Early Decision II Colleges and Deadlines (2026-2027)

The 35 colleges on our list of 115 that offer a second binding round, with the ED II date, the ED I date it follows, and the Regular Decision deadline. Verified by the AlphaApply.ai team.

What Early Decision II is

ED II is the same binding agreement as Early Decision I with a January deadline instead of November. If you are admitted, you withdraw your other applications and enroll. Schools typically release ED II decisions in mid-February, a month before Regular Decision. You may apply ED II to only one school, and you may do so after a deferral or denial from a different school's ED I round, which is the most common reason students use it.

Who it is for

Three situations fit. You applied ED I elsewhere and were deferred or denied, and one of the schools below is a genuine first choice. You found your first choice late, after the November deadlines had passed. Or you applied nowhere early and want the commitment to count for something at a school that offers it. In each case the question is the same as ED I: would you enroll if admitted, at the price the net price calculator shows? If the answer depends on comparing aid offers, apply Regular Decision instead.

ED II applications are read alongside the Regular Decision pool at most schools, and few publish a separate ED II admit rate, so treat the advantage as real but smaller than the headline ED I numbers. The one certain benefit is the earlier answer.

All 35 ED II colleges, earliest deadline first

ED II deadlines by date

January 1, 2027: Vanderbilt, Emory, NYU, Lehigh, Northeastern, Wake Forest, RIT.

January 2, 2027: Johns Hopkins.

January 3, 2027: Fordham.

January 4, 2027: Swarthmore, UChicago, Hamilton College, Rice, WashU, Tufts, Boston College, Babson.

January 5, 2027: Bowdoin, Harvey Mudd, Boston University, University of Rochester, William & Mary, GWU, University of Miami, Stevens, WPI.

January 6, 2027: RPI.

January 15, 2027: Case Western, Villanova, Brandeis, Tulane, SMU, UVM, College of Charleston.

February 1, 2027: TCU.

Dates are for the 2026-2027 cycle as verified by the AlphaApply.ai team and can shift; always confirm on the school's admissions site.

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