TL;DR: Early Decision acceptance rates run two to four times higher than Regular Decision rates at most highly selective universities. For the Class of 2030, Duke admitted 13.8% of Early Decision applicants, Brown 16.5%, Yale 10.9% through Single Choice Early Action, Vanderbilt 11.9% across both ED rounds, and Emory 29.0% in ED I – while Regular Decision rates at the same schools sit in the low single digits (university admissions releases and student press, December 2025 to February 2026). Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and Dartmouth now withhold some or all early-round data. The full table below covers 19 schools with the early multiplier for each. To decide where a binding application belongs, schedule a consultation with Oriel Admissions.
Early Decision Acceptance Rates by School
The table below assembles the most recent published early-round rate for each school alongside the most recent Regular Decision rate, with the data vintage stated for every row. A tilde marks estimates, and where a school has stopped publishing round-level data, the table says so – because at this level, silence is information too.
| School | Early plan | Early rate (cycle) | Recent RD rate | Early multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard | REA | 8.7% (Class of 2028) | 2.7% | 3.2x | Withheld early data for the Class of 2030 |
| Yale | SCEA | 10.9% (Class of 2030) | 3.6% | ~3x | 779 admitted from 7,140; 18% deferred |
| Princeton | SCEA | ~12% (est., Classes of 2028-29) | ~3.2% | ~3.8x | Does not publish round-level data |
| Columbia | ED | 12.5% (Classes of 2028-29) | 2.9% | 4.3x | No longer publishes an ED breakout |
| Penn | ED | 14.2% (Class of 2028) | 4.1% | 3.5x | ED applications fell to roughly 7,800 for the Class of 2030 |
| Brown | ED | 16.5% (Class of 2030) | 4.0% | ~4x | 890 admitted from 5,406 |
| Cornell | ED | 18.8% (Classes of 2028-29) | ~5.5% | 3.4x | By-college ED rates span roughly 11-25% |
| Dartmouth | ED | 17.1% (Class of 2029) | 3.8% | 4.5x | 606 of 3,550; withholding Class of 2030 data until cycle end |
| MIT | EA | 5.5% (Class of 2030) | 3.5% | 1.7x | 655 admitted from 11,883 |
| Stanford | REA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | – | Stopped publishing round-level admit data years ago |
| Duke | ED | 13.8% (Class of 2030) | 3.7% | ~3.7x | 847 of 6,159; roughly half the class enters early |
| Northwestern | ED | Not yet published (Class of 2030) | 7% | ~3x | Recent ED rates ran roughly 20-23%; ED applications fell about 7% |
| Vanderbilt | ED I + II | 11.9% (Class of 2030) | 3.3% | ~3.6x | About half the class enters through ED |
| Rice | ED I | 13.2% (Classes of 2028-29) | 7.3% | 1.8x | – |
| Emory | ED I | 29.0% (Class of 2030) | ~11% | ~2.6x | Record 3,593 ED I applications, up 8% |
| Georgetown | EA | 11% (Classes of 2028-29) | ~10% | 1.1x | Non-binding EA confers little rate edge here |
| Tulane | ED | ~30% (Classes of 2028-29) | ~8% | ~3.8x | One of the strongest ED tilts on the list |
| Northeastern | ED | 43% (Class of 2028) | ~4% | ~11x | The widest published early gap among major universities |
| NYU | ED I + II | Not published | Not published | – | About 25,000 ED applications for the Class of 2030; more than half the class fills early |
Methodology: figures come from university releases, Common Data Set filings and student press reporting for the Classes of 2028 through 2030. Multipliers use same-cycle pairs where both numbers exist and adjacent cycles where they do not, which is why several carry a tilde. Where a row says a school does not disclose, that is the school speaking, not us.
How to Read the Early Multiplier
The raw multiplier overstates the causal edge. Early pools are stronger on average – they concentrate recruited athletes, legacy applicants and students confident enough to commit in November – so part of every gap is self-selection rather than preference. Vanderbilt admissions leadership has said publicly that admitted early and regular students look identical on academic credentials; what differs is the size of the pool each group competes against, roughly 7,000 early versus 48,000 regular in the most recent cycle. But the structural half of the advantage is real. Binding commitments protect yield, and yield is an institutional obsession: Duke and Vanderbilt now fill about half of every class before Regular Decision opens, which mechanically shrinks the March pool. Our Early Decision versus Regular Decision deep dive works through the causality question in detail, and the ED versus RD advantage calculator lets families run the numbers for any school.
