Early Decision II

Sometime 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 other 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.

Schools That Offer ED II

The following are colleges that offer ED II and the deadline* for their applications:

• American University: January 15
• Antioch College: January 2
• Babson College: January 2
• Bates College: January 10
• Baylor University: February 1
• Bennington College: January 15
• Bentley University: January 15
• Boston College: January 3
• Boston University: January 4
• Bowdoin College: January 5
• Brandeis University: January 3
• Bryant University: January 15
• Bryn Mawr College: January 1
• Bucknell University: January 15
• Carleton College: January 15
• Carnegie Mellon University: January 3
• Case Western Reserve: January 15
• Catholic University of America: January 15
• Claremont Mckenna Colleges: January 10
• Clark University: January 15
• Colby College: January 1
• Colgate University: January 15
• College of the Atlantic: January 15
• College of the Holy Cross: January 15
• College of William and Mary: January 2
• College of Wooster: January 15
• Colorado College: January 15
• Connecticut College: January 15
• Davidson College: January 8
• Denison College: January 15
• Dickinson College: January 15
• DePauw University: January 15
• Drew University: January 15
• Emerson College: January 3
• Emory University: January 1
• Fairfield University: January 15
• Franklin & Marshall College: January 15
• Furman University: January 15
• George Washington University: January 5
• Gettysburg College: January 15
• Grinnell College: January 1
• Grove City College: December 1
• Hamilton College: January 4
• Hampshire College: January 1
• Harvey Mudd College: January 5
• Haverford College: January 1
• High Point University: February 1
• Hobart and William Smith Colleges: January 15
• Illinois Institute of Technology: January 1
• Jewish Theological Seminary: January 1
• Johns Hopkins University: January 3
• Kenyon College: January 15
• Lafayette College: January 15
• Lake Forest College: January 15
• Lehigh University: January 1
• Loyola Marymount University: January 8
• Macalester College: January 1
• Marist College: February 15
• Middlebury College: January 3
• Muhlenberg College: February 1
• Mount Holyoke College: January 4
• New York University: January 1
• Northeastern University: January 1
• Oberlin College: January 2
• Occidental College: January 10
• Pitzer College: January 6
• Pomona College: January 1
• Providence College: January 15
• Reed College: December 20
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: December 15
• Rhodes College: January 15
• Rochester Institute of Technology: January 1
• Rollins College: January 5
• Santa Clara University: January 7
• Saint Joseph’s University: January 15
• Saint Olaf College: January 15
• Sarah Lawrence College: January 15
• Scripps College: January 5
• Sewanee: The University of the South: January 15
• Skidmore College: January 15
• Smith College: January 1
• Southern Methodist University: January 15
• Springfield College: January 15
• Stonehill College: February 1
• Stevens Institute of Technology: January 15
• Swarthmore College: January 4
• Texas Christian University: February 1
• Trinity College: January 14
• Trinity University: February 1
• Tufts University: January 4
• Tulane University: January 13
• Union College: January 15
• University of Chicago: January 4
• University of Denver: January 15
• University of Miami: January 1
• University of Richmond: January 1
• University of Rochester: January 5
• Ursinus College: February 1
• Vanderbilt University: January 1
• Vassar College: January 1
• Villanova University: January 15
• Wake Forest University: January 1
• Washington and Lee University: January 1
• Washington University in St. Louis: January 4
• Wellesley College: January 1
• Wesleyan University: January 1
• Wheaton College: January 15
• Whitman College: January 10
• Worchester Polytechnic Institute: January 15

*Application deadlines are subject to change; please confirm the deadlines on the college website.