Early decision is binding: if you're admitted, you agree to enroll and withdraw your other applications. Early action is not binding: you apply early and hear early, usually by December or January, but you can wait until May 1 to decide and compare offers. Both usually have deadlines in early November, and some colleges add a second, binding round in January called Early Decision II.
Early decision vs. early action at a glance
| Early decision | Early action | |
|---|---|---|
| Binding? | Yes. You commit to enroll if admitted | No |
| Usual deadline | Early November (Early Decision II: January) | Early to mid-November |
| Decision arrives | Mid-December (ED II: February) | December to January |
| Apply early elsewhere? | You can apply to only one school early decision; you may still apply early action or regular decision elsewhere, but withdraw if admitted | Usually yes, unless the college's early action is restrictive (see below) |
| When you decide | Soon after admission, once you have your financial aid offer | By May 1 |
Restrictive early action, Early Decision II and regular decision
Answer first: Restrictive early action (Yale calls it single-choice early action) is not binding, but it limits where else you can apply early, usually ruling out other private colleges' early rounds. Early Decision II is a second binding round with a January deadline. Regular decision is the standard round, due in January, with decisions in March or early April.
Where this information comes from
Each college's rules below come from its own admissions website, checked in October 2026 for students applying this fall. Rules change from year to year, and each college writes its own, so read the college's page before you apply.
Restrictive early action: what each college allows
The restrictions are the part families most often get wrong, and they are not the same at every college.
| College | Plan and deadline | You may not also apply | You may also apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | Restrictive Early Action, November 1 | Early decision or early action at any other private college | Non-binding early plans at public universities, military academies and universities outside the U.S.; regular decision or Early Decision II anywhere |
| Yale | Single-Choice Early Action, November 1 | Early decision or early action elsewhere, with the exceptions at right | Non-binding rolling admission; non-binding early plans at public colleges; early rounds that notify after January 1; colleges outside the U.S. |
| Stanford | Restrictive Early Action, November 1 | Any early plan at another private U.S. college; any binding plan at a public university | Non-binding early plans at public universities; non-binding rolling admission; colleges outside the U.S.; military academies; non-binding early plans required for a scholarship or special program |
| Notre Dame | Restrictive Early Action, November 1 | A binding Early Decision I plan at any college, public or private | Early action at other colleges, public or private; Early Decision II anywhere (withdraw from Notre Dame if admitted) |
| Georgetown | Early Action, November 1 | A binding early decision plan anywhere | Other non-binding early action plans |
Sources: admissions websites of Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Notre Dame and Georgetown, checked October 29, 2026. Georgetown does not call its plan restrictive, but it does rule out early decision elsewhere.
A few things hold across these colleges. All of these plans are non-binding: if admitted, you can wait until May 1 to decide. Harvard, Yale and Notre Dame send early decisions in mid-December, and Georgetown by December 15. Each can admit you, deny you or defer you to regular decision. At Yale, Stanford and Notre Dame a denial in the early round is final, so you cannot apply again in regular decision that year. And if you are deferred or denied, Harvard, Stanford and Notre Dame all say you may then apply to another college's Early Decision II.
Early Decision II
Early Decision II works like early decision: it is binding, and you can apply to only one college this way. The difference is timing. The deadline comes in January, often the same day as regular decision, and decisions arrive in February. It suits a student who needed the fall to visit, finish testing or run the numbers, or whose first-choice early application did not work out.
Tufts, for example, has an Early Decision I deadline of November 2, 2026, with decisions in mid-December, and an Early Decision II deadline of January 4, 2027, with decisions in early February. Emory's Early Decision I deadline is November 1, with decisions by December 15; its Early Decision II deadline is January 1, with decisions by February 15. Of the 19 universities in the table below, check each college's own site for whether it offers a second round.
Regular decision
Regular decision is the standard, non-binding round. Deadlines are usually in early January: January 1 at Harvard, January 4 at Notre Dame and Tufts. Decisions come in the spring (the end of March at Harvard, mid- to late March at Notre Dame, by April 1 at Tufts), and you compare offers, including financial aid, before replying. May 1 is the common reply date, and it is the date at every college named here.
The difference between early action and regular decision is mostly timing. Both are non-binding. Early action asks for your application in November and answers sooner; regular decision gives you two more months to write, test and visit, and answers in the spring. You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships, and seeing several aid offers side by side is one of the quiet advantages of the non-binding rounds. Notre Dame notes one other difference: its early applicants receive priority consideration for merit scholarships.