The Disclosure Problem
The table has more blanks than it did five years ago, and that is the story. Harvard withheld its early numbers for the Class of 2030, Dartmouth is holding data until the cycle ends, Princeton and Columbia no longer publish round-level breakouts, and Stanford exited the disclosure business years ago. Families are being asked to make binding commitments with less information each cycle, which is exactly the pattern our College Admissions Transparency Index grades. Until disclosure improves, treat estimate rows as directional and lean on Common Data Set filings, which surface round-level counts months after the headlines fade.
ED, EA, REA and ED II: Which Rules Apply
Early Decision is binding; Early Action is not; Restrictive Early Action is non-binding but limits where else you can apply early; ED II runs the same binding bargain on a January deadline for students who need fall semester grades or a second chance after a deferral or denial. The distinctions carry real strategic weight, and we keep dedicated guides on each: Early Action versus Early Decision, Restrictive Early Action strategy, Early Decision II strategy and the full list of ED II schools. The binding commitment is enforceable in practice through counselor networks rather than courts, but walking away carries real costs – what happens if you break an Early Decision agreement covers the terrain.
How Families Should Use These Numbers
Three rules fall out of the table. First, the multiplier belongs to prepared applicants: an early submission with a rushed essay or a junior-year transcript dip converts none of the advantage. Second, the binding round is a financial decision as much as an admissions one, since committing before comparing aid packages is the price of the multiplier – full-pay families surrender the least by paying it, which is precisely why the early pools skew the way they do. Third, the round is a portfolio decision, not a single bet: the right ED target is the school where the multiplier, the fit and the family finances align, with an ED II candidate and an EA slate mapped before November, not after a December denial. Our ED strategy recommender builds that map, notification dates keeps the calendar honest, and deferred from Early Decision covers the contingency nobody plans for.
Frequently Asked Questions About Early Decision Acceptance Rates
At most highly selective universities the early rate runs two to four times the Regular Decision rate. Brown and Dartmouth have run around 4.5 times, Columbia around 4.3 times, and Northeastern published the widest gap at roughly 11 times.
Among major universities on our table, Tulane has run near 30% and Emory admitted 29.0% of ED I applicants for the Class of 2030. Northeastern admitted 43% of ED applicants for the Class of 2028, the widest published early gap relative to its regular round.
Partly. Some of the gap is self-selection, since early pools concentrate athletes, legacies and highly prepared applicants. But the structural advantage is real: binding commitments protect yield, schools like Duke and Vanderbilt fill about half the class early, and a competitive applicant competes against a pool a fraction the size of the regular round.
At the most ED-reliant schools, roughly half. Duke filled about half of its incoming class through Early Decision, and Vanderbilt admissions leadership has said about 50% of its class of roughly 1,600 comes from the early rounds.
Early Decision is binding. Early Action is non-binding. Restrictive Early Action is non-binding but limits other early applications. ED II is a second binding round with a January deadline, useful after a deferral or denial or when fall grades strengthen the file.
No, and fewer do each cycle. Harvard withheld early data for the Class of 2030, Dartmouth delays release until the cycle ends, Princeton and Columbia no longer publish round breakouts, and Stanford stopped disclosing years ago. Common Data Set filings often surface the counts months later.
The recognized release valve is financial: if the aid offer genuinely does not make attendance possible, families can be released from the commitment. Walking away for preference rather than affordability is different, and it carries real consequences through counselor and school networks.
ED I and REA results arrive in mid-December, and ED II results typically arrive in February. Vanderbilt released ED II results for the Class of 2030 on February 12, which closed out that early cycle.
Sources: The Vanderbilt Hustler, Forbes, MIT Admissions, Cornell Undergraduate Admissions, Yale Undergraduate Admissions, Common App.
About Oriel Admissions
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