Early College Admissions Notification Dates 2025-26

Congratulations to high school seniors on submitting your early applications! We know you are eager to hear from your early admissions colleges.

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Many private schools notify Early Decision (ED) applicants of admissions decisions by the middle to end of December. Many of the highly selective schools that only offer Early Action (EA) programs (not ED), including Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale, all still notify applicants in mid-December. See our description below for the differences between Early Decision, Early Action, and Restrictive Early Action.

However, many public universities send admissions decisions to Early Action (EA) applicants after January 1^st, including the University of Colorado, University of Delaware, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, University of Virginia, and more. Several private universities have also followed suit in this trend of offering EA notification dates after the new year, including Northeastern (EA 2/15), Tulane (EA 1/10), University of Miami (EA late January), University of Richmond (EA 1/23), and USC (EA mid to late January).

At this point in the admissions cycle, deciding where to apply through Regular Decision is a complex process. Feel free to contact us at Collegiate Gateway for guidance on navigating any aspect of your college admissions journey!

Below is a chart showing ED and EA notification dates for a select list of schools for the 2025-26 application cycle.

What is Early Decision?

Students who are certain of their top school choice can submit through Early Decision in November and receive a decision in December. This is a binding commitment, and if admitted, students agree to enroll in the school and withdraw any other applications. The decision options include acceptance, denial, or deferral to Regular Decision; if not accepted (either denied or deferred), the student is released from the binding commitment. Some colleges offer Early Decision I and Early Decision II, which differ in their timelines. Deadlines are usually November 1, November 15, or December 1 for EDI and December 15 or January 1 for EDII. If a student applies EDI and is not accepted, they can then apply EDII or EAII to another college.

What is Early Action?

Early Action applications have the same timetable as Early Decision I, but this application plan is not binding; if accepted, students have until May 1 to make their decision. The decision options include acceptance, denial, or deferral to Regular Decision. If deferred, the student’s application is reviewed with the Regular Decision applicants. Some colleges offer Early Action I and Early Action II, which differ in their timelines. Early Action deadlines are usually November 1, November 15, or December 1, and occasionally October 15. If a student applies EDI and is not accepted, they can then apply EAII to another college.

What is Restrictive Early Action or Single Choice Early Action?

Similar to Early Action, these applications allow students to apply and receive a decision earlier than the Regular Decision timeline. Although REA and SCEA do not require a binding commitment, colleges that offer these application plans place certain restrictions on students submitting other early applications.

Early application plans are increasing in availability and usage, and typically confer higher admit rates because they show a higher level of demonstrated interest in the college. Deciding whether and where to apply early can be daunting, especially now. But whatever your question, Collegiate Gateway is happy to help you decipher your options and understand the changing landscape of early admissions.

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