Early Decision and Early Action Deadline Organizer 2025-26

Early Action and Early Decision deadlines will be here before you know it. If you have one school in mind that is your ride-or-die, you should definitely consider applying Early Decision to put yourself toward the front of the pack. Many schools tend to accept a higher percentage of both Early Decision and Early Action applicants than Regular Decision applicants.

What Are Early Decision and Early Action Deadlines?

Early Decision and Early Action are similar in that they both require you to submit applications earlier in the admissions season, usually by November 1, but sometimes by October 15. 

The main difference is that Early Action is not binding, so you can usually apply to as many schools via Early Action as you like. (Unless any of those schools are accepting applications via Restrictive or Single Choice Early Action, which is slightly different.) Early Decision applications are binding, which means, should you be accepted, you must attend that school and withdraw all other applications. 

Unfortunately, there are a lot of early deadlines to keep track of. Luckily for you, we’ve put together a list of Early Decision, Early Action, and Early Decision II deadlines so you can better organize your college application calendar. In our 20+ years of experience helping students meet their college application deadlines with winning admissions essays, we’ve found that these deadlines rarely change. We have updated this Organizer with the deadlines for the Class of 2030!

If you’re not sure how you should be using your time, you might want to consider working on your Common App personal statement, writing your supplemental essays, acquiring recommendations from your favorite teachers, creating a fantastic activity resume, and crossing your fingers (and toes)!

We hope you find our Organizer to be helpful! If you need any essay help, get in touch!

Here are the Early Decision and Early Action Deadlines for the Class of 2030:

Curious as to how these dates differ from last year?

Here are the Early Decision and Early Action Deadlines for the Class of 2029:

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