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College Application Deadlines
2026 — All Schools

Every ED, EA, Regular Decision, FAFSA, and scholarship deadline for 239 US colleges. Track them all in one place — free.

Most searched schools

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Key college application dates for 2025–2026

These are the standard deadline windows used by most US colleges. Individual schools may differ — click any school below for their exact dates.

RoundTypical DeadlineDecision ByBinding?
Early Decision I (ED1)Nov 1 or Nov 15, 2025Mid-December 2025Yes
Early Action (EA)Nov 1 or Nov 15, 2025Mid-December 2025No
Restrictive EA / SCEANov 1, 2025Mid-December 2025No
Early Decision II (ED2)Jan 1 or Jan 15, 2026Mid-February 2026Yes
Regular Decision (RD)Jan 1 or Jan 15, 2026Late March / April 2026No
FAFSAOpens Oct 2025 · Priority: Feb 2026Aid offer with admission
CSS ProfileSame as application deadlineAid offer with admission
National Decision DayMay 1, 2026Your enrollment decision

Understanding college application deadlines

Early Decision (ED1 and ED2)

Early Decision is a binding commitment — if you are admitted, you are required to enroll and must immediately withdraw all other applications. ED1 deadlines are typically November 1 or November 15, with decisions released in mid-December. ED2 offers a second binding round with a January 1 or January 15 deadline and decisions in mid-February.

ED applicants often see modestly higher acceptance rates because colleges value demonstrated commitment. However, you should only apply ED if the school is truly your first choice and you are confident the financial aid offer will be workable — you have limited ability to compare packages.

Early Action (EA) and Restrictive Early Action (REA/SCEA)

Early Action is non-binding. You apply by the early deadline (usually November 1 or 15) and receive a decision in December, but you are free to apply to other schools and take until May 1 to make your final choice. Most schools with EA allow you to apply EA or ED to other schools simultaneously.

Restrictive Early Action (REA) — also called Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) — is used by Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford. It is non-binding but restricts you from applying early (ED or EA) to any other private university. You may still apply EA to public universities.

Regular Decision (RD)

Regular Decision is the standard application round. Most RD deadlines fall on January 1 or January 15, 2026, with a few schools using February 1. Decisions are typically released in late March or on April 1 (Ivy Day). Enrollment deposits are due by May 1, 2026 (National Decision Day).

Rolling Admissions

Schools with rolling admissions review applications as they arrive and send decisions within a few weeks. There is no single deadline — but applying early is strongly advantageous because seats fill up. Many large state universities (Penn State, Indiana University, Michigan State) use rolling admissions. Apply as early as possible, ideally in August or September.

FAFSA and Financial Aid Deadlines

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens in October and has a federal deadline of June 30, 2026. But most colleges have their own priority FAFSA deadline — often February 1 through March 1 — to be considered for maximum institutional grants and scholarships. Submit FAFSA as soon as it opens to maximize your aid.

The CSS Profile is required by about 400 private colleges and universities for institutional aid. Submit it at the same time as or shortly after your college application — for ED applicants, that means by November 1 or 15.

College application timeline: senior year

Summer (June–Aug)
Start Common App essay drafts. Request recommendation letters early. Finalize your college list. Research EA/ED options.
September
Finalize college list. Complete test prep or final SAT/ACT. Open Common App. Begin school-specific supplemental essays.
October
Submit EA/ED applications early — aim to be done by Oct 20 to avoid last-minute issues. Open FAFSA and CSS Profile when available.
November 1–15
EA, ED1, and REA/SCEA deadlines. Submit FAFSA and CSS Profile for applying schools.
December
Receive EA/ED decisions. If deferred or denied, finalize Regular Decision school list. Continue supplemental essays.
January 1–15
Regular Decision and ED2 deadlines. Most college applications are due this month.
March–April
Regular Decision notifications arrive. Compare financial aid packages. Visit admitted schools.
May 1
National Decision Day — submit enrollment deposit to your chosen school. Withdraw other acceptances.
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All deadline types

ED1, ED2, EA, Regular Decision, FAFSA, CSS Profile, scholarship deadlines — all auto-populated for 239 schools.

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Reminders before every deadline

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Essays & recommendations

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All 239 colleges — by state

Click any school to see their exact application deadlines for 2025–2026.

AZ

CA

CO

CT

DC

FL

GA

IL

IN

MA

ME

MI

NC

NH

NJ

NY

OH

OR

Other

Agnes Scott College

Allegheny College

American University

Auburn University

Babson College

Bard College

Barnard College

Bates College

13.3% acceptance

Baylor University

Belmont University

Bentley University

Boise State University

Boston College

12.7% acceptance

Boston University

14% acceptance

Brandeis University

Bryn Mawr College

Bucknell University

Butler University

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Cal State Long Beach

Carleton College

19.5% acceptance

Case Western Reserve University

Centre College

Claremont McKenna College

Clark Atlanta University

Clemson University

38.3% acceptance

Colby College

7% acceptance

Colgate University

17.4% acceptance

College of William and Mary

34.1% acceptance

College of Wooster

Colorado College

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Creighton University

Davidson College

13.4% acceptance

Denison University

DePaul University

DePauw University

Dickinson College

Drexel University

Elon University

Fairfield University

Fisk University

Florida A&M University

Florida International University

Fordham University

Franklin and Marshall College

Furman University

George Washington University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Gettysburg College

