2026-27 Cycle
College Application Deadlines 2026-27: Top 50 Schools
Nov 1 is the single most common early deadline on this list: 28 of these 50 schools set an early plan due that day, including every Ivy League school with an early plan. The earliest deadlines on this list are all due Oct 15: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (EA), University of Florida (ED), and University of Texas at Austin (EA). The University of California campuses on this list skip early plans entirely and share one Nov 30 filing deadline instead. Regular-decision deadlines cluster in January (44 of 50 schools); Jan 4 is the single most common regular deadline, used by 14 schools.
Policies are changing fast, get an email when any school on this list changes its policy.
Early deadlines, by date
Every early plan (ED, ED2, EA, REA, SCEA) on this list, grouped chronologically. The University of California’s single filing deadline is included as its own group since UC campuses don’t have separate early plans.
- EAUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- EDUniversity of Florida
- EAUniversity of Texas at Austin
- REACalifornia Institute of Technology
- REAStanford University
- REAHarvard University
- SCEAYale University
- EDColumbia University in the City of New York
- EAMassachusetts Institute of Technology
- SCEAPrinceton University
- EDBrown University
- EDUniversity of Pennsylvania
- EDDartmouth College
- ED1Vanderbilt University
- ED1Johns Hopkins University
- EDNorthwestern University
- ED1Rice University
- EDCornell UniversityNov 1 (application + fee); Nov 13 (remaining materials)
- ED IClaremont McKenna College
- EDUniversity of Southern California
- EAUniversity of Southern California
- ED IEmory University
- REAUniversity of Notre Dame
- EAGeorgetown University
- EDWellesley College
- EAUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- EDBoston College
- EAUniversity of Virginia-Main Campus†
- EAUniversity of Florida
- EAUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- EAUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
- ED1New York University
- EDDuke University
- ED IMiddlebury College†
- ED IBoston University
- ED ITufts University
- EDCarnegie Mellon University
- EDWashington University in St Louis
- EAGeorgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
- ED1University of Chicago
- EAUniversity of Chicago
- ED1Pomona College
- EDAmherst College
- ED1Bowdoin College
- ED1Swarthmore College
- EDWilliams College†
- EDDavidson College
- ED1Carleton College
- ED1Wake Forest University
- UC filing deadlineUniversity of California-Los Angeles
- UC filing deadlineUniversity of California-Berkeley
- UC filing deadlineUniversity of California-San Diego
- ED2Vanderbilt University
- ED IIEmory University
- ED2Wake Forest University
- ED2New York University
- ED2Johns Hopkins University
- ED2Swarthmore College
- ED2Rice University
- ED IIMiddlebury College†
- ED IITufts University
- ED2Washington University in St Louis
- ED2Boston College
- ED2University of Chicago
- ED2Bowdoin College
- ED IIBoston University
- ED2Davidson College
- ED2Wellesley College
- ED2Pomona College
- ED IIClaremont McKenna College
- ED2Carleton College
All 50 schools
Filter by early plan type, or see every school at once. Every row is on the page either way — filtering only affects what’s shown.
Showing 50 of 50 schools.
| School | Early plan(s) & deadline(s) | Regular deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Institute of Technology Elite Private | Nov 1 (REA) | Jan 4, 2027 | Source → |
| Stanford University Elite Private | Nov 1 (REA) | Jan 5, 2027 | Source → |
| Harvard University Ivy League | Nov 1 (REA) | Jan 1, 2027 | Source → |
| Yale University Ivy League | Nov 1 (SCEA) | Jan 2, 2027 | Source → |
| Columbia University in the City of New York Ivy League | Nov 1 (ED) | Jan 1, 2027 | Source → |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Elite Private | Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 4, 2027 | Source → |
| Princeton University Ivy League | Nov 1 (SCEA) | Jan 1, 2027 | Source → |
| Brown University Ivy League | Nov 1 (ED) | Jan 5, 2027 | Source → |
| University of Pennsylvania Ivy League | Nov 1 (ED) | Jan 5, 2027 | Source → |
| Dartmouth College Ivy League | Nov 1 (ED) | Jan 1, 2027 | Source → |
| Duke University Elite Private | Nov 2 (ED) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Vanderbilt University Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED1); Jan 1 (ED2) | Jan 1 | Source → |
| Johns Hopkins University Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED1); Jan 2 (ED2) | Jan 2 | Source → |
| Pomona College Liberal Arts | Nov 8 (ED1); Jan 8 (ED2) | Jan 8 | Source → |
| Bowdoin College Liberal Arts | Nov 15 (ED1); Jan 5 (ED2) | Jan 5 | Source → |
| Swarthmore College Liberal Arts | Nov 15 (ED1); Jan 4 (ED2) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Northwestern University Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Rice University Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED1); Jan 4 (ED2) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Williams College† Liberal Arts | Nov 15 (ED) | Jan. 4 (confirmed exact via williams.edu — not merely approximate as previously stated) | Source → |
