The Complete List Of Early Decision Schools For 2024-25

By Brandie Erickson • October 7, 2024 • College Application Early Admission Press Waitlist

College admission deadlines are creeping closer, and high school seniors are faced with many big decisions, including what colleges they should apply to and when they should apply.

When submitting applications, students often feel the pressure to stand out and do everything possible to secure a spot at a top university. Applying Early Decision (ED) can give students that chance to increase their odds of getting accepted. However, an ED application does require a commitment on the students’ part. If accepted, they are bound to attend, which means they cannot compare other admission or financial aid offers.

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of applying ED is a critical part of a student’s individual strategy. Whether a student wants to increase their odds of acceptance or see how financial aid is affected by Early Decision, this article originally posted on Forbes, will dive into whether ED is a smart choice for them.

Advantages Of Applying 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 Class of 2028 acceptance rate was 3.8% for regular decision applicants compared to 14.38% for its ED applicants. At Amherst College, the overall acceptance rate was 10%, compared to a 27% acceptance rate for ED applicants.

Upcoming Class Filled With ED Applicants

For the Fall 2023 entering class at Bates College, they enrolled about 505 students, 338 of which were accepted via Early Decision. For Northwestern University, their freshman class enrolled in 2023-24 was 2,111. However, 1,174 of those students had applied under Early Decision. Dartmouth College accepted 46% of their class with ED applications. Many universities will fill up nearly 50% of their application class with ED applicants.

Reduced Stress

A student applying for Early Decision to New York University will find out by December 15. However, regular decision applicants won’t find out until April 1. Finding out the decisions months in advance can mean less stress for students, especially if they secured admission to their dream school.

Disadvantages Of Applying Early Decision

Binding Decision

While a college can’t force a student to enroll, the colleges expect the student to act ethically and accept the offer, per the terms of the Early Decision contract they signed when applying. Once accepted, they must withdraw their applications from the other colleges to which they applied.

Financial Aid Limitations

Because students are required to withdraw from the other universities they applied to, they can’t compare financial aid offers. Luckily, one of the exceptions to withdrawing an ED application is due to a lack of financial aid. Students might have anticipated receiving a certain amount, and if they don’t receive it, they can reject their acceptance. However, first, they should speak to the college and their financial aid office to see if they can work together to get more aid. While students might think this is a recurring issue, it isn’t as common a problem as they might think: Duke University said that less than 1% of their ED offers were rejected due to financial reasons.

Potential Regret

High school students’ interests and career goals are still evolving, and things might change between when the student applies to their ED school and when they receive their acceptance. Students might realize that their previous dream school no longer aligns with their current goals. Therefore, we only recommend students apply Early Decision if they are completely certain that they want to attend.

Complete List Of Colleges With Early Decision

October Deadlines

October 15:

College of Charleston
Roanoke College

October 16:

Webb Institute

October 30:

Meredith College

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
College of New Jersey
College of William & Mary
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
Miami University—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
Texas Christian University
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 Tech
Washington and Lee University
Washington University in St. Louis
Wellesley College
Wofford College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Yeshiva University
Flagler College
Florida Southern College
McDaniel College
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Hartwick College
Jewish Theological Seminary
Nazareth College
Warren Wilson College
Wittenberg College
Grove City College
Bryant University

November 2:

Birmingham-Southern College

November 15:

Allegheny College
American University
Bates College
Bennington College
Bentley University
Bowdoin College
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carleton College
Centre 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 College
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
Occidental 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
College of the Atlantic
Salisbury University
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)