College Application Deadlines for the Top 50: Every Date That You Need to Know
As each college application deadline draws closer, here is the essential question: do you know when each of your applications is actually due? If you are ready to hit submit for a dream school, you need to know whether that college offers Early Action, Early Decision I, or Early Decision II. If you need more time to polish your materials, you are probably targeting Regular Decision. Seeing the dates side by side lets you weigh options, plan which schools to target in early rounds, and sequence your work so every component lands on time.
Every college sets its own policy and calendar. Many institutions use a November 1 early deadline and a January 1 regular deadline. Others choose November 15 for early rounds. A few accept Regular Decision applications into late January or February. Some campuses follow a different rhythm altogether. You do not want to discover a November 30 college application deadline on November 29. To help you organize, below are definitions for each plan, comprehensive deadline tables for top national universities and top liberal arts colleges, and practical tips for building a smart timeline.
Key Terms You Should Know
Early Action (EA). Nonbinding plan. You apply earlier than Regular Decision, usually in October or November, and receive a decision in December or January.
Early Decision I (ED I). Binding plan. You apply in October or November and receive a decision in December. If admitted, you must enroll and withdraw other applications.
Early Decision II (ED II). Binding plan. You apply closer to the Regular Decision timeline, usually in early January, and receive a decision in February or March. If admitted, you must enroll.
Restrictive Early Action (REA). Nonbinding plan used by a small number of schools. You apply early but agree to restrictions on other early applications.
Single Choice Early Action (SCEA). A restrictive version of EA. You apply early to one private institution only.
Regular Decision (RD). The main round. You apply in late December, January, or early February and receive decisions in late March or April.
Deadlines below reflect current common patterns. Colleges may adjust dates slightly from year to year, so confirm on each school’s website before submitting.
College Application Deadlines for the Top 50 National Universities
| School | EA Deadline | ED I Deadline | ED II Deadline | RD Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton University | November 1 SCEA | January 1 | ||
| Harvard University | November 1 SCEA | January 1 | ||
| Columbia University | November 1 | January 1 | ||
| MIT | November 1 EA | January 1 | ||
| Yale University | November 1 SCEA | January 2 | ||
| Stanford University | November 1 REA | January 5 | ||
| University of Chicago | November 1 EA | November 1 | January 4 | January 2 |
| University of Pennsylvania | November 1 | January 5 | ||
| Caltech | November 1 EA | January 3 | ||
| Johns Hopkins University | November 1 | January 2 | January 2 | |
| Northwestern University | November 1 | January 2 | ||
| Duke University | November 1 | January 2 | ||
| Dartmouth College | November 1 | January 2 | ||
| Brown University | November 1 | January 2 | ||
| Vanderbilt University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Rice University | November 1 | January 1 | ||
| Washington University in St. Louis | November 1 | January 2 | January 2 | |
| Cornell University | November 1 | January 2 | ||
| University of Notre Dame | November 1 REA | January 1 | ||
| UCLA | November 30 | |||
| Emory University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| UC Berkeley | November 30 | |||
| Georgetown University | November 1 EA | January 10 | ||
| University of Michigan | November 1 EA | February 1 | ||
| USC | January 15 | |||
| Carnegie Mellon University | November 1 | January 1 | ||
| University of Virginia | November 1 EA | November 1 ED | January 1 | |
| UNC Chapel Hill | October 15 EA | January 15 | ||
| Wake Forest University | November 15 EA | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 |
| NYU | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Tufts University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| UC Santa Barbara | November 30 | |||
| University of Florida | November 1 priority, rolling to March 1 | |||
| University of Rochester | November 1 | January 5 | January 5 | |
| Boston College | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Georgia Tech | October 15 EA in state | January 1 RD, Nov 1 EA nonresidents | ||
| UC Irvine | November 30 | |||
| UC San Diego | November 30 | |||
| UC Davis | November 30 | |||
| Tulane University | November 15 EA | November 1 | January 15 | |
| Boston University | November 1 | January 6 | January 6 | |
| Brandeis University | November EA | November 1 | January 1 or 15 | January 1 or 15 |
| Case Western Reserve | November 1 EA | November 1 | January 15 | January 15 |
| UT Austin | December 1 | |||
| University of Wisconsin Madison | November 1 EA | February 1 | ||
| University of Georgia | October 15 EA | January 1 | ||
| UIUC | November 1 priority | Jan 5 to Mar 1 depending on program | ||
| Pepperdine University | November 1 | January 15 | ||
| Northeastern University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Lehigh University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 |
College Application Deadlines for the Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges
| School | EA Deadline | ED I Deadline | ED II Deadline | RD Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams College | November 15 | January 1 | ||
| Amherst College | November 1 | January 1 | ||
| Pomona College | November 1 | January 8 | January 1 | |
| Wellesley College | November 1 | January 1 or 15 | January 8 or 15 | |
| Bowdoin College | November 15 | January 1 | January 5 | |
| Claremont McKenna College | November 1 | January 5 | January 5 | |
| Swarthmore College | November 15 | January 4 | January 4 | |
| United States Naval Academy | January 31 | |||
