When Are Early Decision Notifications Released for the Class of 2031?
Early Decision (ED) and Restrictive Early Action (REA) notification dates for the Class of 2031 application cycle, with applications submitted by November 1, 2026, are released by colleges between mid-December 2026 and mid-January 2027. Most ED schools release decisions in the second or third week of December, with Ivy League EA/REA schools releasing on a coordinated date in mid-December. ED2 decisions are released in mid-February 2027.
The exact release date varies by institution and is announced by each school approximately 4-6 weeks before the release. Students should check the official admissions page of each target school for the specific date and time. Most universities release decisions after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the announced date.
Ivy League Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates
The eight Ivy League schools coordinate their Early Decision and Single-Choice Early Action notification dates to a single mid-December release window. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Penn use binding Early Decision; Harvard, Princeton, and Yale use non-binding restrictive Single-Choice Early Action.
| School | Early Program Type | ED1/EA/REA Notification (Class of 2031) |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Columbia | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Cornell | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Dartmouth | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Harvard | Single-Choice Early Action (non-binding, restrictive) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Penn | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Princeton | Single-Choice Early Action (non-binding, restrictive) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Yale | Single-Choice Early Action (non-binding, restrictive) | Mid-December 2026 |
Top 25 Non-Ivy University Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates
Most top-25 universities outside the Ivy League also release Early Decision and Early Action notifications in mid-December 2026. Stanford, Caltech, MIT, and Notre Dame use non-binding restrictive Early Action; most others (Duke, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, WashU) use binding Early Decision.
| School | Early Program Type | Notification Window (Class of 2031) |
|---|---|---|
| Stanford | Restrictive Early Action (non-binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| MIT | Early Action (non-binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Caltech | Restrictive Early Action (non-binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Duke | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Northwestern | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Johns Hopkins | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| UChicago | Early Decision and Early Action | Mid-December 2026 |
| Vanderbilt | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| WashU | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Notre Dame | Restrictive Early Action (non-binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Rice | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Georgetown | Restrictive Early Action (non-binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Tufts | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Emory | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Carnegie Mellon | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| USC | Early Action (non-binding) | Late January 2027 |
| NYU | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
Top Liberal Arts College Early Decision Notification Dates
Most top liberal arts colleges use binding Early Decision and release notifications in mid-December 2026. The competitive set includes Williams, Amherst, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Wellesley at the top, followed by Bowdoin, Middlebury, Carleton, and Claremont McKenna. See our individual analyses of Williams acceptance rate, Amherst acceptance rate, and Pomona acceptance rate for school-specific strategic context.
| School | Early Program Type | Notification Window (Class of 2031) |
|---|---|---|
| Williams | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Amherst | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Pomona | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Swarthmore | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Wellesley | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Bowdoin | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Middlebury | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Carleton | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Claremont McKenna | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Hamilton | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Davidson | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Wesleyan | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Haverford | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Colby | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
| Barnard | Early Decision (binding) | Mid-December 2026 |
When Is ED2 Notification Released?
ED2 decisions are released in mid-February 2027 for applicants who submit ED2 applications by the early-to-mid January 2027 ED2 deadline. ED2 is a binding second-round Early Decision option offered by approximately 80 colleges, including Brown, Tufts, Vanderbilt, WashU, NYU, Bowdoin, Carleton, Hamilton, Wesleyan, and Pomona. ED2 functions strategically as a backup binding option for students deferred or denied from their ED1 school.
| School | ED2 Deadline | ED2 Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Brown | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Tufts | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Vanderbilt | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| WashU | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| NYU | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Bowdoin | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Carleton | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Hamilton | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Wesleyan | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
| Pomona | Early-to-mid January 2027 | Mid-February 2027 |
What Time of Day Are Early Decision Results Released?
Most Early Decision results are released after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the announced release day. Selective universities typically release in the late afternoon or early evening to allow students to receive decisions outside of school hours. Ivy League SCEA/REA releases have historically been at 5:00 PM or 7:00 PM ET.
Applicants receive Early Decision results through the institution’s applicant portal. Most schools also send an email notification when the decision is available, but the email typically does not contain the decision itself. Students must log into the portal to view the result. Mailed decisions are no longer standard; portals are now the primary delivery method.
What Are the Possible Early Decision Outcomes?
ED applicants can be admitted, deferred to Regular Decision, or denied. Admitted ED applicants are bound to attend the school and must withdraw applications from all other schools (with the limited exception of pending applications to public universities for state residency reasons). Deferred applicants are reconsidered with the Regular Decision pool. Denied applicants cannot reapply for the same cycle.
Deferral rates vary widely by school: some schools defer most non-admits, while others deny outright. Schools with high deferral rates typically defer 60-75% of non-admits to RD; schools with low deferral rates may defer only 20-30% and deny the rest. The deferral practice affects the strategic decision of whether to submit additional Regular Decision applications immediately or wait for the deferral notification.
Frequently Asked Questions About Early Decision Notification Dates
Most Early Decision schools release decisions between mid-December 2026 and the third week of December 2026. Specific dates vary by institution: most Ivy League schools (excluding Princeton’s REA) release decisions on a coordinated mid-December date, often the second or third Thursday of December. ED schools outside the Ivy League typically release between December 10 and December 20.
Princeton’s Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) decisions are released in mid-December, typically on the same day as the coordinated Ivy Day-equivalent date for early decisions. Applicants can check princeton.edu/admission for the exact release date each year.
Harvard and Yale Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) and Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action (REA) all release in mid-December, typically on the same day or within a 24-hour window. Recent years have seen these announcements made on a Thursday in mid-December at 5:00 or 7:00 PM Eastern Time.
ED2 decisions are released in mid-February 2027 for applicants who submit ED2 applications by the early-to-mid January 2027 ED2 deadline. Specific ED2 release dates vary by institution: most ED2 schools release in the second or third week of February.
Most Early Decision results are released after 5:00 PM Eastern Time on the announced release day. Selective universities typically release in the late afternoon or early evening to allow students to receive decisions outside of school hours. Ivy League SCEA/REA releases have historically been at 5:00 PM or 7:00 PM ET.
Applicants receive Early Decision results through the institution’s applicant portal. Most schools also send an email notification when the decision is available, but the email typically does not contain the decision itself; students must log into the portal to view the result. Mailed decisions are no longer standard; portals are now the primary delivery method.
Yes, ED applicants can be admitted, deferred to Regular Decision, or denied. Deferred applicants are reconsidered with the Regular Decision pool, while denied applicants cannot reapply for the same cycle. Deferral rates vary widely by school: some schools defer most non-admits, while others deny outright. ED2 is a separate option for students who were deferred or denied from ED1.
Yes, the ED admit rate is typically 2-3 times the Regular Decision rate at most ED schools. The ED tip is most pronounced at schools with binding ED policies and meaningful yield management considerations. The differential is smaller at schools with non-binding Early Action and at schools where ED is open to large applicant volumes.
Sources: The Common Application; NCES College Navigator; NACAC; individual institutions’ official admissions pages.
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