Did you apply to the Class of 2029? Are you waiting with bated breath to see how your applications have fared in the 2024-2025 admissions cycle? Well, you’ve come to the right place! While some colleges jump the gun at times and others can be slower than expected to release notifications, these dates will give you a pretty good idea of when you should expect to hear from the colleges to which you submitted applications.

Class of 2029 College Admissions Decisions Dates & Timelines

As a rule of thumb, most Early Decision I notifications are sent out around mid-December 2024. Early Action notifications tend to come out sometime between mid-December 2024 and late January 2025. Early Decision II notifications tend to be released in mid- to late-February 2025. Regular Decision notifications generally go out between mid-March and April 1, 2025. Still other schools offer rolling admissions, in which decisions tend to go out about four to six weeks after submitting an application.

Admissions Policy	Typical Notification Date
Early Decision I	Mid-December 2024
Early Action	Mid-December 2024 to Late January 2025
Early Decision II	Mid to Late February 2025
Regular Decision	Mid-March 2025 to April 1, 2025
Rolling Admission	Usually 4-6 weeks after the submission of an application (from fall through spring)

Specific Timeline for Admissions Decision Notifications by College

Top National Universities

Wondering when exactly candidates applying to the best national universities for the Class of 2029 will learn of their Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Early Action, or Regular Decision results? Wonder no more! Here are the dates for the list of schools ranked among the top 50 national universities by US News & World Report in the 2025 ranking:

University	US News 2025 Rank (“Best National Universities”)	Early Decision I Notification Date	Early Decision II Notification Date	Early Action Notification Date	Regular Decision Notification Date
Princeton University	1			By Mid-December 2024	By Late March 2025
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	2			By Mid-December 2024	March 14, 2025
Harvard University	3			By Mid-December 2024	By Late March 2025
Stanford University	4			By Mid-December 2024	By Early April 2025
Yale University	5			By Mid-December 2024	April 1, 2025
California Institute of Technology	6			By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-March 2025
Duke University	6	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March/Early April 2025
Johns Hopkins University	6	December 13, 2024	February 14, 2025		March 21, 2025
Northwestern University	6	December 2024			March 2025
University of Pennsylvania	10	By Mid-December 2024			By April 2025
Cornell University	11	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March 2025
University of Chicago	11	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-December 2024	By Late March 2025
Brown University	13	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March 2025
Columbia University	13	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March 2025
Dartmouth College	15	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March/Early April 2025
UCLA	15				March 1-31, 2025
UC Berkeley	17				By Late March 2025
Notre Dame	18			By Mid-December 2024	By Late March 2025
Rice University	18	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-Februrary 2025		By April 2025
Vanderbilt University	18	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-Februrary 2025		By Late March 2025
Carnegie Mellon University	21	December 15, 2024			April 1, 2025
University of Michigan	21			By Late January 2025	By Early April 2025
Washington University in St. Louis	21	December 13, 2024	February 14, 2025		April 1, 2025
Emory University	24	December 15, 2025	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
Georgetown University	24			December 15, 2024	By Early April 2025
University of Virginia	24			February 15, 2025	April 1, 2025
UNC Chapel Hill	27			January 31, 2025	March 31, 2025
University of Southern California	27			By Late January 2025	April 1, 2025
UC San Diego	29				By Mid-March 2025
New York University	30	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
University of Florida	30			January 24, 2025	March 14, 2025
UT Austin	30			January 15, 2025	February 15, 2025
Georgia Tech	33			December 6, 2024 (Georgia Residents); January 31, 2025 (Non-Georgia Residents)	By Early March (Georgia Residents); By Late March (Non-Georgia Residents)
UC Davis	33				By Mid-March 2025
UC Irvine	33				March 1-31, 2025
University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign	33			January 31, 2025	February 28, 2025
Boston College	37	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
Tufts University	37	By Mid-December 2024	By Early February 2025		April 1, 2025
UC Santa Barbara	39				By Mid-March 2025
University of Wisconsin – Madison	39			January 31, 2025	March 31, 2025
Boston University	41	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		By Late March/Early April
Ohio State University	41			December 13, 2024 (Ohio Residents); January 24, 2025 (Non-Ohio Residents)	March 7, 2025
Rutgers University – New Brunswick	41			February 15, 2025	March 31, 2025
University of Maryland – College Park	44			February 1, 2025	April 1, 2025
University of Rochester	44	By Mid-December 2024	By Early February 2025		April 1, 2025
Lehigh University	46	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-February 2025		By Late March 2025
Purdue University	46			January 15, 2025	March 31, 2025
University of Georgia	46			December 1, 2024	By Mid-March 2025
University of Washington	46				March 1-15, 2025 (Single Deadline)
Wake Forest University	46	Rolling	February 15, 2025	January 15, 2025	April 1, 2025

