Fourteen Colleges Where the Merit Deadline Comes Before the Application Deadline

On most college lists, the dates that matter in December are application deadlines: January 1, 4, 5 or 15. At fourteen colleges there is an earlier date, and if money is part of the plan it matters more. It is the last day to be sure of consideration for the college's largest merit awards, and it falls between November 1 and mid-December.

Thirteen of those fourteen dates also come before most Early Decision answers do. If you're applying Early Decision to one college and Regular Decision to one of these, the scholarship closes before you know whether you need the January application at all.

The dates

Boston College and WashU both call theirs priority dates. WashU's December 16 is the only date here that falls after mid-December, when most Early Decision answers arrive; WashU's own come out by December 11.

Three kinds of early date

A separate application. Vanderbilt's scholarship application opens in MyAppVU after you apply for admission, and its admissions FAQ says it is required for the Cornelius Vanderbilt award. SMU wants a President's Scholars essay by November 16, and it can only be submitted after the SMU application. Washington and Lee's Johnson essay is the entry point for every W&L merit award, not only the Johnson. Duke says the Robertson is the only four-year merit scholarship there with its own application. WashU's Signature Scholar programs each ask a 250-word short answer.

No extra form, but an early application. Boston College, Emory, Wake Forest, Boston University and Richmond read the admission application itself for merit. The catch is the date. Richmond's page says it directly: "Early Decision II applicants must submit your application by December 1 for Richmond Scholars consideration." Emory's says the ED II and Regular deadline "is November 15 if you also want to be considered for scholar programs." Boston College's Gabelli date is November 1 for every applicant, Early Decision II and Regular included.

The round itself. USC considers Early Decision and Early Action applicants for its merit scholarships. Its Regular Decision deadline of January 10 isn't listed for merit, except for performing-arts majors, who apply by December 1. Miami considers ED II and Regular applicants for merit too, but only students admitted through Early Decision I or Early Action, both due November 1, are considered for its Premier awards.

If you're applying Early Decision somewhere else

Take a student applying Early Decision to Northwestern, which runs one round and answers in December, with Vanderbilt, Emory and Boston University on the Regular list. To stay in the running for those three colleges' scholarships, the Emory application goes in by November 15. Boston University's and Vanderbilt's go in by December 1, and Vanderbilt's needs its own scholarship application on top. Three applications that could have waited for the winter break are due by December 1 instead, one of them with an extra form.

If Northwestern says yes, all three are withdrawn (what the agreement requires). If it doesn't, they are already in, and the scholarships are still open to them. It's the same trade as the University of California application due on November 30 (the applications due before the answer), with merit money as the stake instead of admission.

If the merit school is your Early Decision school

Three of these colleges tell merit-dependent families, in plain words, not to apply to them Early Decision.

Boston College: "Candidates whose families will depend on a merit-based scholarship to fund their college experience should not apply Early Decision." Emory: "If your decision to attend Emory University is dependent upon receiving a merit-based scholarship, you are advised to apply under Regular Decision." WashU: "For students who feel they need an academic scholarship to be able to attend WashU, we recommend applying Regular Decision."

The reason is the calendar. At most of these colleges, need-based aid arrives with the December decision. Merit arrives in the spring, and the binding commitment comes first. Vanderbilt's scholarship FAQ spells it out: recipients "are not notified of their selection until late March of their senior year," and an Early Decision admit "will have to commit to attend Vanderbilt without knowing if you will be offered a merit scholarship." It adds that applying early is "neither an advantage nor a disadvantage" in the selection itself. Emory's scholar awards are "not finalized until early April." WashU awards its scholarships "after the notification date for Early Decision II." Richmond's Early Decision I admits "must deposit and enroll before Richmond Scholars are selected."

None of this keeps an Early Decision admit out of the running. Boston College considers its early admits for the Gabelli award too. It means a student who needs the award to attend would be signing before the answer exists. For that student, the colleges' own advice is the one above.

Two awards that run the other way

Northeastern's Torch Scholars are chosen from the Regular Decision pool. The program's page says that if a nominee "applies to Northeastern via the Early Decision or Early Action rounds and is admitted, they will no longer be eligible for the Torch Program." Nominations are due January 1.

UNC's Morehead-Cain allows its candidates to apply Early Decision elsewhere. It asks only that students tell it if they're admitted and, "if they are not admitted, that they not apply binding ED II." Its own application closed on October 1.

Where this comes from

Each college's admissions, financial aid or scholarship page, or the scholarship program's own site, read on October 9, 2026, for students entering in fall 2027. January deadlines are the college's own dates for this cycle. Vanderbilt's Chancellor's Scholarship is no longer offered, starting with students applying for fall 2027. Programs revise these pages during the fall, so check the college's page before you file.

Start with the school you're leaning toward: what it published, and your estimate there, are free. The full answer for your whole list is the paid document.