If you plan on attending an American university, there are two dates that you should be concerned with. November 1st and January 1st of your final year of high school. Applications open in August, and if you want to apply for early decision or early action, you need to apply by November 1st. Early action can sometimes be a requirement to receive a scholarship for specific schools.
Unique Early Action Deadlines
Texas A&M and UNC have the quickest early action deadline of October 15th.
Florida State, UC-Boulder, and Mizzou all have a slightly later deadline of November 15th.
The University of California follows its own rules as usual. No early action is available; all applications are due by November 30th.
Three schools have no early action or early decision dates. Florida has a regular decision due November 1st, Washington is November 15th, and Pittsburgh has a rolling admission.
Early Regular Decision Dates
Florida State, Texas A&M, Rutgers, and Missouri all have December 1st for their regular decision dates. Florida State does have rolling admission, however, after the first.
The University of Texas at Austin’s deadline is December 5th.
January 1st, But Not Really
Only nine schools have a decision date of January 1st. Six are on the second. Five are on the third. Five are on the fourth. Five are on the fifth. One is on the tenth. Five are on the fifteenth. And four are between the sixteenth and February 1st.
So, you don’t have to apply by the first, but that is the date I would keep in my head if you missed the early action deadlines.
Deadlines for Outside the United States
If you are applying to one of the top two schools in the UK, Oxford or Cambridge, you need to do so by October 16th. Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s deadline is on January 31st.
In Canada, The University of Toronto is the only top college with an early action date, November 7th. Toronto and McGill have regular decision dates on January 15th. The University of British Columbia’s decision date is a little later, January 31st.
Conclusion
Take your SAT by the late August date. This will allow you to get your applications submitted by October 15th and not stress about any deadlines. But remember that you may also need letters of recommendation or additional essays. Something we’ll look at next week.
