US Undergraduate Application Deadlines: All You Need to Know

When it comes to the final submission of your applications to US colleges, January 1 is the first thing that comes to mind. Most students rush to complete applications in the last week of the year because several deadlines fall on this day. After that, they wait for April 1, when colleges declare their results. But what if we told you that universities provide several submission opportunities, which can bring you good news long before March? 

Early Decision (ED) deadlines

Colleges that offer Early Decision deadlines (not all do!) invite you to apply to them as your first choice, with a binding agreement to attend if they admit you. To take advantage of this opportunity, you, your parents and school counsellors must sign an agreement before applying through the ED programme. Leykia Nulan, Dean of Admission at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, says, “If you apply to a school Early Decision and you’re admitted, you’re committing to attending that institution.” The binding nature of this deadline prevents you from rejecting the offer if accepted, and you must withdraw applications from all other colleges. In most cases, colleges will not offer admission if your application indicates financial need and the college cannot meet that need. So, consider ED only if the college ranks high on your list and you’ve evaluated the financial implications. There are two ED deadlines: 

1) ED I: 

The first ED deadline falls between October and November; results are declared by mid-December. You can enjoy the rest of high school if your ED I college accepts you. 

Advantages of applying ED I

• ED I has a smaller applicant pool, which reduces the competition. 
• The acceptance rate of selective colleges is two to three times higher in the ED round. Northwestern University’s overall acceptance rate is only 7.2 percent, but it accepts half of its class through ED. Barnard College’s acceptance rate is eight percent, but its ED acceptance rate almost triples at 26 percent. Admitting a higher percentage from the ED I applicant pool drives down the regular decision admission rate. Many selective schools fill close to half their spots with Early Decision applicants. 
• ED I lets you demonstrate your interest in attending a college, which often works in your favour. 
• You’ll hear back about your application earlier than ED II or RD applicants.

Disadvantages of applying ED I: 

• If you’re applying ED I, you must prepare a robust application, which includes completing your Common App and supplemental essays in the summer. 
• You must also take your Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or American College Testing (ACT) exams early, which means preparing months in advance—sometimes even a year. If you are applying for ED I, take the SAT online test as early as possible.
• Depending on your school calendar, the ED I deadline may arrive before your grade 12 academic results. Therefore, admissions officers will base their decisions on your mid-term or predicted grades sent by your high school. 
• If accepted in ED 1, you must withdraw all applications and attend the college that has granted you admission. This means you cannot compare admission or financial aid offers that may come from Regular Decision applications. 

Here are some institutions that accept ED I applications: 

ED I Universities	Deadlines
Barnard College	November 1
Boston University	November 1
Brown University	November 1
Carnegie Mellon University	November 1
Claremont Mckenna College	November 1
Cornell University	November 1
Dartmouth College	November 1
Duke University	November 1
Emory University	November 1
Hamilton College	November 15
Johns Hopkins University	November 1
Mount Holyoke College	November 15
New York University	November 1
Northwestern University	November 1
Pomona College	November 15
Smith College	November 15
Tufts University	November 1
University of Chicago	November 1
University of Pennsylvania	November 1
Vassar College	November 15
Wellesley College	November 1

2) ED II: 

If you need more time to improve your application or have other factors like a sports schedule or poor first-quarter grades, ED II is your second chance at a binding decision application. You can also use this deadline to apply to your second-choice college if you aren’t admitted to your first-choice in ED I. The submission deadline for ED II falls between December and January, with colleges announcing results in mid-February. Remember that if your application to a college in ED I or ED II  is unsuccessful, you cannot apply again to the same college in the same admission cycle. 

Advantages of applying ED II

• Fewer students apply ED II than Regular Decision, so competition is less intense. 
• The ED II application deadline is often close to the Regular Decision deadline, so you won’t necessarily have to prepare your application early. 
• ED II gives you enough time to improve your scores, secure letters of recommendation and complete your essays. It also lets you showcase your most recent accomplishments to the college.
• Your decision will arrive one to two months earlier than Regular Decision notifications.
• ED II applicants have the edge over Regular Decision applicants with similar credentials because they demonstrate interest and make a binding commitment. 
• ED II acceptance rates are higher than Regular Decisions.