| Carleton College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Hamilton College | November 15 | January 1 | January 3 | |
| Middlebury College | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Washington and Lee University | November 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Grinnell College | November 15 | January 1 or 15 | January 15 | |
| Vassar College | November 15 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Colby College | November 15 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Davidson College | November 15 | January 2 or 6 | January 7 | |
| Haverford College | November 15 | January 1 | January 15 | |
| Smith College | November 15 | January 1 | January 15 | |
| United States Military Academy | February 28 | |||
| Colgate University | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Wesleyan University | November 15 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Barnard College | November 1 | January 1 | ||
| Bates College | November 15 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| University of Richmond | November 1 | January 1 | January 15 | |
| Colorado College | November 10 EA | November 10 | January 15 | January 15 |
| Bryn Mawr College | November 15 | January 1 | January 15 | |
| Kenyon College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| United States Air Force Academy | December 31 | |||
| Scripps College | November 15 | January 5 | January 5 | |
| Soka University of America | November 1 EA | January 15 | ||
| Macalester College | November 1 or 15 | January 1 or 15 | January 15 | |
| Harvey Mudd College | November 15 | January 5 | January 5 | |
| Berea College | Rolling (priority Oct 31, Feb 28, Apr 30) | |||
| Mount Holyoke College | November 15 | January 1 | January 15 | |
| Bucknell University | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| College of the Holy Cross | November 15 | January 15 | ||
| Oberlin College | November 15 | January 2 or 15 | January 15 | |
| Pitzer College | November 15 | January 1 | January 8 | |
| Skidmore College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Lafayette College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Occidental College | November 1 or 15 | January 10 or Feb 1 | January 10 | |
| Thomas Aquinas College | Rolling | |||
| Franklin and Marshall College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Denison University | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Trinity College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Union College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| DePauw University | November 1 EA | November 15 | January 15 | February 1 |
| Dickinson College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Sewanee University of the South | December 1 EA | November 15 | January 15 | February 1 |
| Whitman College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 | |
| Connecticut College | January 1 | January 1 | January 1 | |
| Centre College | December 1 EA | November 15 | January 15 | |
| Gettysburg College | November 15 | January 15 | January 15 |
How to Use These Deadlines
-
Build a master calendar. Track every school, its college application deadline, and your personal target date one week earlier.
-
Pick your early strategy early. Decide whether ED, EA, or ED II fits your readiness and goals.
-
Sequence essays. Group schools with similar prompts so you can repurpose content.
-
Be realistic. Submitting early only helps if your file is strong.
-
Mind special majors. Programs in business, nursing, and arts often have earlier dates.
-
Submit early enough. Allow a cushion of a day or two for portal delays or payment hiccups.
Tips to Follow When Looking at College Application Deadlines
- Don’t Submit Your Application Too Early – When looking through these college application deadlines, you might be wondering whether admissions officers evaluate your commitment towards the school based on how long before the deadline you submit your application. The answer is no. You don’t get any type of advantage if you submit on October 1st instead of October 31st for a November 1st deadline. While you need to make the deadline, you also need to make sure your work is clean and absolutely spotless. Admissions officers will notice typos, so don’t sacrifice the quality of your work to be early.
- Watch Out for Portal Glitches – While you shouldn’t rush to finish up too far in advance, you shouldn’t risk submitting too close to college application deadlines The application systems aren’t glitch-free and technical difficulties are always a possibility. In order to avoid any last-minute emergencies that can potentially jeopardize all of your hard work, prepare yourself to finish everything at least a day or two early so that you can avoid any unforeseen scenarios.
- Think About Your Schedule – When it comes to planning around college application deadlines, you also have to remember that you are a teenager and you need to have fun once in a while. The early application deadlines are right after Halloween and the regular application deadlines closely follow Christmas. If you wish to participate in the festivities, make a long-term schedule that ensures that you wrap up the final touches on all your requirements before college application deadlines come knocking on your door.
College application deadlines are crucial in helping you understand the college application timeline. Keeping them in the back of your head as you work through your personal statement, standardized tests, and supplemental essays can help set things into motion. They can act as the driving force to motivate you to not only complete all your requirements on time, but to perfect them. By jotting down when your applications are due, you can make sure you’ve got all you need and take one step closer to impressing your dream college. Good luck!
Want a personalized application strategy? Our Former Admissions Officers can help you build your timeline and strengthen every piece of your application. Schedule your free consultation today.