Early Decision Enrollment
When weighing the pros and cons of applying Early Decision, most applicants focus primarily on the differential between the admissions rates of the early and regular rounds. Early Decision admit rates are typically higher, even when accounting for the fact that many athletes, legacy, and other “special” candidates are brought aboard via ED. However, another important factor that should be informing applicants’ decisions is the percentage of the total freshman class being admitted through Early Decision. For example, elite liberal arts schools Middlebury and Grinnell have already filled over 60% of their incoming classes by January (after ED II evaluations have concluded). On the other end of the spectrum, Carnegie Mellon only fills 27% of their class through ED; Northeastern sits at a mere 23%. We hope that the following list of Early Decision enrollment data will help you make a more informed choice about when to apply to your dream school.
*Data collected from 2020-21 Common Data Set (CDS) forms.
Table updated October 2021
| Institution | Total Admits | Yield (Freshman Enrollment) | Early Decision Admits | Regular Decision Admits | ED Admits (as % of total admits) | ED Admits (as % of incoming class) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred University | 2,726 | 359 | 33 | 2,693 | 1% | 9% |
| Allegheny College | 3,204 | 400 | 77 | 3,127 | 2% | 19% |
| American University | 7,744 | 1,607 | 803 | 6,941 | 10% | 50% |
| Amherst College | 1,254 | 434 | 188 | 1,066 | 15% | 43% |
| Assumption College | 4,019 | 572 | 33 | 3,986 | 1% | 6% |
| Augustana College | 3,954 | 543 | 29 | 3,925 | 1% | 5% |
| Babson College | 1,753 | 603 | 248 | 1,505 | 14% | 41% |
| Barnard College | 1,280 | 690 | 317 | 963 | 25% | 46% |
| Bates College | 1,085 | 479 | 388 | 697 | 36% | 81% |
| Beloit College | 1,832 | 187 | 6 | 1,826 | 0% | 3% |
| Bennington College | 829 | 141 | 29 | 800 | 3% | 21% |
| Bentley University | 4,798 | 936 | 324 | 4,474 | 7% | 35% |
| Boston College | 7,752 | 2,408 | 1,258 | 6,494 | 16% | 52% |
| Boston University | 12,254 | 2,914 | 1,671 | 10,583 | 14% | 57% |
| Bowdoin College | 861 | 464 | 242 | 619 | 28% | 52% |
| Brandeis University | 3,445 | 747 | 362 | 3,083 | 11% | 48% |
| Brown University | 2,822 | 1,751 | 800 | 2,022 | 28% | 46% |
| Bryant University | 5,700 | 806 | 133 | 5,567 | 2% | 17% |
| Bryn Mawr College | 1,270 | 359 | 169 | 1,101 | 13% | 47% |
| Bucknell University | 3,712 | 986 | 468 | 3,244 | 13% | 47% |
| Carleton College | 1,460 | 453 | 232 | 1,228 | 16% | 51% |
| Carnegie Mellon University | 4,524 | 1,637 | 445 | 4,079 | 10% | 27% |
| Catholic University of America | 5,146 | 630 | 74 | 5,072 | 1% | 12% |
| Centre College | 1,541 | 352 | 61 | 1,480 | 4% | 17% |
| Chapman University | 8,303 | 1,586 | 144 | 8,159 | 2% | 9% |
| Christopher Newport University | 5,587 | 1,155 | 318 | 5,269 | 6% | 28% |
| Clarkson University | 4,834 | 691 | 142 | 4,692 | 3% | 21% |
| Colby College | 1,430 | 566 | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported |
| Colgate University | 2,358 | 765 | 478 | 1,880 | 20% | 62% |
| College of Charleston | 11,307 | 2,052 | 211 | 11,096 | 2% | 10% |
| College of the Holy Cross | 2,689 | 735 | 413 | 2,276 | 15% | 56% |
| College of William and Mary | 5,987 | 1,521 | 600 | 5,387 | 10% | 39% |
| Colorado College | 1,395 | 539 | 311 | 1,084 | 22% | 58% |
| Columbia University | 2,544 | 1,453 | 726 | 1,818 | 29% | 50% |
| Connecticut College | 2,596 | 434 | 264 | 2,332 | 10% | 61% |
| Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | 413 | 208 | 50 | 363 | 12% | 24% |
| Cornell University | 5,514 | 3,249 | 1,594 | 3,920 | 29% | 49% |
| Dartmouth College | 1,972 | 1,057 | 543 | 1,429 | 28% | 51% |
| Davidson College | 1,124 | 520 | 307 | 817 | 27% | 59% |
| Denison University | 2,558 | 605 | 272 | 2,286 | 11% | 45% |