Top Liberal Arts Colleges

When exactly will candidates to the best liberal arts colleges for the Class of 2029 learn of their Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Early Action, or Regular Decision results? Here are the dates for the list of schools ranked among the top 25 liberal arts colleges by US News & World Report in the 2025 ranking:

Liberal Arts College	US News 2025 Rank (“Best Liberal Arts Colleges”)	Early Decision I Notification Date	Early Decision II Notification Date	Early Action Notification Date	Regular Decision Notification Date
Williams College	1	December 15, 2024			April 1, 2025
Amherst College	2	By Early to Mid-December 2024			March 20, 2025
Swarthmore College	3	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-February 2025		April 1, 2025
United States Naval Academy	4				By April 15, 2025 (Rolling)
Bowdoin College	5	By Mid-December 2024	By Early February 2025		By Mid-March 2025
Pomona College	5	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
Wellesley College	7	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-February 2025		By Late March 2025
United States Air Force Academy	8				By April 2025 (Rolling)
Carleton College	8	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
Claremont McKenna College	8	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
United States Military Academy	8				Rolling
Harvey Mudd College	12	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025
Vassar College	12	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Barnard College	14	By Mid-December 2024			By Late March 2025
Davidson College	14	December 14, 2024	February 1, 2025		April 1, 2025
Hamilton College	14	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		By Late March 2025
Smith College	14	By Mid-December 2024	By Late January 2025		By Late March 2025
Wesleyan University	14	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-February 2025		By Late March 2025
Grinnell College	19	By Mid to Late December 2024	By Early February 2025		By Late March/Early April 2025
Middlebury College	19	By Mid-December 2024	By Mid-February 2025		By Late March 2025
Washington and Lee University	19	December 20, 2024	February 1, 2025		April 1, 2025
Colgate University	22	December 13, 2024	By Mid-February 2025		By Late March 2025
University of Richmond	22	December 13, 2024	February 14, 2025	January 24, 2025	March 14, 2025
Haverford College	24	December 15, 2024	By Early February 2025		By Late March 2025
Colby College	25	December 15, 2024	February 15, 2025		April 1, 2025

Difference Between Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Early Action

As you’ll note from the above charts, some schools offer Early Decision and Regular Decision, others Early Decision I and II along with Regular Decision, others Early Decision I and II, Early Action, and Regular Decision, others Early Action and Regular Decision, and still others just Regular Decision. Early Decision is a binding policy under which students must enroll if admitted. The difference between Early Decision I and II is the deadlines by which students must apply (it’s also easier to get in through Early Decision I than through Early Decision II). Early Action is a non-binding policy under which students must let the college know where they intend to enroll by May 1, 2025.

What to Do While You Wait

Many students often wonder what they should do while they await decisions. But unless the college specifically requests material (e.g., first-quarter or mid-year grades), there’s nothing for students to do. Suppose an alum of a certain school reaches out to them for an interview. In that case, the student should seize that opportunity (securing an alumni interview isn’t an indication of one’s chances but instead of the availability of alumni interviewers in the student’s area to meet, so don’t fret if you don’t have an interview lined up!). But beyond doing the alumni interview, there’s nothing to do. Students should not send unrequested updates to the colleges (unless it’s a meaningful update, like being named a National Youth Poet Laureate). Otherwise, don’t bother admissions officers during the height of their busiest season with unnecessary updates — you’ll do more harm than good!