Early Decision II
Early Decision II (ED II) is a second binding early application round offered by many US colleges, with a January deadline and a February decision. It is functionally identical to Early Decision I but later in the cycle.
Key Facts
- • Binding, same commitment as Early Decision I.
- • Deadline typically January 1 or early January, with decisions in mid-February.
- • Offered by many selective privates: Emory, NYU, Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, Chicago, WashU, Tufts, and others.
- • You may apply ED II only if you have not been accepted to a different ED I or ED II school.
- • A deferral or denial from ED I at school A does not block an ED II application at school B.
When ED II makes sense
Early Decision II is a second chance at the ED admissions boost, timed for students who did not use ED I or who were deferred/denied from a different ED I school in December. The binding commitment is identical: if admitted, you must withdraw all other applications and enroll.
ED II is most useful in two scenarios:
- You were deferred or denied from your ED I school but still have a strong second-choice school with ED II. You can apply ED II to the second choice in January and get a February decision, much earlier than Regular Decision results in March/April.
- You were not ready in November. Maybe your fall SAT scores had not arrived, maybe your personal statement was not finalized, maybe you were still deciding between schools. January gives you more time while still capturing the ED boost.
What it does not solve
ED II does not stack with ED I. You cannot apply to two binding schools simultaneously. And the admit rate advantage, while real, is typically smaller for ED II than ED I at the same school (ED II pools are smaller and more self-selected, but the school has already built much of its class in ED I).
For international students, ED II is a useful second shot if you targeted a reach school ED I, got deferred, and have a strong second choice (e.g. Emory or Vanderbilt) that offers ED II. The timing works: December 15 deferral, submit ED II by January 1, February 15 result.
Reviewed by Sprint Admissions Team · Updated May 2026
Related terms
Early Decision
Early Decision is a binding college application option where the student commits in advance to enroll if admitted, in exchange for an earlier deadline and an earlier decision.
Regular Decision
Regular Decision is the standard, non-binding US college application timeline, with January deadlines and decisions released in March or early April.
Deferred Admission
A deferral is the outcome of an Early Decision or Early Action application in which the college neither accepts nor rejects the student, instead re-reviewing the application in the Regular Decision pool alongside all other RD applicants.