Gonzaga University

Grinnell College

Hamilton College

13.6% acceptance

Hampton University

Harvey Mudd College

Haverford College

13.3% acceptance

Hendrix College

Hofstra University

Hope College

Howard University

Illinois Institute of Technology

Indiana University Bloomington

Iowa State University

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

6% acceptance

Kansas State University

Kenyon College

Lafayette College

Lehigh University

Lewis and Clark College

Louisiana State University

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola University Chicago

Macalester College

Marquette University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

0.04% acceptance

Miami University Ohio

Middlebury College

14% acceptance

Mississippi State University

Montana State University

Morehouse College

Morgan State University

Muhlenberg College

NC State University

41.7% acceptance

New Jersey Institute of Technology

North Carolina A&T State University

North Dakota State University

Northeastern University

5.6% acceptance

Oberlin College

Occidental College

Ohio University

Ohio Wesleyan University

Oklahoma State University

Pepperdine University

Pitzer College

Pomona College

Providence College

Quinnipiac University

Reed College

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rhodes College

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rollins College

Sacred Heart University

Saint Anselm College

Saint Louis University

Saint Mary's College of California

San Diego State University

Santa Clara University

Sarah Lawrence College

Scripps College

Seattle University

Seton Hall University

Sewanee: The University of the South

Skidmore College

Spelman College

Stevens Institute of Technology

Stony Brook University

Syracuse University

Temple University

Texas Christian University

Trinity College

Trinity University

Tulane University

15% acceptance

UC Irvine

UC Riverside

UC Santa Cruz

Union College

University of Alabama

0.5% acceptance

University of Arizona

University of Arkansas

University of Central Florida

University of Cincinnati

University of Connecticut

University of Dayton

University of Delaware

University of Denver

University of Georgia

37.7% acceptance

University of Hawaii at Manoa

University of Idaho

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Iowa

University of Kansas

University of Kentucky

University of Maine

University of Maryland

45% acceptance

University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Miami

University of Minnesota

University of Mississippi

University of Missouri

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

University of Nevada Las Vegas

University of Nevada Reno

University of New Hampshire

University of New Mexico

University of North Dakota

University of Oklahoma

University of Pittsburgh

58.1% acceptance

University of Portland

University of Puget Sound

University of Rhode Island

University of Richmond

University of Rochester

University of San Diego

University of San Francisco

University of South Carolina

University of South Florida

University of Tennessee

0.5% acceptance

University of Texas at Austin

12.5% acceptance

University of the Pacific

University of Utah

University of Vermont

University of Wisconsin-Madison

University of Wyoming

Vassar College

18.6% acceptance

Villanova University

Virginia Tech

55% acceptance

Wake Forest University

Washington University in St. Louis

12% acceptance

Wheaton College (Illinois)

Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

Whitman College

Willamette University

Wofford College

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Xavier University

Xavier University of Louisiana

PA

RI

TN

TX

VA

WA

WI

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about college application deadlines and how to manage them.

When are college applications due in 2026?

Most Early Decision and Early Action deadlines fall on November 1 or November 15, 2025. Regular Decision deadlines are typically January 1 or January 15, 2026. Rolling admissions schools accept applications year-round until spots fill. Always check each school's official admissions page for exact dates.

What is the difference between Early Decision and Early Action?

Early Decision (ED) is binding — if you are admitted, you must enroll and withdraw all other applications. Early Action (EA) is non-binding; you apply early and get a faster decision, but you can still compare offers and decide by May 1. Restrictive Early Action (REA) or Single-Choice Early Action (SCEA) is non-binding but restricts you from applying EA or ED elsewhere.

What is the Common App deadline for 2026?

The Common App does not have a single universal deadline — each college sets its own deadline for Common App submissions. Most schools using the Common App have EA/ED deadlines of November 1 or November 15, and Regular Decision deadlines of January 1 or January 15, 2026. A few schools use January 15 or February 1 for Regular Decision.

When is the FAFSA deadline for the 2026-2027 school year?

The federal FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2026, but most colleges and states have much earlier priority deadlines — often February 1 through March 1 — to be considered for maximum institutional aid. You should submit the FAFSA as early as possible after it opens in the fall.

When does the CSS Profile need to be submitted?

The CSS Profile deadline varies by school but is usually due at the same time as, or shortly after, the college application deadline. For Early Decision applicants, that is typically November 1 or November 15. For Regular Decision applicants, CSS Profile deadlines generally fall between January 1 and February 1. Submit it at the same time as your application.

What happens if you miss a college application deadline?

Missing a hard application deadline typically means your application will not be reviewed for that round. For Regular Decision, it usually means you cannot apply at all for that cycle. Some schools accept late applications with a fee or on a space-available basis — contact the admissions office directly. For financial aid deadlines, missing them can significantly reduce the aid you receive.

What is Early Decision 2 (ED2)?

Early Decision 2 is a second binding early round offered by many colleges, typically with a January 1 or January 15 deadline. Like ED1, it is a binding commitment — if admitted, you must enroll. ED2 is a good option if you did not apply ED1 to your top choice, or if you received a deferral from your ED1 school and want to demonstrate strong interest elsewhere.

Can you apply to college after the Regular Decision deadline?

Generally no — most colleges do not accept late applications after their Regular Decision deadline. However, some schools with rolling admissions review applications until their class is full. Additionally, some colleges open waitlists or late-admission rounds in spring. Check each school's website, and if you missed a deadline, call the admissions office — occasionally exceptions are made.

What is rolling admissions?

Rolling admissions means a college reviews applications as they are received and sends decisions on an ongoing basis rather than waiting for a fixed deadline. Applying earlier in rolling admissions is strongly advantageous because seats fill up — there is no benefit to waiting. Many large public universities, including many Big Ten schools, use rolling admissions.

How far in advance should I start my college applications?

You should begin preparing in the summer before senior year (June-August). Start your Common App essay, request recommendation letters, and research schools. Aim to submit EA/ED applications in October to beat the November 1 deadline. For Regular Decision schools, work through November and December to submit well before January deadlines.

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