Early decision and early action deadlines land around November 1. Here is the final two-week checklist: the agreement, aid forms, recommendations, scores, and the affordability check that has to come before a binding commitment.
If you are applying early decision or early action, your deadline is probably November 1, which is two weeks from today. The application itself is under your control. The parts that break early applications are the parts that depend on other people, so this checklist is ordered by how much lead time each item needs.
Many colleges set their early decision and early action deadlines on November 1. TCNJ, for example, sets both its ED and EA deadlines on November 1, with ED notification by December 1 and EA notification by January 15, according to Common App's official support documentation. But "many" is not "all." The only deadline that counts is the one on your college's official admissions page. Check every school on your list, and let your earliest deadline govern your schedule.
Early decision is binding. Northwestern's ED policy, published through Common App's official member support, states the rules plainly: ED applicants are required to complete and submit the Common Application's Early Decision Agreement Form; if you are accepted, you must withdraw all other university applications and start no new ones; and you can be released from the commitment only in cases of documented financial hardship.
Because the agreement involves your counselor and your parent or guardian, start it this week. A missing signature is one of the most common reasons an ED application stalls at the finish line.
Also note: while you apply ED to one school, you may not apply to other colleges under their binding plans. Pick one.
Early decision financial aid applicants must meet the early decision financial aid deadline. That is Northwestern's stated policy, published through Common App's official support site. If your college uses the CSS Profile or its own institutional aid form, check that form's deadline against your ED date; it is usually due around the same time, not in the spring.
File the FAFSA and CSS Profile on the early timeline, then confirm in the applicant portal that the college received them.
Ask your counselor this week to confirm that your transcript and school report will go out on time, and confirm with each recommender that they know your November 1 date. A polite check-in now beats a panicked email on October 31.
Score sends are not instant. If any of your early schools requires official score reports rather than self-reported scores, send them this week and keep the confirmation.
Because ED is binding, you are committing before you can compare offers. At TCNJ, for example, financial aid information is not available until after the student is accepted, according to Common App's official support documentation. Before you sign the agreement, run the college's net price calculator with your family's real numbers so the commitment is informed, not hopeful.
Submit at least 48 hours before the deadline. Payment systems and portals strain on November 1. After submitting, log into each applicant portal and confirm that the application, recommendations, transcript, scores, and aid forms all show as received. A submitted application with a missing piece is an incomplete application.
For ED applicants, Northwestern's policy describes the three possible outcomes: accepted, deferred to regular decision, or denied. A deferral is not a denial; it means the college will review you again with the regular pool. If you are denied under ED, you may not reapply to that school under regular decision, so keep your regular decision list ready either way.
Updated October 18, 2026. Our editorial approach
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