College Decision Dates 2026-27: When Early and Regular Decisions Come Out

Last updated: November 6, 2026

Most early decisions come out in mid-December. For the 2026–27 cycle (students who start college in fall 2027), Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, Duke and Caltech all say their early results arrive in mid-December. A few colleges give exact days: Johns Hopkins releases Early Decision I on December 11, 2026, Boston University on December 14 and NYU on December 15. Some early action rounds come later, including USC in late January and UVA and Northeastern by February 15. Most regular decisions come out between mid-March and early April. If you applied by November 1, your early answer is about five to six weeks away. Below are the official dates for 27 colleges and the University of California, taken from each college's own admissions site.

You cannot change when decisions arrive. You can change what you do with the weeks before them. Send me the decision-season plan →

When do early decisions come out?

The College Board says early plans usually require you to apply in October or November, and "you'll know if you've been accepted in December or January." The 2026–27 dates follow that pattern, with a few later rounds:

• Mid-December (most ED I, EA and REA): Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, MIT, Stanford, Duke, UChicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, USC (ED) and Caltech.
• "In December": Penn and Northwestern name the month only. Georgia Tech EA1 says early December.
• Exact December dates: Johns Hopkins on December 11, 2026; Boston University on December 14; NYU and Carnegie Mellon on December 15; Georgetown and UVA (ED) by December 15; UNC by December 20 for North Carolina residents; Michigan (ED) by December 24.
• Later early rounds: Northeastern ED I by January 1; USC EA in late January; Georgia Tech EA2 in late January; Michigan EA by January 29; UNC (non-residents), UVA EA and Northeastern EA by February 15.
• Early Decision II: Rice by late January; Boston University on February 8; Johns Hopkins on February 12, 2027; NYU on February 15; UChicago and Vanderbilt in mid-February; Northeastern by March 1.

If you applied to several early action schools, your answers can come spread out over two months. Plan your regular applications as if every early answer is still pending. For how each plan works, see early decision vs early action.

College decision dates 2026–27 by college

The table uses each college's own words. Where a college gives a phrase such as "mid-December" or "by April 1," that phrase is copied exactly. December dates are 2026; January to April dates are 2027.

Two notes. Rice's application page says ED II decisions come "by late January," while a Rice admissions blog post says "by early February." Boston University's FAQ lists December 15 and February 9 instead of December 14 and February 8. In both cases the table uses the college's main deadlines page.

How you find out the exact day

Most colleges announce the exact day and time shortly before release:

• Penn tells applicants the exact time and date "at least one week ahead of time."
• Stanford posts the day and time on its website "a few days in advance" and emails you when your decision is in the portal.
• Dartmouth emails early applicants in mid-December, and regular applicants in late March, with the date and time.
• Columbia releases every decision through the applicant portal and "does not release admissions decisions over email."

Check the portal each college sent you after you applied. Stanford, for example, tells applicants about missing documents by mid-November, so an early look can save your application.

Dartmouth asks deferred students for "recent notable accomplishments." What will you have to report? Show me what counts as notable →

When do regular decisions come out?

Regular decisions cluster in the second half of March, with a second wave around April 1:

• Mid-March: MIT, Caltech and Georgia Tech.
• Late or end of March: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UChicago, Vanderbilt and Boston University. Johns Hopkins gives an exact date, March 24, 2027, and UNC gives March 31.
• Sometime in March: Northwestern ("March 2027") and the UC campuses (March 1–31).
• Around April 1: Rice, Georgetown, NYU, USC, Northeastern, UVA and Carnegie Mellon say by or no later than April 1. Michigan says by April 2.
• Early April: Brown and Stanford ("by early April"), Penn ("in April"), plus Duke and Dartmouth, which give late March or early April.

Admitted students then reply by May 1, which Brown calls "the common reply date for many colleges."

UC decision dates for 2026–27

The University of California has no early round. Its fall 2027 filing period runs from October 1 to November 30, 2026, so the UC application is still open today.

• Decisions: "March 1 – 31," for fall 2027. UC adds that "some campuses may release decisions prior to March."
• Aid forms: submit the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application and the GPA Verification Form by March 2.
• Reply: admitted students submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by May 1.

If you searched for "UC decision dates 2026," note the cycle: students who apply now hear in March 2027.

Northeastern and Cornell decision dates

Northeastern has four rounds, and each has its own notification date. Early Decision I applicants hear by January 1. Early action applicants hear by February 15, Early Decision II applicants by March 1 and regular applicants by April 1. If Northeastern defers you to regular decision, it asks your high school to send the Mid-Year Report.

Cornell offers only early decision and regular decision. ED decisions are available in mid-December, and regular decisions in late March. An ED applicant can be admitted, denied or postponed to regular decision. Cornell says postponed applicants "are no longer subject to the ED agreement." For Cornell's numbers, see the Cornell acceptance rate.

Cornell asks you to pick a college and a field. The choice is far easier when you have already worked in one. Help me choose my field →

What the early decision can be: admit, defer or deny

Most early rounds have three outcomes. Yale, for example, says early applicants "will receive one of three admissions decisions in mid-December." Some colleges use the word "postponed" instead of "deferred," including Cornell and Michigan.