| DePauw University | 3,754 | 382 | 122 | 3,632 | 3% | 32% |
| Dickinson College | 2,776 | 490 | 260 | 2,516 | 9% | 53% |
| Drexel University | 24,112 | 2,332 | 244 | 23,868 | 1% | 10% |
| Duke University | 3,085 | 1,584 | 840 | 2,245 | 27% | 53% |
| Elon University | 10,975 | 1,587 | 338 | 10,637 | 3% | 21% |
| Emory University | 5,407 | 1,344 | 803 | 4,604 | 15% | 60% |
| Endicott College | 3,770 | 781 | 85 | 3,685 | 2% | 11% |
| Fairfield University | 7,065 | 1,118 | 211 | 6,854 | 3% | 19% |
| Florida Southern College | 4,591 | 675 | 82 | 4,509 | 2% | 12% |
| Fordham University | 25,180 | 2,086 | 210 | 24,970 | 1% | 10% |
| Franklin and Marshall College | 3,308 | 553 | 371 | 2,937 | 11% | 67% |
| Furman University | 3,389 | 519 | 154 | 3,235 | 5% | 30% |
| George Washington University | 11,366 | 1,978 | 681 | 10,685 | 6% | 34% |
| Grinnell College | 1,566 | 365 | 250 | 1,316 | 16% | 68% |
| Hamilton College | 1,370 | 438 | 253 | 1,117 | 18% | 58% |
| Harvey Mudd College | 610 | 209 | 93 | 517 | 15% | 44% |
| Haverford College | 826 | 334 | 197 | 629 | 24% | 59% |
| High Point University | 8,680 | 1,387 | 707 | 7,973 | 8% | 51% |
| Hillsdale College | 727 | 341 | 97 | 630 | 13% | 28% |
| Hobart William Smith Colleges | 2,437 | 391 | 187 | 2,250 | 8% | 48% |
| Howard University | 9,398 | 2,360 | 138 | 9,260 | 1% | 6% |
| Ithaca College | 9,767 | 992 | 117 | 9,650 | 1% | 12% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 2,735 | 1,295 | 681 | 2,054 | 25% | 53% |
| Kalamazoo College | 2,569 | 384 | 61 | 2,508 | 2% | 16% |
| Kenyon College | 2,440 | 446 | 252 | 2,188 | 10% | 57% |
| Knox College | 2,205 | 274 | 21 | 2,184 | 1% | 8% |
| Lafayette College | 2,922 | 606 | 362 | 2,560 | 12% | 60% |
| Lake Forest College | 2,582 | 388 | 44 | 2,538 | 2% | 11% |
| Lawrence University | 2,087 | 377 | 38 | 2,049 | 2% | 10% |
| Lehigh University | 6,138 | 1,370 | 815 | 5,323 | 13% | 59% |
| Lewis & Clark College | 4,353 | 512 | 39 | 4,314 | 1% | 8% |
| Loyola Marymount University | 9,314 | 1,468 | 210 | 9,104 | 2% | 14% |
| Macalester College | 2,466 | 547 | 179 | 2,287 | 7% | 33% |
| Marist College | 6,449 | 1,101 | 239 | 6,210 | 4% | 22% |
| McDaniel College | 3,413 | 581 | 22 | 3,391 | 1% | 4% |
| Merrimack College | 8,927 | 1,086 | 79 | 8,848 | 1% | 7% |
| Miami University | 24,684 | 3,824 | 524 | 24,160 | 2% | 14% |
| Middlebury College | 2,022 | 602 | 392 | 1,630 | 19% | 65% |
| Mount Holyoke College | 1,826 | 456 | 253 | 1,573 | 14% | 55% |
| Muhlenberg College | 2,825 | 517 | 243 | 2,582 | 9% | 47% |
| New York University | 16,918 | 6,701 | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported |
| Northeastern University | 13,199 | 3,128 | 709 | 2,419 | 5% | 23% |
| Northwestern University | 3,654 | 1,901 | 1,105 | 2,549 | 30% | 58% |
| Oberlin College | 3,292 | 680 | 219 | 3,073 | 7% | 32% |
| Occidental College | 2,838 | 402 | 205 | 2,633 | 7% | 51% |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | 2,710 | 403 | 43 | 2,667 | 2% | 11% |
| Pitzer College | 706 | 225 | 174 | 532 | 25% | 77% |
| Pomona College | 895 | 399 | 211 | 684 | 24% | 53% |
| Providence College | 5,826 | 1,000 | 365 | 5,461 | 6% | 37% |
| Quinnipiac University | 16,311 | 1,757 | 141 | 16,170 | 1% | 8% |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | 5,334 | 979 | 124 | 5,210 | 2% | 13% |
| Reed College | 2,391 | 365 | 119 | 2,272 | 5% | 33% |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 9,539 | 1,464 | 413 | 9,126 | 4% | 28% |
| Rhode Island School of Design | 1,085 | 413 | 149 | 936 | 14% | 36% |
| Rhodes College | 2,606 | 442 | 148 | 2,458 | 6% | 33% |
| Rice University | 2,555 | 993 | 440 | 2,115 | 17% | 44% |
| Roanoke College | 4,138 | 468 | 142 | 3,996 | 3% | 30% |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 15,958 | 2,998 | 1,388 | 14,570 | 9% | 46% |
| Rollins College | 3,696 | 504 | 248 | 3,448 | 7% | 49% |
