Published October 15, 2026
How I Knew Early Decision Was Right for Me
The TL;DR
Types of Applications
When applying for college there are three main types of application types. Early Action, Early Decision, and Regular decision. But what are the differences?
- Early Action is an early application deadline in which it is a non-binding contract with a specific school. If a student applies early action and they get admitted, they are allowed to deny the decision and attend another school! It is important to note that NYU does not offer Early Action. NYU offers Early Decision and Regular Decision.
- Early Decision is another early application deadline in which it is a binding contract with a specific school. Once the student applies Early Decision, they are set with that school and will attend if admitted. This is highly recommended for students who have NYU as a top choice school! NYU offers two Early Decision phases one and two.
- Regular Decision is the traditional college application process. Students can apply regular decisions to multiple schools and there is no binding contract. Although, students tend to hear back around 2-3 months later than Early Action and Early Decision applicants do.
NYU ED1 versus ED2
Many students assume that there is a large difference between Early Decision I and Early Decision II. However, the main differences are the deadlines and the time in which students get their admissions decision! Both are different pools of applications and are reviewed equally so there is no higher chance with one deadline versus the other. Keep in mind that both phases are binding!
As someone who had NYU as my dream school for years, I knew that if I were admitted I would choose it over other schools.
Early Decision I applications are due November 1, while Early Decision II applications are due January 1.
Common Application deadlines tend to creep up on students very quickly! I made sure to mark on my calendar all deadlines for Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. I also marked the day at least 3 weeks before the deadlines so I can keep track of when I should submit my portfolio! I almost applied Early Decision I, but decided to apply Early Decision II to give me more time to work on my portfolio.
Making the Right Choice for You
Coming from an artistic background, I loved that NYU offers so many unique courses in the arts. I knew this was going to be the place for me!
As a native New Yorker, the busyness of the city truly keeps me going so I never wanted to leave! To me, NYC is the place to be to break into the art world. I felt like I could not have made a better decision for my college experience. I also now work as an Admission Ambassador where I can share all the reasons why I love NYU to prospective students!
Studying away is also another large part of the college experience I wanted. NYU is a top ranked university for studying away so what better place to be than NYU! With this being said, I will soon fulfill my dream of studying away for the 2027 Spring semester at NYU Florence!
Why Choose Early Decision Over Regular Decision?
One of the main reasons students choose to apply Early Decision is because the time you get your admissions decision sooner than if you were to apply through Regular Decision.
One leading factor to me applying Early Decision was my additional step of including a portfolio. All Tisch majors at NYU have an Artistic Review as part of the application process. This can be in the form of an audition, portfolio or writing sample. Therefore when I applied as an Interactive Media Arts student, I knew I wanted to give myself ample time for both the common application and portfolio. My portfolio involved me submitting any past work I have done. To go the extra mile, I decided to create a whole website as well!
It is highly recommended to submit a portfolio around 2-3 weeks before the common application deadline as some portfolio portals are through a separate application process. This leads to heavy traffic on the site since many incoming students try to submit at the same time as the common application deadline. Late portfolio submissions will not be accepted so better to be early!
Applying Early Decision is a big choice to make! This decision is different for everyone so that is why NYU offers different application options!
NYU has been my top school for as long as I could remember. When I learned about early decision, and the binding process, I knew that this was the perfect application process for me! NYU has given me so many opportunities to grow professionally and as a person. Even in the third year of my time at NYU, I feel like every day I find a new reason that solidifies my choice to become a Violet.
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