List of Colleges That Offer Early Action

Are you thinking about applying early and looking to find a list of colleges that offer early action? Do you have your heart set on a specific school and want to know if it accepts early action? You have come to the right place if you can answer yes to either of these questions.

We will help you not only identify early action schools. We will help you understand a little more about the benefits you receive from applying early action, when you may receive your results, and so much more.

Imagine applying to your dream school early and getting accepted. You’d forgo the headache of applying to “safety schools .”Keep reading to find information that can help you do just that.

What Does Early Action Do for You?

If you are on the fence about whether you should apply early action or not, never fear; we will help you understand the pros and even the cons of using early action. Starting on a positive note, there are several reasons why you may want to apply early action.

• If you are sure about the school you want to attend, applying early action gives you the peace of mind of knowing that you have been accepted somewhere and going through the hassle of applying to several other schools is unneeded.
• Getting a decision early saves you the time of wondering if you would have gotten in or not; it also gives you more time to raise your grades and re-apply later.
• If accepted early, students have more time to prep for their start in college. This means more time making housing selections, spending time with family, and even working.
• Your application fees and even the time cost for filling out applications are significantly minimized.
• Your application competition is significantly reduced. This means that there is a smaller pool of students applying, therefore a smaller number of students who could knock you from a spot at your top option. However, though the number may be smaller, the competition may be fiercer as these students are just as prepared as you with a competitive application.

However, along with having numerous pros, there may be several reasons why you may not choose to apply early action.

• You will need to be highly organized and prepared earlier than your classmates. The deadline for early action is generally a few months before the regular action deadline. All recommendations, essays, and information must be ready to turn in.
• Getting denied for some schools may mean that you can’t apply during the regular application process. It is essential to check in with the schools of your choice to determine if that is the case.

How Many Colleges Can You Apply Early Action?

The number of schools you can apply to depends on whether you are doing traditional early action or restrictive early action. The short answer is yes however that option can be taken away from you. There are different types of early action that students may choose to apply. There may be several reasons why students go either route; both have several pros and cons.

Early Action:  Students who apply early action are allowed to apply to multiple schools. There is also no limit on the number of schools that a student may apply to. Therefore, when using early action, students can choose several schools they are interested in, including their top choice and other safety schools.

Restrictive Early Action: This option is only slightly different from early action because it provides more restrictions. In this option, students can only apply early to one institution. Students will typically need to sign a document stating that they will not apply early to any other institutions.

Restrictive Early action is often known as Single Choice early action. It is a non-binding agreement. All other applications must be traditional. Though the advantage is not significant, many do feel that students applying for single-choice early action will have a greater chance of admission.

Which Ivy League Schools Have Early Action?

The Ivy League schools are said to be some of the best early action schools. This includes schools like Harvard University, MIT, otherwise known as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford. Even Yale has early action.

Other Ivy League schools which have early action include the following:

• Brown University
• Columbia
• Connell University
• Dartmouth
• University of Pennsylvania
• Princeton

List of Early Action Schools by State

There are some states which currently do not have any early action schools. These states include Wyoming, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Arizona, Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Nebraska, and Hawaii.   The list below is taken from PrepScholar.com.

Alabama

• Auburn University
• Birmingham-Southern College

Arkansas

• Hendrix College
• University of Arkansas

California

• Azusa Pacific University
• Biola University
• California Baptist University
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
• California Lutheran University
• Chapman University
• Concordia University Irvine
• Loyola Marymount University
• The Master’s University
• Menlo College
• Mount Saint Mary’s University
• Point Loma Nazarene University
• Saint Mary’s College of California
• Santa Clara University
• Simpson University
• Soka University of America
• Stanford University
• University of the Pacific
• University of Redlands
• University of San Francisco
• Vanguard University of Southern California
• Westmont College
• Whittier College

Colorado

• Colorado College
• Colorado State University
• University of Colorado Boulder
• University of Denver

Connecticut

• Fairfield University
• Sacred Heart University
• The United States Coast Guard Academy
• University of New Haven
• Yale University

Delaware

• Delaware College of Art and Design

District of Columbia

• Catholic University of America
• Georgetown University
• Howard University

Florida

• Eckerd College
• Lynn University
• University of Miami
• University of Tampa

Georgia

• Agnes Scott College
• Emmanuel College
• Georgia College and State University
• Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
• Georgia State University
• Mercer University
• Morehouse College
• Oglethorpe University
• Spelman College
• University of Georgia

Idaho

• College of Idaho
• Northwest Nazarene University

Illinois

• Augustana College
• DePaul University
• Illinois College
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• Knox College
• Lake Forest College
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• University of Chicago
• The University of Illinois at Chicago
• The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Wheaton College

Indiana

• Butler University
• DePauw University
• Earlham College
• Grace College
• Hanover College
• Purdue University
• Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
• University of Evansville
• University of Notre Dame
• Wabash College

Iowa

• Coe College
• Cornell College
• Wartburg College

Kentucky

• Bellarmine University
• Centre College
• Transylvania University
• University of Kentucky

