Colleges Change Their Early Decision Deadlines for Fall 2020

Have you checked to make sure you know the correct deadline for your early decision or early action school? If not, go check that now.

Cornell University announced recently that they are extending their early decision deadline, and they are not the only ones. Previously November 1st, Cornell has pushed their deadline back by more than two weeks— now all Early Decision applications must be in by November 16th. The financial aid deadline for US students who apply ED has also moved back and is now November 21st. Cornell still quotes “mid-December” as when students who apply ED will be notified of their admissions decision—but with a later application deadline this could be pushed back as they need time to go through applications and make these decisions. This year, it is even more important to start working on your regular decision schools early and not wait until you hear back from your ED or EA school.

Cornell is not the only school that has pushed back their Early Decision or Early Action deadline. University of Virginia was among the first schools to push their new Early Decision deadline from October 15th to November 1st. Their Early Action deadline of November 1st has not been pushed back at this time.

Similar to Cornell, Duke University changed their Early Decision deadline from November 1st to November 16th to allow students extra time to complete their applications. University of Michigan and Penn State delayed their Early Action deadline to November 15th. The Cal State system which includes 23 campuses in California delayed their Early Decision deadline from November 30th to December 4th.

Some schools have even announced that they will be delaying their regular decision deadlines as well. Williams College announced that their regular decision deadline would be pushed back by a week to January 8th, 2021.

Why did schools extend their deadlines?

Many schools have extended their ED, EA, and Regular deadlines this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus has impacted students in many different ways when it comes to the college process—from standardized test cancellations and closures to the inability to visit and interview with schools in person. Schools want to make this years application cycle as flexible as possible for students since they know that each student is coming from a different place. It is bound to get confusing as the deadlines get closer, since more and more schools have just recently announced their changing deadlines. In previous years, most schools all stuck to the November 1st deadline for ED and EA, but now these changes have given rise to countless different deadline dates; November 15th, 16th, December 4th, and more. Make sure you know what your ED/EA school is doing because they will probably have a unique deadline, and it might keep changing!

How can I make the best of an extended deadline?

Even though you should never leave your applications until the last minute, the extended deadlines gives students more time to fine tune their essays and applications. The fall can get very busy very fast especially with the new format of online learning or hybrid classrooms. Make sure you stay on top of your deadlines even if you have a few extra weeks! We suggest sticking to the same timeline as the original due date, and then use the extra time to edit, tweak, and triple check your essays.

This is just another change to this admission cycle for the 2020-2021 year. It may seem hard to stay organized with everything changing, but knowing your deadlines and application requirements is as important as ever. A good way to stay up to date is to follow and check the social media accounts for the schools on your list as many of them use social media to spread these announcements. Continue to make sure your ED/EA school deadlines are what you think they are, and same goes for your Regular Decision schools.

Even with all of this, remember that you are going to make it through this application cycle. Don’t be afraid to reach out to schools for help and remember to take care of yourself: that is the most important thing while applying to college. Take a deep breath and know that you’re going to be okay!

Lotus is also here to help! Join our College Planning Group for individualized help and tons of resources to help you get through the college process gracefully and successfully! Click the button below to join.

SCHOOLS THAT HAVE CHANGED THEIR DEADLINES

Old Deadline (ED/EA) New Deadline (ED/EA)

Cal State System November 30th December 4th, 2020

Cornell University November 1st November 16th, 2020

Duke University November 1st November 16th, 2020

Penn State November 1st November 15th, 2020

University of Michigan November 1st November 15th, 2020

Old Deadline (RD) New Deadline (RD)

Williams College January 1st January 8th, 2021