Disadvantages of applying ED 

• Your second top-choice college may not have an ED II deadline. 
• As compared to ED I, fewer colleges offer ED II. 

Here are some of the institutions that let you apply ED II:

ED II Universities	Deadlines
Bates College	January 1
Bryant University	January 15
Boston University	January 4
Carnegie Mellon	January 3
Claremont McKenna	January 10
Colby College	January 1
Colgate University	January 15
College of Wooster	January 15
Emory University	January 1
Franklin and Marshall College	January 15
George Washington University	January 5
Johns Hopkins University	January 2
Macalester College	January 1
Middlebury College	January 1
Mount Holyoke College	January 3
New York University	January  1
Pomona College	January 1
Sarah Lawrence College	January 2
Swarthmore College	January 1
Trinity College	January 1
Tufts University	January 1
University of Chicago	January 1
University of Richmond	January 15
Vanderbilt University	January 1
Vassar College	January 1
Wellesley College	January 1
Wesleyan University	January 1

Strategies for applying ED I and ED II 

• You should apply ED I or ED II if you are sure about your choices and are happy to attend if admitted. 
• Before applying in the ED rounds, take a realistic look at your scores. If you have an academic profile that falls within the range of the college’s previous year’s student profile, send your application. 
• Don’t waste your ED advantage on a college where your academic scores don’t meet the institution’s basic requirements. 
• If your top-choice college only offers RD or EA deadlines, skip ED. 
• Carefully evaluate the financial implications of an ED application based on your situation.  

Early Action (EA) deadlines

The Early Action (EA) deadline allows you to submit applications and receive decision notifications earlier without a binding agreement to attend. Submission deadlines are usually around November 1. By mid-January, most colleges announce their intake decisions. Since EA isn’t binding, you don’t have to rush to reply. You have until the national response deadline on May 1 to inform the college whether you’ll attend. This way, you can weigh your options and compare financial aid offered by other colleges. There are two EA deadlines: 

Unrestricted Early Action (EA)

EA allows you to apply to several colleges. The most significant benefit of EA is that since you can apply to more than one college, you increase your chances of getting multiple offers, which helps you make an informed decision earlier in the process. 

Here are some institutions that accept EA:  

EA Universities	Deadlines
Babson College	November 1
Berklee College of Music	November 1
Bryant University	November 1
California Institute of Technology	November 1
Case Western Reserve University	November 1
Chapman University	November 1
Emerson College	November 1
Fordham University	November 1
George Mason University	November 1
Georgia Institute of Technology	November 1
Hofstra University	November 15
Loyola Marymount University	November 1
Miami University	December 1
Michigan State University	November 1
Northeastern University	November 1
Parsons School of Design (The New School)	November 01
Purdue University	November 1
Rutgers—New Brunswick	November 1
Santa Clara University	November 1
Tulane University	November 15
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign	November 1
University of Maryland	November 1
University of Massachusetts Amherst	November 5
University of Michigan	November 1
University of Minnesota—Twin Cities	November 1
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	October 15
University of Notre Dame	November 1
University of San Francisco	November 1
University of Virginia	November 1
University of Wisconsin—Madison	November 1
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	November 1

Restricted Early Action (REA) or Single Choice Early Action (SCEA)

REA/SCEA is a non-binding deadline that allows you to apply to only one college in the early application rounds. Although not obligated to attend, schools that accept REA/SCEA applications may ask you to sign a form stating that they will not apply to other early admissions programmes. 

