Early Decision Deadlines 2026: November 1, November 15, and What Comes After
Most early decision deadlines in 2026 fall on November 1 or November 15, with decisions in mid-December. Both dates are Sundays this year, so some schools moved to Monday, November 2. Check each school's own page.
Early decision deadlines 2026 cluster on two dates: November 1 and November 15, with most early decisions released in mid-December. This year both dates fall on a Sunday, and some colleges shifted: Duke and Tufts list Monday, November 2, 2026, while Vanderbilt and MIT keep November 1. There is no national deadline, so the only date that counts is the one on each school's admissions page. This guide is for the parent: what the two dates mean, what you sign, and what lands in your inbox after your teen hits submit.
The two usual dates, and why 2026 is a little different
Colleges with early rounds tend to pick one of two dates:
- November 1. The most common early date for both early decision (ED) and early action (EA).
- November 15. The second common date, used by some schools for their first early round.
In 2026, November 1 and November 15 are both Sundays. Some schools kept the date anyway, and some moved to the Monday. A few examples from the schools' own pages, checked on October 16:
| School | Early round | Deadline | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | Early Decision | Mon, Nov 2 | Mid-December |
| Tufts | Early Decision I | Mon, Nov 2, 2026 | Mid-December |
| Vanderbilt | Early Decision I | Sun, Nov 1, 2026 | Mid-December |
| MIT | Early Action | Nov 1 | Mid-December |
These are examples, not a list to plan from. Your teen's schools may use a date that is not on this table, and portals often close at a set time, such as 11:59 p.m. in a given time zone. Open each school's deadlines page and copy the date and the time.
Early decision vs early action in one line each
Early decision is binding. If the student is admitted, they commit to attend and withdraw their other applications. Vanderbilt's page says it plainly: the applicant, a parent or guardian, and the high school counselor all sign the Early Decision Agreement, and an admitted student must immediately withdraw applications to all other colleges.
Early action is not binding. The student hears early but can still apply elsewhere.
Some schools also run Early Decision II with a January deadline. Tufts lists January 4, 2027, with decisions in early February. It is binding too, just later.
What a parent signs, and what a parent pays
You will usually see three things land on your side of the table before an early deadline:
- The ED agreement. On the Common App and on Scoir, each early decision school has its own agreement. The student, a parent and the counselor sign it. Read it before you sign: it is the promise to attend if admitted.
- The application fee or a fee waiver. Each school sets its own. The counselor can tell you whether your teen qualifies for a waiver.
- The financial aid forms. This is the one families miss. Many schools want the CSS Profile and the FAFSA on the same day as the early application, or within a week or two. Duke, for example, lists both on November 2 and asks for tax documents by November 15. MIT lists financial aid applications for early action on November 30. If you are applying ED, the aid deadline matters as much as the application deadline, because the aid offer is what lets you say yes.
What comes after you submit
Hitting submit is not the end. Over the next days, expect:
- A confirmation email from each school, often with a link to set up an applicant portal. Save it. The portal is where missing items, interview invitations and the decision will show up.
- A checklist inside the portal. Transcripts, counselor report, recommendations, test scores if your teen sends them. Look at it a week after submitting. A "missing" item is common and usually just means a document is still being matched.
- Financial aid emails. The College Board may ask for tax documents through IDOC, and the school's aid office may ask for something else.
- Mid-December: the decision. Admitted, deferred to the regular round, or denied. Most schools release it in the portal on an announced day.
- If admitted ED: the deposit and the withdrawals. The student withdraws other applications and pays the deposit by the school's date. Vanderbilt's is December 31, 2026.
The hard part is that each school does this on its own schedule, through its own portal, with its own emails. Three early applications can mean nine dates.
Let Tracy keep each school's dates
You do not need a spreadsheet with a column per college. Tracy, the assistant in dEssence, works from the pages and emails you already have. Send her the link to each school's deadlines page from Chrome, or send a screenshot of the portal email into Telegram or iMessage. She picks out the dates on it, the application deadline, the aid deadline, the decision day, and keeps them for that school.
Ask her to remind you a few days before each one, and she does. When the school emails that a document is missing, send her that too, and she adds it to the list for that school. In December, ask "what is still due for Tufts?" and she answers from what you sent.
She does not log into the Common App or the school portals, and she does not submit anything. You and your teen do the applying. She keeps track of the dates so nobody has to hold nine of them in their head.
Frequently asked questions
When are early decision deadlines in 2026?
Most are November 1 or November 15, 2026. Both are Sundays this year, so some schools moved to Monday, November 2: Duke and Tufts list November 2, while Vanderbilt keeps November 1. Always use the date on the school's own page.
When do early decision results come out?
Usually in mid-December. Tufts, Duke, Vanderbilt and MIT all say mid-December for their first early round. Early Decision II results come later, often in February.
Can you apply early decision to more than one school?
No. Early decision is binding, so a student applies ED to one school at a time. Early action is not binding, and many students apply EA to several schools alongside one ED school. Some schools restrict that, so read each school's early action rules.
Is the financial aid deadline the same as the early decision deadline?
Often, but not always. Duke wants the CSS Profile and FAFSA on November 2, the same day as the application, and tax documents by November 15. MIT lists November 30 for early action aid. Check the aid office page for each school.
Does a parent have to sign the early decision agreement?
Yes, at most schools. Vanderbilt, for example, requires the applicant, a parent or guardian and the counselor to sign it.