WHAT IS ED2? THE HIGHEST RANKED ED2 SCHOOLS

Early Decision 2 is a second round of Early Decision, a college application option that comes with the same binding agreement as ED1 (if the college accepts you, you're automatically committed to attend). However, ED2 applications have later deadlines, with applications due in January and results coming out in February. Only some colleges offer ED2, limited to private universities or liberal arts colleges—an advantageous option for many college applicants.

Advantages of ED2 largely overlap with those of ED1: early decision applications generally yield higher admit rates than their regular decision counterparts, and they allow applicants to be notified of results much earlier. The higher admit rate is no joke—early applicants make up roughly 60% of the incoming class of Washington University in St. Louis and an estimated 80% of that of the University of Chicago, for example. This is because ED applicants, who have signed a binding contract, promise colleges a higher yield rate, or the percentage of admitted applicants who actually end up enrolling as students. Also, students who apply ED demonstrate significantly higher interest in the college as compared to non-ED applicants—"you're my first choice," the ED application says, which gives it an extra edge in the eyes of college admissions.

ED2 also provides a strong second option to students who have had their ED1 application deferred or rejected. While you can't apply to the same college for both ED1 and ED2, ED2 is the way to go if you have a definite second favorite college in mind, or even just a first choice that you decided on too late for you to apply in the first round of early decision. Colleges have no way to tell which is the case for you—that is, whether they're your first choice of college or second—so there's no need to worry about what colleges might think about you applying ED2 instead of ED1. All college admission committees see is your binding commitment to their school.

So which are the best colleges for ED2? We’ve compiled two tables to answer that (based on the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2020 Rankings for both National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges), complete with admit rate comparisons between early decision and regular decision applications (mostly based on Class of 2023 data unless stated otherwise).

(All numbers refer to the Class of 2026 unless stated otherwise.)

National Universities	Overall Admit Rate (RD + Early Combined)	Regular Decision Admit Rate	Early Decision Admit Rate
University of Chicago	5.4%	-	10% (Estimated)
Johns Hopkins University	6.5%	5%	15%
Vanderbilt University	6.1%	4.7%	17.6%
Washington University in St. Louis	11%	8%	27%
Carnegie Mellon University	11%	-	20%
Emory University	13%	12%	26%
New York University	12.2%	13%	38% (estimated)
Wake Forest University	20%	25%	-
Tufts University	11.4%	11%	26% (Class of 2025)
Boston College	16.7%	-	28%
Boston University	14%	-	26%
Case Western Reserve University	25%	-	36% (estimated)
Northeastern University	7%	-	33%
Tulane University	8.4%	-	10%

National Liberal Arts Colleges	Overall Admit Rate (RD + Early Combined)	Regular Decision Admit Rate	Early Decision Admit Rate
Pomona College	7%	-	-
Swarthmore College	7%	8%	24%
Wellesley College	13%	-	39%
Bowdoin College	8.9%	7%	27% (estimated)
Carleton College	16.5%	17%	22%
Claremont McKenna College	11.2%	8.8%	28.8%
Middlebury College	15%	11%	43%
Washington and Lee University	17%	16%	48%
Vassar College	25%	20%	39%
Davidson College	16.9%	18%	42.5%
Hamilton College	11.8%	-	41%
Colgate University	12%	15%	25%
Haverford College	14.2%	15%	43%
Wesleyan University	13.9%	17%	55%
Colby College	7%	9%	-
Bates College	13.7%	14%	60%
Colorado College	11.6%	3%	26% ED, 15% EA
Colorado College	11.6%	3%	26% ED, 15% EA
Harvey Mudd College	10%	9%	21%
Pitzer College	17%	15%	47%
Scripps College	35%	28%	51%