Everything You Need to Know About ED2 (Early Decision II)

Colleges have different admission cycles; Early Action, Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Rolling, and the Regular Decision cycles. An Early Decision (ED) cycle allows students to apply earlier to a particular college and receive notification on their admission early as well. The main feature of an ED is that it is binding. This means that if a student gets into a college where they have applied through the Early Decision cycle, they must commit to this institution unless unable to do so because of financial constraints. 

 

To understand and learn more about the different admission cycles and the benefits of the ED and EA cycle (as well as the difference between the two), visit our blog on When should Students Consider Applying Early Action/ Decision? 

 

So then, why do colleges offer Early Decision I and II? What is the difference? The main difference between ED I and ED II is that there are two different time frames to choose an early and binding option to colleges. ED II has a later application deadline that usually falls around early to mid January, and students hear back around February. Therefore, ED II is a second chance to submit a binding application should a student get deferred or rejected from their ED I school, or should a student decide in January that they are ready to commit to a school and want to apply ED. 

 

 

Why apply ED II?

1. ED II is a second chance after ED I to demonstrate the highest commitment to a school. If a student does not get into their ED I college, this offers them a second chance to apply to another college of their choice in a binding manner. Students often apply to a dream college that is either a reach for them, or a reach for everyone (the most selective schools) during ED I cycle. ED II allows students to set more realistic colleges as their new goal. 

2. While applications are usually due around the same time as the regular decision applications, ED II decisions get back to students earlier. Students generally hear back in February, which is a month to two months earlier than Regular Decision cycles. 

3. Applying to a college through the ED II cycle provides the student with an admission boost. Therefore, if students have a college that they are keen on attending over others, they should consider this option. Colleges love to see that students are pledging themselves to go to their institution!  

4. An advantage of doing ED II over ED I is that students can submit their senior year grades for ED II. If the student is not too happy with their performance during earlier years in high school, they can use senior year to boost their grades and apply to a college through ED II. 

 

Colleges that offer ED II

Different colleges across the United States offer ED II as a part of their admissions cycles, but not all of them do. Here is a list of some of the colleges that offer ED II as a part of their admissions cycle. Take a look at this information to understand how the chances differ by colleges.

 

George Washington University 

ED II Deadline: 5 January

ED II Acceptance Rate: 65

RD Acceptance Rate: 42

 

Johns Hopkins University 

ED II Deadline: 4 January

ED II Acceptance Rate: 29

RD Acceptance Rate: 8

 

New York University

ED II Deadline: 1 January

ED II Acceptance Rate: 28

RD Acceptance Rate: 14

 

Colgate University 

ED II Deadline: 15 January

ED Acceptance Rate: 45

RD Acceptance Rate: 25

 

Smith College 

ED II Deadline: 1 January

ED Acceptance Rate: 65

RD Acceptance Rate:34 

 

Tulane University 

ED II Deadline: 12 January

ED Acceptance Rate: 23

RD Acceptance Rate: 1

 

These statistics from 2020-2021 show that there is a significant difference in acceptance rates between the regular cycles and early decision cycles. To review a full list of all the colleges that offer ED II and the admissions rate for ED vs RD, click here. Please note that colleges do not report ED2 admissions rate separate from ED1 rate. Hence the ED admissions rate above is for all ED admissions combined.

 

For more insights on the college admissions process, read:

Early Decision vs. Regular Decision Admissions Rate for Colleges That Offer ED2

When Should Students Consider Applying Early Action/Early Decision?

Do High School Students Need a Focus?

Crafting a Cohesive College Application

 

 

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