Bowdoin is a small liberal arts college in the woods of Maine with less than 2,000 students. For decades, Bowdoin was a bit of a hidden gem, but with plummeting acceptance rates at better-known top-tier colleges, Bowdoin stepped into the spotlight as a comparable offering that was, at the time, more accessible. Ultimately, this increase in attention has caused the same result at Bowdoin as applicants in the early 2000’s were trying to avoid. The acceptance rate has fallen from nearly 30% for the Class of 2014 to only 7% for the Class of 2028. 

Boston College is a private Jesuit college located in Chestnut Hill, MA. We know, not Boston! But it’s like, right there. BC is a school that’s close to a big city, it’s got a strong campus and athletic culture and it (surprisingly) has no Greek life. BC didn’t publish acceptance data for last cycle, but we know their acceptance rate is around 15%, and their early acceptance rates are around 40%.

Tufts is a highly-respected, and highly-competitive university just outside of Boston, one of the most iconic ‘college towns’ in the world. Tufts does not publish their Early Decision-specific acceptance rate or include it in their Common Data Set filings, either. However, the overall acceptance rate is a mere 10%, and they receive over 30,000 applications annually. In this post, we’re going to break down how to increase your chances of acceptance by Tufts, and through the Early Decision II application option in particular. First, though, let’s look at what applying Early Decision offers you, an applicant, at Tufts. 

Harvey Mudd is a small liberal arts college offering only science, math, and engineering majors, or STEM, but with a liberal arts foundation that means students graduate well-rounded and ready to take on the world. Students are attracted to Harvey Mudd because the school empowers them to pursue their humanities interests as an integral part of a STEM-centric education. This is in high demand as so many other top STEM programs require a nearly singular focus, which can result in a lopsided education. Admissions is, unsurprisingly, highly competitive and the overall acceptance rate is under 13%.

The University of Chicago is one of the best universities in the country. It is very competitive, and a very particular and self-selecting school. They look for students who are a perfect fit for exactly what they offer and the community they have built. A key piece of this is that they want to see true enthusiasm from applicants, and there are few better ways to show enthusiasm than to make a commitment by applying early. This is especially important because the acceptance rate is very, very low. Most recently, it was only 4.5%.

Northeastern University is a private research university in Boston, MA. They’re most famous for their co-op programs and study abroad options, and if you’re here, you know they offer ED2. We won’t beat around the bush, Northeastern is a crazy competitive school – their overall acceptance rate is 5%, but the early acceptance rates are closer to 40%. So, if you’re willing to commit to Northeastern, they’re more likely to commit to you.

Many great schools offer a second chance of EDing. Johns Hopkins is one of them. If Johns Hopkins is a top choice, you should strongly consider applying ED2. This binding decision can be a powerful tool to help make you stand out in a competitive field.

Located in Nashville, TN, Vanderbilt is an extremely popular private research university with a classic college vibe. They’ve got great academics, great sports, and it’s in a super fun city. However, all of these factors mean Vandy is beyond competitive. Last cycle they had a 6% acceptance rate. SIX! However, early acceptance rates hover more around the 18-20%. That means, if you’re looking for a top-tier southern school to ED2 to, Vanderbilt might be the move.

Swarthmore is a well-respected small liberal arts school that is also very hard to get into. There are fewer than 2,000 students, and the most recent first-year acceptance rate was just under 7.5%. This was actually a slight rise from the acceptance rate for the Class of 2027, when it was below 7%. Compared to this, the Early Decision acceptance rate across Early Decision I and Early Decision II is comparatively generous at 16%.

New York University, usually just called NYU, is a private research university located in the middle of Manhattan. The school has an intensely urban campus, great business and art schools, and impressive study-abroad options.  If NYU is a top school for you, you should strongly consider applying ED2 instead of RD this January.