Early admission results arrive in a rush every December. In the 2025–26 cycle, Boston College released its decisions first, on December 3, with Princeton (December 11), Columbia and Brown (December 16) and Yale (December 17) close behind.
A few seniors are already committed through ED I by then, but most are weighing two paths at once: Early Decision II and Regular Decision. ED II carries the same binding commitment as ED I and, at many schools, admits a larger share of applicants than Regular Decision, which makes it the last early card most students have left to play. The catch is that very few top universities offer it.
Six top-30 universities with an ED II round
In the 2025–26 cycle, these six top-30 national universities in the U.S. News rankings were among the few offering an ED II round:
| School | U.S. News rank | ED II note |
|---|---|---|
| University of Chicago | 6 | Also offers EA, ED I and RD |
| Johns Hopkins University | 7 | 242 ED II admits; ED II admit rate about 10% |
| Rice University | 17 | Second ED II round; about 6% admitted in the first |
| Vanderbilt University | 17 | ED II admit rate about 10% |
| Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) | 20 | A common second binding choice after ED I |
| Emory University | 24 | A common second binding choice after ED I |
On paper they offer the same thing. In practice, each one calls for a slightly different calculation.
University of Chicago
UChicago is unusual in offering Early Action, Early Decision I, Early Decision II and Regular Decision side by side. More rounds mean more room for strategy. For an applicant who already has UChicago near the top of the list, ED II is not a window to let slip past.