• Admitted under ED: you must enroll and withdraw your other applications. Reply deadlines come fast: Vanderbilt's ED I deposit is due December 31, 2026, Michigan's January 6 and Johns Hopkins' January 15, 2027. Columbia asks for a reply in mid-January, and Carnegie Mellon by February 1.
• Admitted under EA or REA: you can wait until May 1. Harvard sends financial aid information with its mid-December decisions if you applied for aid on time. For admit rates, see the Harvard acceptance rate and the MIT acceptance rate, which compares MIT's early and regular rounds.
• Deferred or postponed: your application moves to the regular round, and you are not bound by an ED agreement. Our guide to what deferred means explains your next steps.
• Denied: some colleges do not let you reapply in the same year. Brown and Carnegie Mellon say so for ED, and Yale for single-choice early action.

A deferral from a restrictive plan can open a door. Harvard and Caltech both say that deferred early applicants may apply to another college's Early Decision II program.

What to do while you wait

The November 1 deadlines have passed, and the next five weeks matter more than they seem. Use them well:

1. Finish your regular applications now. At 24 of the 28 schools in this guide, regular deadlines fall between January 1 and January 6, 2027. See all of them in college application deadlines.
2. Send required grades. Duke requires first-quarter grades from every ED applicant and midyear grades from all applicants by February 15.
3. Keep financial aid on schedule. The 2027–28 FAFSA has been live since September 23, 2026. Each college sets its own aid deadline.
4. Polish what you will reuse. Your essay and activities go to every regular-decision college. Review the Common App essay prompts and your Common App activities list before you submit again.
5. Keep doing work you care about. Deferred applicants get a second read, and colleges ask what changed. Dartmouth asks for "recent notable academic, extracurricular, and/or personal accomplishments." Columbia invites "any significant new achievements," and MIT collects updates through its February Updates & Notes form in mid-February.

The strongest update is real progress on something you chose yourself, such as a project that moved from a question to results.

You can spend decision season refreshing your portal. Or you can finish something worth telling a college about. Send me the mentors' wait-season plan →

Frequently asked questions

What is early decision for college?

Early decision is a binding plan. The College Board explains that you can apply ED to only one college. If it admits you and offers enough financial aid, you must attend and withdraw your other applications. Some colleges have two rounds, ED I and ED II, which "work the same way" with different deadlines.

When do early decisions come out?

Usually in mid-December. At the colleges above, most ED I, EA and REA results arrive in December, with exact dates from December 11 to December 24. A few early action rounds release in late January or by February 15.

When do Ivy League early decisions come out?

All eight Ivies release early results in December. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and Cornell say mid-December. Penn says "in December."

Do colleges let you know if you don't get accepted?

Yes. A denial is one of the standard outcomes, and it is released the same way as an admission. Michigan says "all admission decisions will be posted in Enrollment Connect," and Columbia releases all decisions through its applicant portal. Dartmouth emails applicants beforehand with the date and time.

How many colleges should I apply to?

There is no official number. The Common App lets you apply to up to 20 colleges. Build a list you would be happy to attend from top to bottom, and give each school a strong, specific application.

When do UC decisions come out?

From March 1 to 31, 2027, for students applying now for fall 2027. Some campuses may release decisions before March.

When does Northeastern early action come out?

By February 15. Northeastern's Early Decision I decisions come by January 1.

When does Cornell early decision come out?

In mid-December. Regular decisions come in late March.

Sources

• College Board BigFuture, Facts About Applying Early Decision and Early Action
• Harvard College, First-Year Applicants
• Yale Admissions, Timelines
• Princeton Admission, Application Dates & Deadlines
• Columbia Undergraduate Admissions, First-Year Applicants
• Penn Admissions, First-Year Applicants
• Brown Admission, Early Decision and Regular Decision
• Dartmouth Admissions, Apply to Dartmouth
• Cornell Admissions, First-Year Applicants and Early Decision 2026
• MIT Admissions, Deadlines & Requirements
• Stanford Admission, Requirements and Deadlines
• Duke Admissions, Apply
• UChicago College Admissions, Application
• Northwestern Admissions, Apply
• Johns Hopkins Admissions, Application Deadlines & Requirements
• Rice Admission, First-Year Domestic Applicants
• Vanderbilt Admissions, Apply
• Georgetown Admissions, First-Year Applicants
• NYU Admissions, First-Year Applicants
• USC Admission, First-Year Students
• Northeastern Admissions, Deadlines & Decisions
• Michigan Admissions, First-Year Application Plans
• UVA Admission, Deadlines & Instructions
• UNC Admissions, First-Year Application
• Georgia Tech Admission, First-Year Deadlines
• Boston University Admissions, Important Deadlines and Financial Assistance Deadlines
• University of California, Dates & Deadlines
• Caltech Admissions, First-Year Application Deadlines
• Carnegie Mellon Admission, Application Plans & Deadlines
• Common App, How Many Colleges Can I Add?
• Federal Student Aid, 2027–28 FAFSA Form Now Live (Sept. 23, 2026)

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