Regular Decision Deadlines 2026-27: Every Date for 238 Colleges

If you are applying Regular Decision for fall 2027, your deadlines are not spread across the winter. They pile up on a few days. Of the 238 colleges in our catalog that list a Regular Decision date, 70 close on January 15, 19 on January 5, 17 on January 1 and 15 on January 4. Nine close before Christmas, and 88 stay open past January 15.

Every date below is the application deadline the college lists on the Common App for the 2026-27 cycle, as of the list's September 25, 2026 update. Recommendations, mid-year reports and financial aid forms often have later dates of their own, and some colleges set earlier dates for specific programs or scholarships. Confirm on the college's own admissions page before you plan around a date.

November and December

• Nov 15: University of Washington
• Dec 1: Benedictine College, Florida State University, Loyola University Chicago, Texas A&M University, University of South Carolina, UT Austin
• Dec 15: Olin College of Engineering
• Dec 16: University of South Florida

January 1 (17 colleges)

Barnard College, Clemson University, Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Emory University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Lehigh University, Northeastern University, Princeton University, University of Georgia, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, University of Richmond, Vanderbilt University, Vassar College, Wake Forest University, Wesleyan University

January 2 and 3

• Jan 2: Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University
• Jan 3: Fordham University

January 4 (15 colleges)

Babson College, Boston College, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon University, Colby College, Duke University, Hamilton College, Middlebury College, Northwestern University, Rice University, Swarthmore College, Tufts University, University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis

January 5 (19 colleges)

Amherst College, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Brown University, George Washington University, Harvey Mudd College, New York University, Stanford University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Miami, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester, University of Tennessee Knoxville, University of Virginia, Washington and Lee University, William & Mary, Williams College

January 6 to 11

• Jan 6: Georgia Tech
• Jan 7: Santa Clara University
• Jan 8: Pomona College, Scripps College, Skidmore College, Wellesley College
• Jan 9: Champlain College
• Jan 10: Bates College, Bennington College, Bucknell University, Claremont McKenna College, Elon University, Haverford College, Occidental College, Pitzer College, University of Southern California
• Jan 11: Davidson College

January 15 (70 colleges)

American University, Bard College, Bentley University, Berry College, Brandeis University, Bryn Mawr College, California Lutheran University, Carleton College, Case Western Reserve University, Chapman University, Clark University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, College of Charleston, College of Saint Benedict, College of the Holy Cross, Colorado College, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Connecticut College, Denison University, Dickinson College, Drexel University, Duquesne University, Emerson College, Fairfield University, Franklin & Marshall College, Furman University, Gettysburg College, Goucher College, Grinnell College, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Lawrence University, Loyola Marymount University, Loyola University Maryland, Macalester College, Mount Holyoke College, Oberlin College, Ohio State University, Pepperdine University, Providence College, Purdue University, Reed College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rhodes College, Rochester Institute of Technology, Smith College, Southern Methodist University, St. Olaf College, St. John's University (NY), Trinity College, Tulane University, Union College, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Connecticut, University of Delaware, University of Denver, University of Florida, UMass Amherst, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Oregon, University of San Diego, University of San Francisco, University of the Pacific, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Villanova University, Wabash College, Whitman College

After January 15

• Jan 20: University of Maryland
• Feb 1: Auburn University, Baylor University, Bryant University, Butler University, Catawba College, Centre College, Christopher Newport University, College for Creative Studies, College of the Atlantic, DePaul University, DePauw University, Drew University, Earlham College, Florida A&M University, George Mason University, Gonzaga University, Gordon College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Ithaca College, Marquette University, Mercer University, Quinnipiac University, Sewanee: The University of the South, Temple University, University of Dayton, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Another 58 colleges list dates from mid-February into the summer, many of them rolling or space-available. They are in our list of colleges still accepting applications after January 15.

What the calendar means for your list

The most selective colleges cluster on January 1 through January 5. If most of your list sits there, the list is effectively due before New Year's, and any change to it (dropping a reach, adding a school you are likely to get into) has to happen in December, not January.

The dates also tell you what you can still add late. A school that closes January 15 or February 1 can join the list after your first-week-of-January applications are in.

From November 2, our list check runs on Regular Decision. It reads each college's published admit rate, where your score sits in its admitted range and what it costs at your family's income, and shows the chance that every school on the list says no. That part is free. The paid document names which schools to drop and which two to add, with the reason for each.

Source: each college's first-year Regular Decision deadline as listed in the Common App requirements grid for 2026-27 (updated September 25, 2026). Deadlines can change; confirm on the college's own admissions site.

Is your list heavy on January 1 schools? Check how it balances — free.