Understanding Early Decision II: A Smart Strategy After Early Results

Did you apply Early Decision I or Early Action to any colleges this year? If so, you might be feeling an inevitable mix of excitement and nerves as you wait for your first round of admissions results. While trusting in the quality of your application materials and hoping for the best, we also recommend students have a solid backup plan in place. This can include applying Regular Decision (RD) to additional schools to round out your college list, and, in certain cases, applying to a school that offers an Early Decision II (ED II) deadline. Today’s post breaks down the key differences between RD and ED II, giving you the clarity you need to strategize your college application plan with confidence.

Regular Decision Breakdown and Benefits

RD deadlines mark the final opportunity to submit your application for the term you’re targeting—miss it, and you’ll have to wait until the next admission cycle to apply. Unlike ED plans, RD is non-binding, offering increased flexibility: if you’re accepted, you’re not obligated to attend. This makes RD a great choice for students who aren’t ready to commit to a single school just yet. 

B2A recommends that students utilize RD deadlines strategically. Depending on a student’s results from the early application round, they can add more reach and long shot schools to their list or they may need to add more match and safety schools. 

Why Apply Early Decision II?

Although not offered at every school, some colleges provide an ED II option in addition to Early Decision I (ED I) and RD. Like ED I, ED II is binding, meaning if you’re accepted, you must withdraw all other applications and commit to attending that school. Because of this commitment, students and their families should be fully prepared to take on the financial responsibility of attending that institution.

So why apply ED II instead of RD? First, ED II applicants are highly attractive to colleges because they offer a guaranteed promise of enrollment, which helps schools maintain strong yield rates. This often results in higher acceptance rates for ED applicants compared to RD. Take Vanderbilt, which reported a 15% acceptance rate for ED applicants and an RD acceptance rate of less than 5% for the 2024-25 application cycle. Second, earning an acceptance through ED II can bring students immediate peace of mind since they know exactly where they’ll be headed next fall. Ultimately, ED II is an excellent option for students who aren’t admitted to their first-choice college and who want to give themselves a competitive edge applying to a second-choice school they’d still be thrilled to attend.

Here are some schools that offer ED II (this is not a complete list):

School	Early Decision II / Regular Decision Deadline
Bates College	January 10th
Boston College	January 2nd
John Hopkins University	January 2nd
New York University	ED II: January 1st, RD: January 5th***
Northeastern University	January 1st
Rice University	January 4th
Southern Methodist University	January 15th
Tufts University	January 5th
University of Chicago	January 5th
University of Rochester	January 5th
Vanderbilt University	January 1st
Washington University in St. Louis	January 2nd

*** For all of these schools with the exception of NYU, the RD deadline is the same as the ED II deadline. 

Need help strategizing and applying Regular Decision or Early Decision II for the Fall 2026 term? B2A offers flexible, student-driven College Admissions Services (CAS) hours where you can work with an experienced college admissions counselor to build your school list, navigate deadlines, and draft or refine your application materials.

Looking ahead to next season? Consider our all-inclusive Gateway Program, designed to guide you through the entire process of applying to up to five schools.