Early decision and early action at 19 universities
These 19 universities each receive more than 15,000 applications a year and enroll about 3,000 to 11,000 undergraduates.
| University | Early decision | Early action | Early decision admit rate | Overall admit rate | SAT or ACT for 2026–27 applicants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnegie Mellon | Yes | No | 13.8% | 11.7% | Required for most programs |
| Case Western | Yes | Yes | 37.1% | 36.5% | Optional |
| Colgate | Yes | No | Not published | 13.9% | Optional |
| Emory | Yes | No | 23.2% | 10.7% | Optional |
| Fordham | Yes | Yes | Not published | 59.3% | Optional |
| George Washington | Yes | No | 66.3% | 47.1% | Optional for most |
| Georgetown | No | Yes | No early decision | 12.9% | Required |
| Howard | Yes | Yes | 49.4% | 41.3% | Optional |
| Johns Hopkins | Yes | No | Not published | 6.4% | Required |
| Lehigh | Yes | No | 45.3% | 25.9% | Optional |
| MIT | No | Yes | No early decision | 4.5% | Required |
| Rice | Yes | No | Not published | 8.0% | Optional (scores recommended) |
| Rochester | Yes | No | 38.1%* | 40.1% | Optional |
| Tufts | Yes | No | Not published | 11.5% | Optional |
| Tulane | Yes | Yes | Not published | 14.0% | Optional |
| UChicago | Yes | Yes | Not published | 4.5% | Optional |
| Villanova | Yes | Yes | 54.2% | 27.0% | Optional |
| WashU | Yes | Yes (new) | 25.3% | 12.1% | Optional |
| William & Mary | Yes | No | 47.0% | 34.1% | Optional |
Sources: each university's 2024–25 Common Data Set (early decision applications and admits for fall 2024) and admissions websites (plans offered and test policies for students applying in 2026–27); IPEDS (overall admission rate, fall 2024). "Not published" means we couldn't find early decision counts in the university's Common Data Set. \*Rochester's early decision figures cover Arts, Sciences & Engineering only. WashU added early action for students applying for fall 2027.
What early decision rates do and don't tell you
At most of these universities the early decision admit rate is higher than the overall rate. The widest gaps were at Villanova (54.2% early decision, 27.0% overall), Lehigh (45.3% early decision, 25.9% overall) and George Washington (66.3% early decision, 47.1% overall).
That doesn't mean the same student would have a better chance by applying early. Early applicants are a different group from regular applicants, and colleges don't publish how they compare. The early decision rate is a description of last year's early pool, not a prediction for any one student.
Is early decision right for you?
Early decision works best when a college is a clear first choice and the cost is likely to work for your family. Johns Hopkins, for example, suggests applying early decision only after researching several schools, estimating costs and deciding Hopkins is a clear first choice. A few questions to ask yourself:
- Have I visited or learned enough to know this place fits how I learn and live?
- Have we run the college's net price calculator, and could we afford the result?
- Would I be comfortable not comparing financial aid offers from other colleges?
If the answer to any of these is no, early action or regular decision keeps your options open.
Lens helps you figure out which kinds of colleges fit you, using seven research-backed assessments, so the college you choose early is one you understand. Start with Lens →
FAQ
What is the difference between early decision and early action? Early decision is binding: if admitted, you must enroll. Early action is non-binding: you hear early but can decide by May 1.
Is early decision binding? Yes. If you're admitted early decision, you agree to enroll and withdraw your other applications.
Can you apply early decision to more than one college? No. You can apply early decision to only one college at a time, though you may apply early action or regular decision to others.
Which of these universities don't offer early decision? MIT and Georgetown. Both offer non-binding early action instead.
Do these universities require the SAT or ACT? Johns Hopkins, MIT and Georgetown require scores, and Carnegie Mellon requires them for most programs. The others are test-optional for students applying in 2026–27, though Rice recommends sending scores if you have them.
Is the early decision acceptance rate higher? At most of these universities, yes, but the early applicant pool is different from the regular one, so the higher rate isn't a prediction for any one single student.
What is restrictive early action? A non-binding early round that limits where else you can apply early. At Harvard and Stanford it rules out early plans at other private U.S. colleges; Notre Dame's rules out only binding Early Decision I. Each college sets its own rules.
Is restrictive early action binding? No. If you are admitted, you can wait until May 1 to decide, as at any non-binding round.
Can I apply to a public university early if I apply restrictive early action? At Harvard, Yale and Stanford, yes, as long as the public university's plan is non-binding. Notre Dame allows early action anywhere.
What is Early Decision II? A second binding early decision round, with a January deadline and decisions in February. Tufts and Emory both offer it. You can apply to only one college early decision at a time.
What is the difference between early action and regular decision? Timing. Both are non-binding. Early action deadlines are usually in early November with decisions in December or January; regular decision deadlines are usually in early January with decisions in March or April.
College pages in this group
- Case Western Reserve University
- Colgate University
- Emory University
- Fordham University
- George Washington University
- Howard University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Lehigh University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- University of Rochester
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- University of Chicago
- Villanova University
- Washington University in St. Louis
- William & Mary
Related
- Common Data Set: links for 50 colleges and how to read it
- The 8 Ivy League schools: how they actually differ
- What is a good SAT score?
- When to take the SAT
- Big 12 schools: the 16 universities and how they differ
- Liberal arts colleges: 20 compared
- How many colleges should I apply to?
- What is the CSS Profile?
Sources
- Harvard College, Application timeline.
- Yale University, Single-Choice Early Action.
- Stanford University, First-year decision process.
- University of Notre Dame, Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision.
- Georgetown University, Early Action.
- Tufts University, First-year students.
- Emory University, Early Decision.
- Rules and dates checked October 29, 2026. Early decision counts: each university's 2024–25 Common Data Set; overall admission rates: IPEDS, fall 2024.