2026-27 Early Application Deadlines
Which schools offer ED / EA / REA, when they close, and what signing actually commits you to — on one page. Re-verified each season; confirm on each school's official site before you submit.
Data verified through 2026-10-18 · Official sites take precedence
Early rounds and deadlines
| School | Round | Deadline | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | EA1EA2RD | 10/15 11/02 01/06 | — |
| UNC Chapel Hill | EARD | 10/15 01/15 | — |
| University of Florida | ED1EARD | 10/15 11/01 01/15 | Binding |
| University of Georgia | EARD | 10/15 01/01 | — |
| UT Austin | EARD | 10/15 12/01 | — |
| Baylor University | ED1EARD | 11/01 11/01 02/01 | Binding |
| Binghamton University | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Boston College | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| Brown University | ED1RD | 11/01 01/05 | Binding |
| Caltech | REARD | 11/01 01/04 | Restrictive |
| Case Western Reserve University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| Claremont McKenna College | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Columbia University | ED1RD | 11/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Cornell University | ED1RD | 11/01 01/02 | Binding |
| Dartmouth College | ED1RD | 11/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Emory University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Fordham University | EAED1ED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/03 01/03 | Binding |
| George Washington University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Georgetown University | REARD | 11/01 01/10 | Restrictive |
| Harvard University | REARD | 11/01 01/01 | Restrictive |
| Indiana University Bloomington | EARD | 11/01 02/01 | — |
| Johns Hopkins University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/02 01/02 | Binding |
| Lehigh University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Michigan State University | EARD | 11/01 02/01 | — |
| MIT | EARD | 11/01 01/04 | — |
| NC State University | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Northeastern University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Northwestern University | ED1RD | 11/01 01/04 | Binding |
| NYU | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/05 | Binding |
| Oberlin College | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/05 01/15 | Binding |
| Ohio State University | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Penn State | EARD | 11/01 12/01 | — |
| Princeton University | SCEARD | 11/01 01/01 | Restrictive |
| Purdue University | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 12/01 01/06 01/15 | Binding |
| Rice University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| Rutgers | EARD | 11/01 12/01 | — |
| Santa Clara University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/07 01/07 | Binding |
| Stanford University | REARD | 11/01 01/05 | Restrictive |
| Stony Brook University | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Syracuse University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Tulane University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/10 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| UIUC | EARD | 11/01 01/05 | — |
| University of Arizona | EA | 11/01 | — |
| University of Connecticut | ED1RD | 11/01 01/15 | Binding |
| University of Maryland | EARD | 11/01 01/20 | — |
| University of Miami | ED1EAED2RD | 11/01 11/01 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| University of Michigan | EARD | 11/01 02/01 | — |
| University of Minnesota Twin Cities | EARD | 11/01 01/01 | — |
| University of Notre Dame | REARD | 11/01 01/04 | Restrictive |
| University of Pennsylvania | ED1RD | 11/01 01/05 | Binding |
| University of Rochester | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| University of Virginia | ED1EARD | 11/01 11/01 01/05 | Binding |
| USC | EARD | 11/01 01/10 | — |
| UW Madison | EARD | 11/01 01/15 | — |
| Vanderbilt University | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Wellesley College | ED1ED2RD | 11/01 01/01 01/08 | Binding |
| Yale University | SCEARD | 11/01 01/02 | Restrictive |
| Boston University | ED1ED2RD | 11/02 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Brandeis University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/02 11/02 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| Carnegie Mellon University | ED1RD | 11/02 01/04 | Binding |
| Duke University | ED1RD | 11/02 01/04 | Binding |
| Middlebury College | ED1ED2RD | 11/02 01/04 01/05 | Binding |
| Tufts University | ED1ED2RD | 11/02 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| University of Chicago | EAED1ED2RD | 11/02 11/02 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| Washington University in St. Louis | EAED1ED2RD | 11/02 11/02 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| UMass Amherst | EARD | 11/05 01/15 | — |
| Amherst College | ED1RD | 11/09 01/05 | Binding |
| Bowdoin College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Carleton College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| Davidson College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/04 01/11 | Binding |
| Hamilton College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| Harvey Mudd College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Haverford College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/05 01/10 | Binding |
| Kenyon College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| Pomona College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/15 01/15 | Binding |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | ED1EAED2RD | 11/15 12/01 01/05 01/05 | Binding |
| Swarthmore College | ED1ED2RD | 11/15 01/04 01/04 | Binding |
| University of Colorado Boulder | EARD | 11/15 01/15 | — |
| Virginia Tech | EARD | 11/15 01/15 | — |
| Wake Forest University | ED1EAED2RD | 11/15 11/15 01/01 01/01 | Binding |
| Williams College | ED1RD | 11/15 01/05 | Binding |
Schools with no early round
These schools (including the UC system) have no ED / EA — every applicant submits in the same round. There is no early advantage to be had.
Common questions
Is ED binding? Can you back out?
Mostly no. ED means you attend if admitted; only a genuine financial-aid shortfall and a few similar situations allow a release. Before signing, make sure the family truly wants the school and can truly afford it.
Can you apply ED and EA at the same time?
Usually one ED plus several unrestricted EAs is fine. Schools marked Restrictive (REA / SCEA) have their own rules — applying there blocks early applications to other private schools. Check the Terms column first.
What exactly does REA / SCEA restrict?
With REA / SCEA you generally cannot apply ED or EA to other private universities at the same time; public-university EA and rolling programs are usually fine. Details vary by school — the official site governs.
Does the UC system have early application?
No. The UC campuses have no ED / EA — everyone applies in a single round, and submitting early carries no advantage. UC runs its own application system; see the UC site for timing.
If you miss early rounds, is it over?
No. Regular Decision holds most of the seats. Early rounds are a pacing choice, not a gate — polish the application and submit RD.
Do deadlines change year to year?
They shift slightly, and schools occasionally change policy. This page is re-verified each application season; always confirm against the school's official published dates before submitting.
Deadlines are just pacing. See where the applicant actually stands first, then decide what goes in each round.
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