The Common App for fall 2027 admission opens August 1, 2026. Early Decision lands November 1. Regular Decision lands January 1, 2027. From today, that's a six-month prep window — set a reminder so you start essays in May, not October.
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For most U.S. colleges. Always confirm on each school's admissions page.
| Common App opens | August 1, 2026 |
| Early Decision (ED) | November 1 or 15, 2026 |
| Early Action (EA) | November 1 or 15, 2026 |
| Restrictive Early Action | November 1, 2026 |
| Early Decision II (ED II) | January 1 or 15, 2027 |
| Regular Decision (RD) | January 1, 5, or 15, 2027 |
| FAFSA opens (2027–2028) | October 1, 2026 |
| CSS Profile opens | October 1, 2026 |
| Spring 2027 entry deadline | Most fall between July 1 and October 31, 2026 |
| National College Decision Day | May 1, 2027 |
For students applying this cycle (high school class of 2027), the calendar looks like this. Each milestone has a natural reminder to set.
Finalize the schools you're applying to. Note whether each accepts Common App, Coalition, or has its own portal. Decide between ED, EA, and RD where the choice is yours.
Create your account, fill in personal information once, request transcripts, and start your personal essay. Schools begin posting their supplemental questions over the next few weeks.
File the FAFSA as early as you can — federal aid is partially first-come-first-served, and many state and school deadlines are much earlier than the federal one.
The first hard wall of the cycle. Submit applications, supplemental essays, and any required test scores by 11:59 PM in the school's local time zone. Confirm everything is marked submitted in the dashboard.
Most ED decisions release mid-December. If accepted to a binding ED, you withdraw all other applications. If deferred or denied, your RD applications continue normally.
The biggest application window. Most selective schools sit at January 1 or January 5; a second wave hits January 15. ED II deadlines also fall here.
Most schools release decisions on a published date in late March or early April. You'll have until May 1, 2027 (College Decision Day) to commit.
The dates above cover most private and selective public colleges using the Common App. A few notable systems run on their own schedule:
For the difference between ED, EA, and RD and how to choose, see the full deadline-type breakdown.
For fall 2026 entry, most selective schools have already closed and decisions are out. Rolling admissions schools and community colleges may still accept applications. If a school you wanted has closed, read the missed-deadline recovery guide — it covers which schools tend to extend, how to reach out to admissions, and how to make sure the same thing doesn't happen for the 2027 cycle.
For the bigger picture on tracking every deadline at once, return to the college application deadline pillar.
The Common App opens August 1, 2026 for fall 2027 admission. Accounts created before that date roll over, so most students start their school list and essay drafts in spring or early summer of 2026 and submit through the dashboard once it opens.
Most schools set Early Decision at November 1, 2026, with a smaller group at November 15, 2026. Schools offering ED II push that deadline to January 1, 2027 or January 15, 2027 — the same date as their Regular Decision deadline.
January 1, 2027 is the most common Regular Decision deadline. The next most common is January 5, January 15, or February 1, 2027. Each school sets its own — always check the school's admissions page rather than assuming.
The 2027–2028 FAFSA opens October 1, 2026 and the federal deadline is June 30, 2028. State and school FAFSA deadlines are much earlier — many states close in February or March 2027, and many schools require it by their priority deadline. File as early as you can after October 1, 2026.
For most selective four-year schools, yes — Regular Decision deadlines passed January 2026 and admissions decisions are out. Some rolling-admissions schools and community colleges still accept applications for fall 2026 entry. Check our missed deadline guide for what to do next.
Yes. Spring 2027 entry deadlines fall mostly between July 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026, depending on the school. Cal State, for example, runs Spring 2027 applications July 1 to August 31, 2026. Spring entry is most common at large public systems and community colleges.
Don't be the student starting essays in October for a November 1 deadline. Set a free reminder for each school's deadline now and get an email weeks ahead, with follow-ups until you submit.
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