demonstrate their interest in and commitment to a college. This gives their applications a competitive edge. Another perk of applying early is receiving a decision early.
So what’s the difference between Early Decision I and II? Besides Early Decision II’s later deadlines, the programs are basically the same. In short, colleges with Early Decision 2 programs want to give applicants more time and potentially another chance to demonstrate their interest in a college and enter a binding agreement.
Check out these important college admissions dates to help you stay organized during the college application process. After all, if you’re thinking about applying early, it’s extra important to keep track of important dates and deadlines!
Which colleges have Early Decision II? The list below includes 76 top colleges with Early Decision II deadlines.
Name of college | Location | ED II Deadline | Overall acceptance rate |
American University | Washington, D.C. | January 15 | 64% |
Babson College | Wellesley, MA | January 2 | 25% |
Bates College | Lewiston, ME | January 10 | 17% |
Bennington College | Bennington, VT | January 15 | 67% |
Bentley University | Waltham, MA | January 15 | 61% |
Boston University | Boston, MA | January 4 | 19% |
Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME | January 5 | 9% |
Brandeis University | Waltham, MA | January 3 | 39% |
Bryant University | Smithfield, RI | January 15 | 74% |
Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, PA | January 1 | 39% |
Bucknell University | Lewisburg, PA | January 15 | 35% |
Carleton College | Northfield, MN | January 15 | 18% |
Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH | January 15 | 30% |
Claremont McKenna College | Claremont, CA | January 10 | 11% |
Colby College | Waterville, ME | January 1 | 9% |
Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | January 15 | 17% |
College of the Atlantic | Bar Harbor, ME | January 15 | 61% |
College of the Holy Cross | Worcester, MA | January 15 | 43% |
College of William and Mary | Williamsburg, VA | January 2 | 37% |
College of Wooster | Wooster, OH | January 15 | 61% |
Colorado College | Colorado Springs, CO | January 15 | 14% |
Connecticut College | New London, CT | January 15 | 41% |
Davidson College | Davidson, NC | January 8 | 18% |
Denison College | Granville, OH | January 15 | 28% |
Dickinson College | Carlisle, PA | January 15 | 48% |
Emory University | Atlanta, GA | January 1 | 13% |
Franklin & Marshall College | Lancaster, PA | January 15 | 38% |
George Washington University | Washington, DC | January 5 | 50% |
Gettysburg College | Gettysburg, PA | January 15 | 56% |
Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA | January 1 | 11% |
Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | January 4 | 14% |
Hampshire College | Amherst, MA | January 1 | 75% |
Harvey Mudd College | Claremont, CA | January 5 | 10% |
Haverford College | Haverford, PA | January 5 | 18% |
Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY | January 15 | 67% |
Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD | January 3 | 8% |
Juniata College | Huntingdon, PA | January 5 | 74% |
Kenyon College | Gambier, OH | January 15 | 37% |
Lafayette College | Easton, PA | January 15 | 41% |
Lehigh University | Bethlehem, PA | January 1 | 46% |
Macalester College | St. Paul, MN | January 1 | 31% |
Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT | January 3 | 13% |
Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA | January 4 | 52% |
New York University | New York, NY | January 15 | 13% |
Northeastern University | Boston, MA | January 1 | 18% |
Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH | January 2 | 34% |
Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA | January 10 | 38% |
Pitzer College | Claremont, CA | January 6 | 18% |
Pomona College | Claremont, CA | January 8 | 7% |
Reed College | Portland, OR | December 20 | 42% |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | December 15 | 53% |
Rhodes College | Memphis, TN | January 15 | 54% |
Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, CA | January 7 | 54% |
Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville, NY | January 15 | 57% |
Scripps College | Claremont, CA | January 5 | 30% |
Sewanee: The University of the South | Sewanee, TN | January 15 | 60% |
Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY | January 15 | 31% |
Smith College | Northampton, MA | January 1 | 30% |
St. Olaf College | Northfield, MN | January 15 | 47% |
Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA | January 4 | 8% |
Trinity College | Hartford, CT | January 14 | 38% |
Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | February 1 | 34% |
Tufts University | Medford, MA | January 4 | 11% |
Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | January 13 | 10% |
Union College | Schenectady, NY | January 15 | 47% |
University of Chicago | Chicago, IL | January 4 | 6% |
University of Miami | Coral Gables, FL | January 1 | 28% |
University of Richmond | Univ. of Richmond, VA | January 1 | 29% |
Vanderbilt University | Nashville, TN | January 1 | 7% |
Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY | January 1 | 20% |
Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC | January 1 | 25% |
Washington and Lee University | Lexington, VA | January 1 | 19% |
Washington University in St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | January 4 | 13% |
Wellesley College | Wellesley, MA | January 1 | 16% |
Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT | January 1 | 19% |
Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA | January 10 | 59% |
There are two main scenarios when a student may want to apply Early Decision II.
The first scenario: a student is committed to attending a particular school upon being accepted but could benefit from having a few more months to work on their college applications. (It is worth noting that ED II applicants submit their first-semester senior grades within their applications, whereas ED I applicants are assessed primarily by their junior-year grades. ED II applicants also have time to retake the SAT or ACT if they so choose).
The second scenario: a student is rejected from their top college after submitting an Early Decision I application, but has a clear second choice they are willing to fully commit to if accepted. Applying Early Decision II is also a possibility, although potentially a bit more complicated, if a student is deferred after applying Early Decision I.
You cannot apply to the same college through Early Decision I and II. Again, besides the deadlines, the programs are the same so there would be no point in trying to do so. If you’ve already applied to a school through Early Decision I, you can start preparing an Early Decision II application to another school in case you receive a rejection. Remember, you can only send out one ED I application and one ED II application.
Chances are if you’re applying early you want to know what time early decisions come out. Early Decision I applications are due in November and students receive their admission decisions sometime in December. Early Decision II applications are due in January and students receive their admission decisions sometime in February.
Hopefully, if you began this article with questions such as: What schools have Early Decision?
Does Early Decision 2 increase chances? And is Early Decision II binding?, you have a better understanding of what to expect from both ED I and ED II. Applying early can help give your application the competitive edge that it needs. As evident from the class of 2026 college acceptance rates, top colleges are becoming increasingly difficult to get into, so it’s important to have a comprehensive application strategy. If you want to know more about holistic college admissions and what college admissions officers look for in an applicant, we can help! Here at Prepory, we have the tools and resources to help you reach all of your college goals: reach out to learn more about our services.
Early Decision is a binding agreement that allows students to apply to their favorite school early. ED II's deadlines are later and give applicants more time to demonstrate their interest and enter a binding agreement.
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