Early Decision II: The Complete List for 2022-2023

By Brandie Erickson November 25, 2022 College Application College Search

It is getting close to that time of year again. Starting in mid-December, colleges will release their Early Decision I (ED I) notifications. Students who don’t get the response they were hoping for might be wondering what their options are. While they cannot reapply to their ED I school, they can still apply to schools under the regular decision deadlines.

There is an alternative path for high school seniors looking to boost their chances of acceptance to a top university. Early Decision II (ED II) is the lesser-known counterpart to ED I, but it follows similar rules. Under this decision type, you can apply to one ED II school, and if accepted, the decision is binding, and you are obligated to attend.

ED II Deadlines 

The ED II deadlines will typically be around the same time as the regular decision deadlines. For example, the deadline to apply to New York University under a regular decision is January 5. For ED II applicants, the deadline is just a few days earlier, on January 1. Therefore, students already preparing their regular decision applications might want to consider if one of their remaining top choices offers ED II to boost their chances of acceptance. 

Read about the benefits of applying ED II in our article on Forbes.