| Cornell University Ivy League | Nov 1 (application + fee); Nov 13 (remaining materials) (ED) | Jan 2 (application + fee); Jan 19 (remaining materials) | Source → |
| University of California-Los Angeles Top Public | — | November 30, 2026 (UC's single filing deadline for all campuses; the UC system has no separate early action/decision plans) | Source → |
| Amherst College Liberal Arts | Nov 9, 2026 (ED) | January 5, 2027 | Source → |
| Claremont McKenna College Liberal Arts | Nov 1, 2026 (ED I); Jan 10, 2027 (ED II) | January 10, 2027 | Source → |
| University of Southern California Elite Private | Nov 1, 2026 (ED); Nov 1, 2026 (EA) | January 10, 2027 (December 1, 2026 for the Kaufman School of Dance, Thornton School of Music, and School of Dramatic Arts) | Source → |
| Emory University Elite Private | Nov 1, 2026 (ED I); Jan 1, 2027 (ED II) | January 1, 2027 | Source → |
| Middlebury College† Liberal Arts | Nov 2, 2026 (ED I); Jan 4, 2027 (ED II) | January 4, 2027 | Source → |
| University of California-Berkeley Top Public | — | November 30, 2026 (UC's single filing deadline for all campuses; the UC system has no separate early action/decision plans) | Source → |
| Boston University Elite Private | Nov 2, 2026 (ED I); Jan 5, 2027 (ED II) | January 5, 2027 | Source → |
| University of Notre Dame Elite Private | Nov 1, 2026 (REA) | January 4, 2027 | Source → |
| Tufts University Elite Private | Nov 2, 2026 (ED I); Jan 4, 2027 (ED II) | January 4, 2027 | Source → |
| Carnegie Mellon University Elite Private | Nov 2 (ED) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Washington University in St Louis Elite Private | Nov 2 (ED); Jan 4 (ED2) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| Georgetown University Elite Private | Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 1 | Source → |
| Davidson College Liberal Arts | Nov 15 (ED); Jan 5 (ED2) | Jan 10 | Source → |
| Wellesley College Liberal Arts | Nov 1 (ED); Jan 5 (ED2) | Jan 8 | Source → |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Top Public | Nov 2 (EA) | Jan 6 | Source → |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Top Public | Oct 15 (EA) | Jan 15 | Source → |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Top Public | Nov 1 (EA) | Feb 1 | Source → |
| Boston College Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED); Jan 4 (ED2) | Jan 4 | Source → |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus† Top Public | Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 1 | Source → |
| Carleton College Liberal Arts | Nov 15 (ED1); Jan 15 (ED2) | Jan 15 | Source → |
| Wake Forest University Elite Private | Nov 15 (ED1); Jan 1 (ED2) | Jan 1 | Source → |
| University of Florida Top Public | Oct 15 (ED); Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 15 | Source → |
| University of Texas at Austin Top Public | Oct 15 (EA) | Dec 1 | Source → |
| University of California-San Diego Top Public | — | Nov 30 | Source → |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus Top Public | — | Nov 15 | Source → |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Top Public | Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 5 | Source → |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison Top Public | Nov 1 (EA) | Jan 15 | Source → |
| New York University Elite Private | Nov 1 (ED1); Jan 1 (ED2) | Jan 5 | Source → |
| University of Chicago Elite Private | Nov 2 (ED1); Nov 2 (EA); Jan 4 (ED2) | Jan 4 | Source → |
† We could not fully verify this school against its official pages this cycle — confirm directly with the school. Applies to: Williams College, Middlebury College, University of Virginia-Main Campus.
Each school researched against its official admissions pages (or Common Data Set filings), then independently re-verified by a second pass. Per-school confidence is shown where primary .edu sources were not directly reachable. Last verified August 17, 2026. Spot a change? Email support@deweysmart.com.
Frequently asked questions
When are most Early Decision and Early Action deadlines for the 2026-27 cycle?
Nov 1 is the single most common early deadline on this list: 28 of the 50 schools set an ED, EA, REA, or SCEA deadline on Nov 1 for the 2026-27 cycle, including all 8 Ivy League schools with an early plan.
Which schools have Oct 15 application deadlines?
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (EA), University of Florida (ED), and University of Texas at Austin (EA) all have Oct 15 early deadlines for the 2026-27 cycle — the earliest deadlines of any school on this list.
When is the University of California application deadline?
The University of California system does not use separate early action or early decision plans — every campus shares one filing deadline instead. University of California-Los Angeles, University of California-Berkeley, and University of California-San Diego all share a Nov 30 filing deadline for the 2026-27 cycle.
What's the typical regular-decision deadline for 2026-27?
Jan 4 is the single most common regular-decision deadline, used by 14 of the 50 schools on this list. Overall, 44 of the 50 schools set their regular deadline sometime in January, so early-to-mid January is the typical target.
Policies are changing fast, get an email when any school on this list changes its policy.
