When you know, you know. If Stevens is your first choice for college, we encourage you to consider applying as an Early Decision applicant. The acceptance rate in Early Decision is typically higher than in Regular Decision or Early Action because it is a smaller, yet highly qualified applicant pool. An Early Decision acceptance also allows you to finish your college search earlier, giving you peace of mind as you enjoy the remainder of your senior year. 

Early Decision is a binding agreement between the student and Stevens in which the student commits to attend the university if accepted. If you apply Early Decision, you will receive a competitive financial aid package* with your admission decision, ensuring you can fully consider your offer. If you are admitted under Early Decision, you must submit a non-refundable $500 tuition deposit by the deadline listed on the admissions timeline and commit to enrolling at Stevens to secure your place in the incoming class. If circumstances arise that may prevent you from fulfilling your Early Decision commitment, you must promptly contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to discuss your situation and determine whether an official release from the agreement may be warranted.  

You may apply to other colleges; however, you can apply to only one school as an Early Decision applicant. If you are admitted to Stevens under one of our Early Decision plans and accept our offer of admission, then you must immediately withdraw all applications to other schools. You may not submit new applications to other colleges after you have made this commitment to Stevens.  

The difference between Early Decision I (EDI) and Early Decision II (EDII) are the deadlines and notifications which can be reviewed on the admissions timeline. 

Early Decision benefits:

• Special consideration from our admissions team 

• Priority Early Decision scholarship  

• Admissions decision within 30 days of the deadline (EDI) and within 45 days of the deadline (EDII) 

• Priority access to the housing application 

• Priority access to course registration for the first fall semester  

Early Decision application reminders:

• Follow the application requirements for applying as a first-year student. 

• Indicate on your application that you are applying for Early Decision I or II, and complete both the Early Decision question and Early Decision Agreement within the application. 

  • PLEASE NOTE: Stevens does not receive the completed agreement until all required signatures (student, parent/guardian, and counselor) have been submitted. If your Stevens student portal does not show the Early Decision Agreement Form as received, you may upload the Stevens Early Decision Agreement Form directly to your portal. 

• If you have already submitted an Early Action or Regular Decision application, but you would like to switch your application to Early Decision, you must upload the Stevens Early Decision Agreement Form to your portal and submit your request in writing to [email protected] prior to the Early Decision deadline.   

• Submission of an Early Decision application does not guarantee admission or increase or ensure your likelihood of admission.   

More information about applying for early decision can be found on the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) website.  

* A financial aid package for Early Decision applicants may include three components: the guaranteed Priority Early Decision Scholarship, additional merit-based scholarships and any need-based financial aid for which you qualify. While all applicants are considered for merit-based scholarships, these awards are not guaranteed and are based on the strength of your academic profile. Similarly, need-based aid is only awarded to students who demonstrate financial need through the FAFSA and/or CSS Profile. If you do not qualify for need-based aid, it will not be included in your award package. Since Early Decision is a binding process it may limit the opportunity to compare financial aid offers from other institutions, so students are encouraged to use the Net Price Calculator for an estimated financial aid package and carefully review Stevens’ costs ahead of time to consider if the financial commitment is a good fit. 

If Stevens is a top choice, but you would like to compare financial aid offers between different schools, then applying Early Action (EA) may be a good option for you. Applying EA allows students an expedited process to know an application decision sooner. It gives admitted students more time to explore and discover Stevens as their college choice before they need to make their decision by May 1. Early Action is our early, non-binding application option meaning Stevens will not limit an applicant from applying to another college.

The deadlines and notifications for Early Action can be reviewed on the admissions timeline.

Sometimes it just takes longer to narrow down which schools you want to apply to. Regular Decision (RD) is Stevens’ traditional decision plan and is non-binding. Since RD applicants are reviewed later in the admissions cycle, it provides additional time for students to add any updated test scores, include first semester senior year grades and complete additional supporting documents.

The deadlines and notifications for Regular Decision can be reviewed on the admissions timeline.