The full list of Early Decision schools for 2024-25

As college admissions deadlines approach, high school seniors face many important decisions, including which colleges to apply to and when.

When applying, students often feel the pressure to stand out and do everything they can to secure a place at a top university. By using Early Decision (ED), students can increase their chances of being admitted. However, an ED application requires a commitment from the student. If you are admitted, you are obliged to participate and therefore cannot compare with other admissions or funding offers.

High school graduates should decide which universities they would like to apply to and whether an early decision should be made … [+] right choice for you.

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Considering the pros and cons of using ED is a crucial part of a student’s individual strategy. Whether a student wants to increase their chances of admission or see how early decision affects financial aid, this article is about whether ED is a smart choice for them.

Advantages of an early decision

Increased chances of acceptance

Because of the binding commitment, early decision applicants typically have a higher acceptance rate compared to early decision and regular decision applicants. For example, Brown University’s acceptance rate for the class of 2028 was 3.8% for regular decision applicants, compared to 14.38% for its ED applicants. At Amherst College, the overall acceptance rate was 10%, compared to a 27% acceptance rate for ED applicants.

Upcoming class full of ED applicants

They enrolled approximately 505 students for the fall 2023 admissions course at Bates College, 338 of whom were accepted via Early Decision. Northwestern University enrolled 2,111 freshmen in the 2023-2024 academic year. However, 1,174 of these students applied through early decision. Dartmouth College accepted 46% of its class with ED applications. Many universities will fill nearly 50% of their application class with ED applicants.

Reduced stress

A student applying for early decision to New York University will know by December 15th. However, applicants with a regular decision will not find out until April 1st. Finding out about decisions months in advance can mean less stress for students, especially once they’ve secured admission to their dream school.

Disadvantages of using early decision

Binding decision

While a college cannot force a student to enroll, colleges expect the student to behave ethically and accept the offer according to the terms of the early decision agreement they signed when applying. Once accepted, they must withdraw their applications from the other colleges they applied to.

Financial Support Limitations

Since students have to deregister from the other universities they have applied to, they cannot compare financial aid offers. Fortunately, one of the exceptions to withdrawing an ED application is a lack of financial support. Students may have expected to receive a certain amount and if they do not receive this, they may decline their acceptance. However, they should first speak with the college and its financial aid office to see if they can work together to get further help. While students may think this is a recurring problem, it’s not as common an issue as they might think: Duke University reported that less than 1% of its ED offers were rejected for financial reasons.

Possible regret

High school students’ interests and career goals are still evolving, and things can change between the time the student applies to their ED school and receives admission. Students may find that their previous dream school no longer aligns with their current goals. We therefore recommend that students only apply for Early Decision if they are absolutely sure that they want to take part.

Complete list of early decision colleges

Deadlines in October

October 15th:

College of Charleston
Roanoke College

October 16:

October 30th:

November deadlines

November 1st:

Agnes Scott College
Amherst College
Augustana College
Austin College
Babson College
Bard College
Barnard College
Baylor University
Beloit College
Berry College
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis College
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Claremont McKenna College
College of New Jersey
College of William & Mary
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Drew University
Drexel University
Duke University
Elon University
Emerson College
Emory University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Hampden Sydney College
Hanover College
High Point University
Hillsdale College
Hollins University
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lake Forest College
Lawrence University
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Loyla Marymount University
Macalester College
Miami University-Oxford
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Queen’s University of Charlotte
Quinnipiac University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhodes College
Rice University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Southern Methodist University
Southwestern University
Spelman College
St. John’s College Annapolis
St Lawrence University
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St Olaf College
SUNY-Geneseo
Texas Christian University
The Catholic University of America
Trinity University
Tufts University
Tulane University
University of Chicago
University of Denver
University of Mary Washington
University of Miami
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of San Francisco
University of Virginia
Vanderbilt University
Villanova University
Virginia Tech
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wofford College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yeshiva University
Flagler College
Florida Southern College
McDaniel College
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Hartwick College
Jewish Theological Seminary
Nazareth College
Warren Wilson College
Wittenberg College
Grove City College
Bryant University

November 2nd:

Birmingham Southern College

November 15th:

Allegheny College
American university
Bates College
Bennington College
Bentley University
Bowdoin College
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Center College
Christopher Newport University
Clark University
Coe College
Colby College
Colgate University
Holy Cross College
Connecticut College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Fairfield University
Franklin and Marshall College
Furman University
Gettysburg College
Goucher College
Grinnell College
Hamilton College
Harvey Mudd College
Haverford College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Kenyon College
Lafayette College
Middlebury College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Providence College
Reed College
Rollins College
Scripps College
Sewanee: The University of the South
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. John’s University (NY)
St Mary’s College (IN)
Stevens Institute of Technology
Susquehanna University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Trinity College (Hartford)
Union College (NY)
University of Redlands
Vassar College
Virginia Military Institute
Wabash College
Wake Forest University
Washington College
Wesleyan University
Whitman College
College of the Atlantic
Salisbury University
Merrimack College
Wheaton College
Manhattan College
Wells College
Juniata College
Lycoming College
Champlain College

November 16th:

Cornell University
Williams College

Deadlines in December

December 1st:

Clarkson University
Marist College
Siena College
St John Fisher College
Stonehill College
Ursinus College
Moody Bible Institute
Springfield College
SUNY Maritime College

December 15th:

SUNY-ESF
Washington and Jefferson College
Willamette University
Washington & Jefferson College

Dates in June

June 1st:

Cox College (nursing program)