Louisiana

• Centenary College of Louisiana
• Tulane University 

Maine

• Maine Maritime Academy
• Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
• Thomas College
• Unity College
• University of Maine
• The University of Maine at Farmington
• The University of Maine at Machias
• University of New England

Maryland

• Goucher College
• Loyola University Maryland
• McDaniel College
• Mount St. Mary’s University
• Salisbury University
• St. John’s College
• University of Maryland
• University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Washington College

Massachusetts

• Assumption College
• Babson College
• Bay Path University
• Becker College
• Berklee College of Music
• Bridgewater State University
• Clark University
• Curry College
• Dean College
• Emerson College
• Emmanuel College
• Framingham State University
• Gordon College
• Hampshire College
• Harvard University
• Hellenic College
• Lasell College
• Lesley University
• Massachusetts College of Art and Design
• Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Massachusetts Maritime Academy
• Merrimack College
• Montserrat College of Art
• Northeastern University
• Regis College
• Salem State University
• Simmons College
• Stonehill College
• Suffolk University
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Massachusetts Boston
• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
• University of Massachusetts Lowell
• Wheaton College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Worcester State University

Michigan

• Central Michigan University
• College for Creative Studies
• Kalamazoo College
• Michigan State University
• University of Michigan

Minnesota

• College of Saint Benedict
• Gustavus Adolphus College
• Hamline University
• Minneapolis College of Art and Design
• Saint John’s University
• University of Minnesota—Twin Cities

Mississippi

• Millsaps College

New Hampshire

• Saint Anselm College
• Southern New Hampshire University
• University of New Hampshire

New Jersey

• Bloomfield College
• Caldwell University
• Felician College
• Georgian Court University
• Kean University
• Monmouth University
• Princeton University
• Rider University
• Rutgers—New Brunswick
• Saint Peter’s University
• Seton Hall University
• William Paterson University

New Mexico

• St. John’s College

New York

• Adelphi University
• Bard College
• College of Mount Saint Vincent
• College of Saint Rose
• Columbia University, School of General Studies
• Concordia College New York
• Fordham University
• Hofstra University
• Iona College
• Ithaca College
• Le Moyne College
• LIM College
• LIU Brooklyn
• LIU Post
• Manhattanville College
• Marist College
• Molloy College
• New York Institute of Technology
• Niagara University
• Pace University
• Parsons School of Design (The New School)
• Pratt Institute
• The Sage Colleges
• Siena College
• SUNY Albany (University at Albany)
• SUNY Binghamton (Binghamton University)
• SUNY Buffalo (University at Buffalo)
• SUNY Cortland
• SUNY New Paltz
• SUNY Oneonta
• SUNY Polytechnic Institute
• SUNY Purchase (Purchase College)
• Utica College
• Wells College

North Carolina

• Elon University
• High Point University
• Lees-McRae College
• Lenoir-Rhyne University
• North Carolina State University
• Queens University of Charlotte
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• The University of North Carolina at Wilmington
• Warren Wilson College
• Western Carolina University

Ohio

• Case Western Reserve University
• Cleveland Institute of Art
• College of Wooster
• John Carroll University
• Miami University
• Ohio State University
• Ohio Wesleyan University
• University of Akron
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Dayton
• Wittenberg University

Oklahoma

• University of Tulsa

Oregon

• Eastern Oregon University
• George Fox University
• Lewis & Clark College
• Linfield College
• Oregon State University
• Reed College
• University of Oregon
• Willamette University

Pennsylvania

• Duquesne University
• La Salle University
• Lycoming College
• Penn State (all undergraduate campuses)
• Saint Joseph’s University
• Susquehanna University
• Temple University
• University of Scranton
• Ursinus College
• Villanova University
• Washington & Jefferson College
• Westminster College

Rhode Island

• Bryant University
• Providence College
• Roger Williams University
• Salve Regina University
• University of Rhode Island

South Carolina

• College of Charleston
• Furman University
• Presbyterian College
• University of South Carolina
• Wofford College

Tennessee

• Rhodes College
• Sewanee: University of the South

Texas

• Abilene Christian University
• Austin College
• Baylor University
• Southern Methodist University
• Southwestern University
• Tarleton State University
• Texas Christian University
• Texas Lutheran University
• Trinity University
• University of Dallas
• University of St. Thomas

When Do Early Action Results Come Out?

Knowing the important dates for Early Action is necessary when you are thinking about submitting your application. It is imperative to check with your college for two critical dates. These dates include the early action application deadline and the decision notification date.

For the Class of 2025, most have an expected notification date in December. Most schools fall within the mid to late December range.

Wrapping Things Up: List of Colleges That Offer Early Action

Overall, there are several early action colleges to choose from if you are still researching. Whether you are looking for an ivy league or just a school in a specific state, check the listing and begin looking into schools that may interest you. However, before choosing a school, you will need to understand if Early Action is the best option.

There are several pluses and minuses to applying early action. One major plus is that you give yourself a considerable amount of time back to enjoy the rest of your senior year and even get a jump start on choosing things like housing. Luckily, early action is non-binding, and though you may get accepted, you are not obligated to attend.

We hope you found this information helpful and you are happy with whatever school you choose.