The complete list of early decision schools for 2024-2025

College admissions deadlines are approaching and high school students are facing many big decisions, including which colleges to apply to and when to apply.

When submitting applications, students often feel pressure to stand out and do everything they can to secure a place at a top university. Applying Early Decision (ED) can give students the opportunity to increase their chances of acceptance. However, an ED application does require a commitment from the student. If accepted, they are required to attend, meaning they cannot compare other offers for admission or financial aid.

High school students must decide which colleges to apply to and whether Early Decision is the right decision … (+) right choice for them.

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Considering the pros and cons of implementing ED is a crucial part of a student’s individual strategy. Whether a student wants to increase their chances of acceptance or see how financial aid is affected by Early Decision, this article takes a closer look at whether ED is a smart choice for him or her.

Benefits of using early decision

Increased chances of acceptance

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

Incoming class filled with ED applicants

For Fall 2023 at Bates College, they enrolled approximately 505 students, of which 338 were accepted via Early Decision. For Northwestern University, the number of freshmen enrolled in 2023-2024 was 2,111. However, 1,174 of those students had registered under Early Decision. Dartmouth College accepted 46% of their class with ED applications. Many universities will fill nearly 50% of their application class with ED applicants.

Reduced stress

A student applying for an Early Decision at New York University will find out no later than December 15. However, regular applicants for a decision will only find out about this on April 1. Finding out about the decisions months in advance can mean less stress for students, especially if they gain access. to their dream school.

Disadvantages of using early decision

Binding decision

Although a college cannot force a student to enroll, colleges do expect the student to act ethically and accept the offer, according to the terms of the Early Decision contract they signed upon application. Once accepted, they must withdraw their application from the other colleges they applied to.

Financial Aid Restrictions

Because students must withdraw from the other universities they applied to, they cannot compare financial aid offers. Fortunately, one of the exceptions to an ED application being withdrawn is due to a lack of financial support. Students may have expected to receive a certain amount of money, and if they do not receive it, they may decline their acceptance. But first, they should talk to the college and their financial aid office to see if they can work together to get more help. While students may think this is a recurring problem, it’s not as common a problem as they might think: Duke University said less than 1% of their ED offers were rejected for financial reasons.

Potential 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 the time they are accepted. Students may realize that their previous dream school no longer matches their current goals. Therefore, we recommend that students only apply for Early Decision if they are completely certain that they want to attend.

Complete list of early decision colleges

October deadlines

October 15:

College of Charleston
Roanoke College

October 16:

October 30:

November deadlines

November 1:

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
University of New Jersey
College of Willem and Maria
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
University of Miami-Oxford
New York University
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Queens 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
Christian University of Texas
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 technology
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wofford College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yeshiva University
Flagler College
Southern College of Florida
McDaniel College
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and the Arts
Hartwick College
Jewish Theological Seminary
The Nazareth College
Warren Wilson College
Wittenberg College
Grove City College
Bryant University

November 2:

Birmingham South College

November 15:

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
College of the Holy Cross
Connecticut College
Davidson College
Denison University
DePauw University
Dickinson College
Fairfield University
Franklin and Marshall Colleges
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
Western 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
University of the Atlantic
University of Salisbury
Merrimack College
Wheaton College
Manhattan College
Wells College
Juniata College
Lycoming College
Champlain College

November 16:

Cornell University
Williams College

December deadlines

December 1:

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

December 15:

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

June deadlines

June 1:

Cox College (nursing program)