Early Decision College: Complete List by State (& Growing)

The decision to pick just one college for an Early Decision (ED) deadline is not an easy task when it comes to a price tag of $250,000 to $300,000 for a 4-year college.

There are about 225 colleges in the USA that offer Early Decision I and Early Decision II, and that number is increasing.

Before looking at the Early Decision list of colleges, look at Duke University’s admission figures.

Duke University – Class of 2024

• Total ED Application – 4,300
• Accepted – 887
• Acceptance Rate – 19%
• Class of 2023
  • 1,745 first-year students
  • The acceptance rate is just 5.7% (Regular Admission)
• About 51% of Class of 2024 via Early Decision

Here’s another interesting fact to set the context for Early Decision.

According to this report, only 3% of College Students were admitted via Early Decision in 2017 (increased from 2% in 2012) from the entire college application spectrum.

Question:

Admission rates are higher for Early Decision.

Yet, only a small percentage of students are admitted via Early Decision.

Why is that?

As a family, you will have the same dilemma.

• Should we apply via Early Decision?
• Which college to pick for ED?

What does it mean to apply via Early Decision?

• Apply in November of the Senior year
• Apply to your top choice of college.
• Get admission decision early (by Mid-December)
• Agree to attend by January first week

So, what do students typically do when they apply for Early Decision?

• Pick just one college for early decision.
• Apply for the colleges via Early Action or Regular Admission deadline
• If admitted into college via Early Decision, then withdraw all other applications

So, what’s the catch? 

• You may or may not get financial aid.
• You have to accept before other colleges announce admission results.
• It’s a binding contract and very little room to get out of the contract.

Here’s a practical problem:

• Accepted via Early Decision: Time to Celebrate (by Mid-December)
• Financial Aid Package Noticed: Few days after Decision
• Parents Contribution: $73,000/Year and Student Loan is $3,500
• What if a Public University gave Full-Ride scholarship in March?

Early Decision List of Colleges

California

1. Claremont McKenna College
2. Harvey Mudd College
3. Loyola Marymount University
4. Occidental College
5. Pitzer College
6. Pomona College
7. Santa Clara University
8. Scripps College
9. University of San Francisco

Colorado

1. Colorado College

Connecticut

1. Connecticut College
2. Sacred Heart University
3. Trinity College
4. Fairfield University
5. Quinnipiac University
6. Wesleyan University
7. University of New Haven

District of Columbia

1. Catholic University of America
2. American University
3. George Washington University

Florida

1. Florida Southern College
2. University of Miami
3. Flagler College
4. Rollins College

Georgia

1. Emory University
2. Agnes Scott College
3. Spelman College

Illinois

1. Northwestern University
2. University of Chicago
3. Augustana College
4. Governors State University
5. Lake Forest College

Indiana

1. DePauw University
2. Earlham College
3. Saint Mary’s College
4. Wabash College

Iowa

1. Grinnell College

Kentucky

1. Centre College

Louisiana

1. Tulane University

Maine

1. Bates College
2. Colby College
3. College of the Atlantic
4. Bowdoin College

Maryland

1. Johns Hopkins University
2. Goucher College
3. Maryland Institute College of Art
4. McDaniel College
5. Salisbury University
6. Washington College

Massachusetts

1. Amherst College
2. Boston University
3. Northeastern University
4. Tufts University
5. Boston College
6. Babson College
7. Becker College
8. Bentley University
9. Brandeis University
10. Clark University
11. College of the Holy Cross
12. Merrimack College
13. Mount Holyoke College
14. Smith College
15. Springfield College
16. Stonehill College
17. Wellesley College
18. Wheaton College
19. Williams College

