What is Early Decision II?
A handful of universities offer a second Early Decision deadline (ED II), which usually coincides with each university’s Regular Decision deadline. The most significant difference between ED I and ED II is timing: ED I applications are typically due in early November, while ED II applications are typically due in early January. Decisions for ED II are also released on an earlier timeline, typically by mid-February.
Keep in mind that you cannot apply to the same school for both Early rounds, and you cannot apply as a Regular Decision applicant to a school that denied your application in ED I or ED II. However, you can apply to one school ED II and simultaneously apply to as many universities as you’d like Regular Decision. If admitted to your ED II school, you’ll need to immediately withdraw all other Regular Decision applications.
Which universities offer ED II?
We’ve compiled a list of universities as well as their Early Decision II deadlines below:
American University: January 15
Bates College: January 1
Bennington College: January 15
Boston University: January 1
Bowdoin College: January 5
Brandeis University: January 1
Bryant University: January 15
Bryn Mawr College: January 1
Bucknell University: January 15
Carleton College: January 15
Case Western Reserve: January 15
University of Chicago: January 4
Claremont McKenna Colleges: January 5
Colby College: January 1
Colgate University: January 15
College of the Atlantic: January 15
College of Wooster: January 15
Colorado College: January 15
Connecticut College: January 15
Davidson College: January 4
Denison College: January 15
Dickinson College: January 15
Emory University: January 1
Franklin & Marshall College: January 4
George Washington University: January 5
Gettysburg College: January 15
Grinnell College: January 1
Hamilton College: January 1
Hampshire College: January 1
Harvey Mudd College: January 5
Haverford College: January 1
Hobart and William Smith Colleges: January 15
Juniata College: January 15
Johns Hopkins University: January 4
Kenyon College: January 15
Lafayette College: January 15
Lehigh University: January 1
Macalester College: January 1
University of Miami: January 1
Middlebury College: January 1
Mount Holyoke College: January 4
New York University: January 1
Northeastern University: January 1
Oberlin College: January 2
Occidental College: February 1
Pitzer College: January 1
Pomona College: January 1
Reed College: December 20
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: December 15
Rhodes College: January 15
University of Richmond: January 15
Saint Olaf College: January 15
Sarah Lawrence College: January 2
Scripps College: January 5
Sewanee University: January 15
Skidmore College: January 15
Smith College: January 1
Swarthmore College: January 4
Syracuse University: January 1
Trinity College: January 15
Trinity University: February 1
Tufts University: January 1
Tulane University: January 8
Union College: January 15
Vanderbilt University: January 1
Vassar College: January 1
Wake Forest University: January 1
Washington University: January 2
Washington and Lee University: January 1
Wellesley College: January 1
Wesleyan University: January 1
Whitman College: January 15
Be sure to discuss with a College Advisor whether ED II could be the right move for you by contacting us today!