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Lists / Best Colleges to Apply Early Decision 2021

Best Colleges to Apply Early Decision 2021

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Created by College Confidential
Photo: Vlada Karpovich/Pexels

Does applying early decision really help your chances of getting into college? If you have your heart set on any of these 35 schools, applying early could give you a real advantage in the admissions process. All of these highly-selective schools admit significantly larger percentage of students who apply early decision than those that apply at the regular admissions deadline. Read on to see 35 schools with a large early decision advantage. Click the heart to save a school or your list, and visit the school profile for ED deadlines and notifications dates.

1. Grinnell College

Grinnell Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 65% Regular Acceptance Rate: 19% ED Advantage: 40%

  • Grinnell College
    Grinnell, IA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate11%
  • 2. Bates College

    Bates Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 46% Regular Acceptance Rate: 14% ED Advantage: 32%

  • Bates College
    Lewiston, ME 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate17%
  • 3. Denison University

    Denison Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 57% 2021 Overall Acceptance Rate: 28% ED Advantage: 29%

  • Denison University
    Granville, OH 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate26%
  • 4. Washington and Lee University

    Washington and Lee Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 53% Overall Acceptance Rate: 25% ED Advantage: 28%

  • Washington and Lee University
    Lexington, VA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate19%
  • 5. Haverford College

    Haverford Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 46% Overall Acceptance Rate: 18% ED Advantage: 28%

  • Haverford College
    Haverford, PA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate18%
  • 6. Skidmore College

    Skidmore Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 60% Overall Acceptance Rate: 32%% ED Advantage: 28%

  • Skidmore College
    Saratoga Springs, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate31%
  • 7. Hamilton College

    Hamilton Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 46% Overall Acceptance Rate: 18% ED Advantage: 27%

  • Hamilton College
    Clinton, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate14%
  • 8. Davidson College

    Davidson Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 47% Overall Acceptance Rate: 20% ED Advantage: 27%

  • Davidson College
    Davidson, NC 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate18%
  • 9. Middlebury College

    Middlebury Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 47% Overall Acceptance Rate: 22% ED Advantage: 25%

  • Middlebury College
    Middlebury, VT 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate13%
  • 10. Williams College

    Williams Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 39% Overall Acceptance Rate: 15% ED Advantage: 24%

  • Williams College
    Williamstown, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate9%
  • 11. Vassar College

    Vassar Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 46% Overall Acceptance Rate: 25% ED Advantage: 21%

  • Vassar College
    Poughkeepsie, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate20%
  • 12. Wesleyan University

    Wesleyan Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 41% Overall Acceptance Rate: 21% ED Advantage: 20%

  • Wesleyan University
    Middletown, CT 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate19%
  • 13. Pitzer College

    Pitzer Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 37% Overall Acceptance Rate: 17% ED Advantage: 20%

  • Pitzer College
    Claremont, CA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate18%
  • 14. Amherst College

    Amherst Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 32% Overall Acceptance Rate: 12% ED Advantage: 20%

  • Amherst College
    Amherst, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate9%
  • 15. Johns Hopkins University

    Johns Hopkins Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 29% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 20%

  • Johns Hopkins University
    Baltimore, MD 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance RateN.A.
  • 16. Wellesley College

    Wellesley Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 39% Overall Acceptance Rate: 20% ED Advantage: 19%

  • Wellesley College
    Wellesley, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate20%
  • 17. Washington University in St. Louis

    WashU Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 35% Overall Acceptance Rate: 16% ED Advantage: 19%

  • Washington University in St. Louis
    St. Louis, MO 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate13%
  • 18. Claremont McKenna College

    2021 Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 28% Overall Acceptance Rate: 10% ED Advantage: 18%

  • Claremont McKenna College
    Claremont, CA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate11%
  • 19. Colgate University

    2021 Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 45% Overall Acceptance Rate: 27% ED Advantage: 18%

  • Colgate University
    Hamilton, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate17%
  • 20. Northeastern University

    Northeastern Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 38% Overall Acceptance Rate: 20% ED Advantage: 17%

  • Northeastern University
    Boston, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate18%
  • 21. Dartmouth College

    Dartmouth Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 26% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 17%

  • Dartmouth College
    Hanover, NH 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate6%
  • 22. Duke University

    Duke Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 25% Overall Acceptance Rate: 8% ED Advantage: 17%

  • Duke University
    Durham, NC 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate8%
  • 23. Northwestern University

    Northwestern Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 25% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 16%

  • Northwestern University
    Evanston, IL 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate7%
  • 24. Rhode Island School of Design

    RISD Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 42% Overall Acceptance Rate: 27% ED Advantage: 15%

  • Rhode Island School of Design
    Providence, RI 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate19%
  • 25. Swarthmore College

    Swarthmore Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 24% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 15%

  • Swarthmore College
    Swarthmore, PA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate8%
  • 26. Boston University

    BU Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 33% Overall Acceptance Rate: 20% ED Advantage: 13%

  • Boston University
    Boston, MA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate19%
  • 27. Bowdoin College

    Bowdoin Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 22% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 13%

  • Bowdoin College
    Brunswick, ME 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate9%
  • 28. Tulane University

    Tulane Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 23% Overall Acceptance Rate: 11% ED Advantage: 12%

  • Tulane University
    New Orleans, LA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate10%
  • 29. Barnard College

    Barnard Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 26% Overall Acceptance Rate: 14% ED Advantage: 12%

  • Barnard College
    New York, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate11%
  • 30. Cornell University

    Cornell Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 23% Overall Acceptance Rate: 11% ED Advantage: 12%

  • Cornell University
    Ithaca, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate9%
  • 31. University of Virginia

    UVA Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 34% Overall Acceptance Rate: 23% ED Advantage: 11%

  • University of Virginia
    Charlottesville, VA 4-Year, Public
    Acceptance Rate21%
  • 32. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

    Cooper Union Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 24% Overall Acceptance Rate: 13% ED Advantage: 11%

  • Acceptance Rate13%
  • 33. University of Pennsylvania

    UPenn Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 19% Overall Acceptance Rate: 9% ED Advantage: 10%

  • University of Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, PA 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate6%
  • 34. Columbia University

    Columbia Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 17% Overall Acceptance Rate: 6% ED Advantage: 11%

  • Columbia University
    New York, NY 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate4%
  • 35. Brown University

    Brown Early Decision Acceptance Rate: 18% Overall Acceptance Rate: 8% ED Advantage: 10%

  • Brown University
    Providence, RI 4-Year, Private
    Acceptance Rate6%
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