Michigan

1. Hillsdale College
2. Kalamazoo College

Minnesota

1. St. Olaf College
2. Hamline University
3. Carleton College
4. Macalester College

Missouri

1. Washington University in St. Louis

New Hampshire

1. Dartmouth College

New Jersey

1. Stevens Institute of Technology
2. College of New Jersey
3. Drew University
4. Ramapo College of New Jersey

New York

1. Columbia University
2. Cornell University
3. New York University
4. Rochester Institute of Technology
5. Syracuse University
6. Alfred University
7. Sarah Lawrence College
8. Bard College
9. St. John Fisher College
10. St. Lawrence University
11. SUNY Geneseo
12. SUNY Maritime College
13. Barnard College
14. Clarkson University
15. Colgate University
16. Five Towns College
17. Manhattan College
18. Marist College
19. Nazareth College
20. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
21. Siena College
22. Skidmore College
23. Fordham University
24. Hamilton College
25. Hartwick College
26. Hobart and William Smith Colleges
27. Ithaca College
28. Union College
29. University of Rochester
30. Vassar College
31. Webb Institute
32. Wells College

North Carolina

1. Duke University
2. High Point University
3. Wake Forest University
4. Davidson College
5. Elon University
6. Meredith College

Ohio

1. Case Western Reserve University
2. College of Wooster
3. Denison University
4. Kenyon College
5. Miami University
6. Ohio Wesleyan University
7. Wittenberg University

Oregon

1. Lewis & Clark College
2. Reed College

Pennsylvania

1. Carnegie Mellon University
2. University of Pennsylvania
3. Drexel University
4. Swarthmore College
5. Duquesne University
6. Franklin & Marshall College
7. Gettysburg College
8. Grove City College
9. Haverford College
10. Juniata College
11. Lafayette College
12. Muhlenberg College
13. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
14. Susquehanna University
15. Allegheny College
16. Bryn Mawr College
17. Bucknell University
18. Dickinson College
19. Lehigh University
20. Lycoming College
21. Ursinus College
22. Washington & Jefferson College

 

Rhode Island

1. Brown University
2. Bryant University
3. Providence College
4. Rhode Island School of Design

South Carolina

1. Furman University
2. Wofford College

Tennessee

1. Vanderbilt University
2. Rhodes College
3. University of the South

Texas

1. Rice University
2. Southern Methodist University
3. Texas Christian University
4. Austin College
5. Trinity University

Vermont

1. Marlboro College
2. Middlebury College
3. Bennington College
4. Champlain College
5. Sterling College

Virginia

1. Virginia Tech
2. College of William and Mary
3. Hollins University
4. University of Richmond
5. University of Virginia
6. Virginia Military Institute
7. Christopher Newport University
8. Hampden-Sydney College
9. Lynchburg College
10. Roanoke College
11. Washington and Lee University

Washington

1. University of Puget Sound
2. Whitman College

Wisconsin

1. Beloit College
2. Lawrence University

 

There are about 4,000 higher education institutions in the USA.

Over 80% of them have an acceptance rate above 50%.

About 50 of them have an acceptance rate of less than 20%. 

Some of this Early Decision list of colleges, also offer Early Decision I and Early Decision II.

For instance, the College of William and Mary offers Early Decision I and Early Decision II.

 

 

As stated, the only way to get out of the binding contract from Early Decision if there’s a significant change in the family’s financial circumstance that impacts the ability to pay for college. If the economic situation did not change, then the family is stuck with $250,000 of the price tag.

Early Decision or Not?

It would come down to the parent’s wealth and affordability.

Most ED students tend to come from wealthy families who can afford to pay $300,000 for a 4-year college, irrespective of the financial aid package.

In selective high schools, almost every student would be eligible for a merit-based scholarship. With the binding contract, schools can now use the available money to give grants for need-based students.

So, how do you win at this highly selective college application game?

Additional Reading:

• Early Decision is an Unfair Game
• Early Decision by the Numbers
• May the odds be in your favor

Summary: List of Early Decision Colleges

• Most ED schools are private and highly selective
• 4-year college cost will ve around $300,000
• It’s a binding contract (tough to get out)
• The acceptance rate is much higher than regular admission
• Families will not have an option to compare the options

Next Steps: College Planning Webinar

• Attend Free College Planning Webinar for Parents and High School Students
  • How to get into Highly Selective Colleges
  • 9 Factors in used by Highly Selective College
  • Financial Aid Formula (Simplified Version)
  • You can watch the instant replay or pick the next available slot.