| Saint Joseph's University | 6,111 | 847 | 82 | 6,029 | 1% | 10% |
| Saint Mary's College | 1,965 | 392 | 126 | 1,839 | 6% | 32% |
| Salisbury University | 6,754 | 1,218 | 324 | 6,430 | 5% | 27% |
| Santa Clara University | 8,362 | 1,259 | 398 | 7,964 | 5% | 32% |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 2,007 | 385 | 61 | 1,946 | 3% | 16% |
| Scripps College | 1,032 | 220 | 128 | 904 | 12% | 58% |
| Skidmore College | 3,356 | 718 | 411 | 2,945 | 12% | 57% |
| Smith College | 1,917 | 527 | 301 | 1,616 | 16% | 57% |
| Southern Methodist University | 7,379 | 1,531 | 343 | 7,036 | 5% | 22% |
| Southwestern University | 2,260 | 361 | 28 | 2,232 | 1% | 8% |
| Spelman College | 4,794 | 576 | 53 | 4,741 | 1% | 9% |
| St Lawrence University | 2,813 | 572 | 231 | 2,582 | 8% | 40% |
| St Olaf College | 2,658 | 729 | 168 | 2,490 | 6% | 23% |
| St. John's College (MD) | 477 | 85 | 25 | 452 | 5% | 29% |
| St. John's College (NM) | 477 | 85 | 25 | 452 | 29% | |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland | 2,058 | 381 | 53 | 2,005 | 3% | 14% |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | 5,490 | 918 | 318 | 5,172 | 6% | 35% |
| SUNY College at Geneseo | 6,289 | 891 | 247 | 6,042 | 4% | 28% |
| Swarthmore College | 1,054 | 374 | 237 | 817 | 22% | 63% |
| Syracuse University | 21,994 | 3,499 | 1,189 | 20,805 | 5% | 34% |
| Texas Christian University | 10,155 | 2,287 | 492 | 9,663 | 5% | 22% |
| The College of New Jersey | 6,765 | 1,428 | 492 | 6,273 | 7% | 34% |
| The College of Wooster | 3,645 | 530 | 124 | 3,521 | 3% | 23% |
| The University of the South | 2,350 | 490 | 170 | 2,180 | 7% | 35% |
| Trinity College | 2,145 | 572 | 318 | 1,827 | 15% | 56% |
| Trinity University | 3,158 | 634 | 136 | 3,022 | 4% | 21% |
| Tufts University | 3,770 | 1,615 | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported | Not Reported |
| Tulane University | 4,877 | 1,801 | 923 | 3,954 | 19% | 51% |
| Union College | 3,145 | 466 | 206 | 2,939 | 7% | 44% |
| University of Denver | 13,785 | 1,375 | 172 | 13,613 | 1% | 13% |
| University of Mary Washington | 4,564 | 780 | 86 | 4,478 | 2% | 11% |
| University of Miami | 13,280 | 2,358 | 876 | 12,404 | 7% | 37% |
| University of North Carolina at Asheville | 2,474 | 586 | 375 | 2,099 | 15% | 64% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 3,789 | 2,321 | 1,256 | 2,533 | 33% | 54% |
| University of Richmond | 3,727 | 811 | 312 | 3,415 | 8% | 38% |
| University of Rochester | 6,947 | 1,363 | 525 | 6,422 | 8% | 39% |
| University of San Francisco | 15,099 | 1,142 | 100 | 14,999 | 1% | 9% |
| University of Virginia-Main Campus | 9,230 | 3,785 | 721 | 8,509 | 8% | 19% |
| Ursinus College | 3,084 | 437 | 86 | 2,998 | 3% | 20% |
| Vanderbilt University | 4,259 | 1,698 | 872 | 3,387 | 20% | 51% |
| Villanova University | 6,770 | 1,700 | 613 | 6,157 | 9% | 36% |
| Virginia Military Institute | 924 | 482 | 274 | 650 | 30% | 57% |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | 20,456 | 6,569 | 1,357 | 19,099 | 7% | 21% |
| Warren Wilson College | 1,130 | 194 | 16 | 1,114 | 1% | 8% |
| Washington & Jefferson College | 2,251 | 338 | 18 | 2,233 | 1% | 5% |
| Washington University in St. Louis | 4,477 | 1,804 | 1,080 | 3,397 | 24% | 60% |
| Wayne State University | 11,794 | 3,120 | 10 | 11,784 | 0% | 0% |
| Wellesley College | 1,343 | 580 | 253 | 1,090 | 19% | 44% |
| Wesleyan University | 2,640 | 720 | 460 | 2,180 | 17% | 64% |
| Wheaton College (MA) | 2,760 | 458 | 95 | 2,665 | 3% | 21% |
| Whitman College | 2,687 | 294 | 130 | 2,557 | 5% | 44% |
| Willamette University | 3,215 | 326 | 18 | 3,197 | 1% | 6% |
| Williams College | 1,322 | 482 | 249 | 1,073 | 19% | 52% |
| Yeshiva University | 972 | 558 | 109 | 863 | 11% | 20% |
Colleges Worth Your Money
2022 Edition
A Guide to What America's Top Schools Can Do for You
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