Class of 2031 Early Decision and Early Action Notification Dates

Editorial team Oct 29 · 4 min read

College Kickstart

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Class of 2031 Early Action Early Admission Early Decision Restrictive Early Action Single Choice Early Action

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student questions Here’s our list of early decision and early action notification dates for the Class of 2031. As many of you know, schools often post results in advance of their “official” notification dates, so we’ve compiled the most recently updated dates for you here where available, as well as last year’s notification dates for reference. We’ve added additional visualizations for schools with exact notification dates, in table and calendar views. Bookmark this page, as we’ll be updating it frequently over the next months.

NOTE: These early notification dates are for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle / the incoming college Class of 2031 / the current high school Class of 2027.

Good luck, seniors!!

Class of 2031 Early Notification Dates

What is early admission?

The concept of early admission is simple: you apply early, you hear back early. Not all schools offer early admission, but those that do will typically offer some combination of the following three options:

Early Decision (ED) is a binding commitment to attend the school if accepted. Early Decision I (ED1) apps are generally due in early November with notification in mid to late December, while Early Decision II (ED2) apps are generally due in early January with notification in February.
Early Action (EA) is non-binding, with an early November due date and notification typically in December.
Restrictive Early Action (REA) is identical to early action, but with added restrictions on where else you can apply. Some institutions call this Single Choice Early Action.

Colleges love early decision because it’s binding, but from your vantage point it only makes sense if you’re sure the school is for you. In contrast, early action makes sense all of the time since there is no obligation to attend. Either way, the key insight is that most schools admit competitive early applicants at a higher rate than those applying regular decision.

What is early decision?

Early decision is an admission plan that obligates you to attend the institution if accepted. Early Decision I applications (ED1) are usually due in early November, with notification in mid-December. Early Decision II (ED2) applications are usually due in early January with notification in February. Because early decision is a binding commitment, it only makes sense to apply to a school this way under the following conditions:

You’re a competitive applicant
You are absolutely certain you’d attend if you were admitted
You don’t need fall semester grades to strengthen your candidacy
You’re not dependent on financial aid or are willing to forgo your ability to shop around for it
You’re not precluded from applying to a school this way based on the early admission policies from schools higher ranked on your list

What is early action?

Early action is an admission option that does not bind you to attend an institution if accepted. Early action applications are usually due in early November, with notification in December. Because early action is non-binding, it nearly always makes sense to apply this way to schools on your list assuming:

You’re a competitive applicant
You don’t need fall semester grades to enhance your candidacy
Applying early doesn’t actually hurt your odds
The terms and conditions of the early admission programs ranked higher on your list don’t prevent you from doing so

What is restrictive early action?

Restrictive early action (REA) is an admission option that does not bind you to attend an institution if accepted. It is identical to early action, with one key addition: it also imposes restrictions on where else you can apply. REA applications are usually due in early November, with notification in December. Because restrictive early action is non-binding, it usually makes sense to apply this way to schools on your list assuming:

You’re a competitive applicant
You don’t need fall semester grades to enhance your candidacy
Applying early doesn’t actually hurt your odds
The terms and conditions of the early admission programs ranked higher on your list don’t prevent you from doing so

Keep in mind that the terms and conditions surrounding REA vary by school.

How can early admission help you to maximize admission odds?

One key insight is that most schools admit competitive early applicants at a higher rate than those applying regular decision. This means that competitive applicants can significantly improve their odds of admission at most schools by simply applying 45-60 days earlier than normal with early admission programs.

College Kickstart tracks early admission statistics and employs a proprietary methodology to recommend only the early admission opportunities that are appropriate and applicable to your situation.