Princeton Cancels Early Action for 2020-21 Cycle

As schools across the country make plans of how to facilitate the 2020-21 academic year for their students, colleges are also taking measures to accommodate their incoming applicants. Most common has been a move to test-optional admissions policies given the mass cancellations of ACT and SAT testing. Now, Princeton has announced it will have only one application deadline this year: January 1st, 2021, as opposed to separate deadlines for regular decision and single-choice Early Action.

Early Action, also referred to as EA, is an application option similar to the more common Early Decision, but is non-binding. This means that students accepted in the Early Action round have until the regular notification date, usually May 1st, to accept or decline. Students who apply in an Early Decision round must attend that school. Some schools additionally offer Early Decision II, which is still binding, but with a later application deadline (typically early January).

 Universities offering Early Action

• Harvard

• Yale

• Princeton (suspended for 2020-21)

• Stanford

• MIT

The other Ivy League schools (Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, and UPenn) as well as many highly selective universities, offer Early Decision.

No other schools have yet announced a plan to follow in Princeton’s footsteps and eliminate early deadlines. Given the circumstances, however, it is entirely possible. Be sure to check back here, or the Ivy Link COVID-19 Updates page to stay up to date on major changes to College Admissions and Standardized Testing.

If you would like to learn more about your child’s college prospects, contact us today. Ivy Link’s expert advisors provide one-on-one college admissions guidance to students with all manner of college aspirations.