Here are some of the institutions that let you apply REA/SCEA:

REA Universities	Deadlines
Georgetown University	November 1
Harvard University	November 1
Stanford University	November 1
University of Notre Dame	November 1
Yale University	November 1

Advantages of applying EA: 

• EA is non-binding, meaning you are not obligated to attend the college that offers you a spot. 
• You will know if colleges accept you sooner, and this helps you strategise your applications for regular decisions. 
• You only have to declare your decision in May, which allows you to keep your options open and compare financial aid offers from other universities. 
• You have a higher chance of being considered for merit aid. For example, if you apply by November, Purdue University will automatically consider university-wide merit scholarships. In contrast, the University of Richmond will consider all applicants who apply before December for merit aid. 

Strategies for applying EA

• Consider applying EA only to high-target choices on your college list. Since you will receive decisions early, you may not need to apply to the safety schools you’ve listed. 
• Early deadlines offer an added advantage to legacy applicants, don’t squander this opportunity. 
• Irrespective of whether you choose EA or SCEA, continue working on Regular Decision applications to offset deferrals or denials. 

Regular Decision (RD) deadline

RD is the most common college application deadline. RD submissions are on or around January 1, except for a few colleges, with admission notifications in March. Colleges typically begin the review process after receiving all applications. It is a non-binding deadline that allows you to send applications to several schools and is best for students who require more time to refine their applications or improve their scores.

Most colleges offer RD. Below are the deadlines for popular choices: 

RD Universities	Deadlines
Boston University	January 1
Brown University	January 5
Carnegie Mellon	January 3
Case Western Reserve University	January 15
Cornell University	January 2
Emory University	January 1
New York University	January 5
Northeastern University	January 1
Purdue University	January 15
Tufts University	January 4
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	January 5
University of California	November 30
University of Michigan	February 1
University of Pennsylvania	January 5
University of Washington Seattle	November 15
University of Wisconsin Madison	January 15

Strategies for applying RD

• Use the RD option to apply to safety schools from your college list. These are colleges where you are most likely to be admitted because your academic scores exceed their averages. 
• Compare the ED/EA admit rates with those of RD. If the margin of difference is small, consider applying in the RD round. 

Rolling Admissions

Rolling Admissions may seem similar to RD, but there is a difference. Colleges that use this process do not wait for the final deadline to begin evaluating applications. Instead, they review applications on a rolling basis against fixed criteria. These evaluations continue until the college fills all seats. Rolling Admissions are non-binding, and you can apply to several colleges simultaneously. Should more than one college offer you admission, you can choose the one that appeals to you most. The deadlines for rolling admissions are college-specific. While some universities accept applications throughout the year, others will have a specific admission window. 

Below are a few colleges with their Rolling Admissions: 

Rolling Admissions Universities	Deadlines
Adelphi University	May 1 – Priority filling
Arizona State University	May 1
Indiana University Bloomington	February 1 (After this, applications are considered on available slots and a case-by-case basis.
Michigan State University	After February 1
Ohio University	June 15
Penn State University	Feb 1 – Priority filling June 15 – Final filling
Rutgers University-New Brunswick (NJ)	Dec 1 – Priority filling
University at Buffalo—SUNY	February 1 (Submissions for Fall are accepted after this until capacity is reached)
University of Delaware	January 15
University of Pittsburgh	No set deadline

Strategies for Rolling Admissions

• The rolling admission process is quick. The earlier you apply, the sooner you get your answer, which could be within 4-6 weeks of submitting your application. 
• When you’re on the early side of the admission window, you have a higher chance of securing admission because colleges still have their whole incoming class to fill and won’t compare you to accepted students. Those who apply later are at a disadvantage because fewer seats are available. 
• Use Rolling Admissions to space out your application load. Instead of submitting all your applications in January, you can submit a few in the early Fall and then work on more in the following months. 

Some colleges will accept your application, no matter the deadline, while others may not. The key here is to select your universities wisely and understand the best time to submit your application. You may read our blog on early application myths and our ultimate guide to US undergraduate courses. If you’re looking for more information or guidance on any aspect of your undergraduate application, please get in touch with us.