Founded in 1836, Emory University is today considered one of the best schools in the nation.
The U.S. News & World Report ranked its hospital the Best in Georgia in 2021-2022, and the College post named Emory the #1 Best College for Aspiring Creative Writers in 2021.
An intimate learning environment is well-complemented by a bustling, diverse urban center full of attractions.
Various professional teams call Atlanta home, and it is a regular stop on concert and comedy tour line-ups. In fact, many world-renowned authors, leaders, and artists have stopped at Emory to give guest lectures.
Third Eye Blind, Salman Rushdie, and Nobel Prize laureate Seamus Heaney are a few recent visitors.
Many applicants choose to apply for early decision at Emory – they do so because Emory is their top choice, and the acceptance rates are much more favorable than regular decision rates (more on that to come).
When early decision applicants are admitted to the program of their choice, they can focus their energy on finishing their high school career strong.
If not accepted, they can move on to applying to other schools which may be a better fit. On the staff side, admission committee members are “fresher” during the early decision cycle.
In regular decision, they may feel burned out from reading so many responses to the same essay prompts.
More and more students are choosing to apply to Emory, a rising star among the nation’s best colleges.
Ahead, we discuss Emory’s acceptance rate and essential deadlines for early decision applicants.
After sharing the decision date and deferral instructions, we conclude by listing all the required items to apply.
Emory Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Emory University’s early decision acceptance rate is 32%.
Statistics from a recent year in the university’s data set state 60% of the undergraduate population is female. Over half of all admitted students chose to submit standardized test scores: 37% submitted SAT scores while 27% submitted ACT scores.
Admitted students scoring in the middle 50th percentile ranged between 690-750 on the SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing section, 730-790 on the SAT Math section, and 32-34 on the ACT Composite.
The admissions committee gives considerable weight to applicants’ grade point averages.
Over 70% of recently admitted first-year students maintained a GPA between 3.75 and 4.0 throughout high school, with an average GPA of 3.81.
Of those who reported their class rank, 76% were positioned in the top 10% of their graduating cohort.
Emory offers two early decision application cycles. Both are binding and require the student, parent/guardian, and school counselor to sign an early decision Agreement.
Early Decision applicants can apply to Emory College, Oxford College, or both (more on the differences between the two to come).
The core distinction between early decision I and early decision II is the decision date (students learn their admission decision earlier in early decision I).
Emory Early Decision Decision Date
Early decision I applicants will receive an admission decision by December 15, approximately one and a half months after the early decision I application deadline.
Early decision II applicants will receive an admission notification by February 15, two months after early decision I candidates learn their fate.
Early decision II applicants will receive an admission notification by February 15, two months after early decision I candidates learn their fate.
Early decision II admits have two fewer weeks to make their initial enrollment deposit, due March 1.
It is worth noting here that one potential “disadvantage” to applying early decision to Emory relates to financial aid.
If admitted under early decision I, admits don’t have the chance to really compare financial aid offers from other schools. Even in the early decision II cycle, admitted students have limited time to make decisions.
If students are admitted, there is a chance that some of their high school coursework may meet a general education requirement at Emory University.
Emory College allows up to 18 credit hours from AP and IB test credits, A-Levels, or other college credits.
Typically, Emory awards three credits for each AP exam score of four or five. No more than 12 credit hours can be earned via AP exams.
Those invited to join the Emory community will find themselves among an accomplished and supportive faculty, alumni, and peer network.
The school boasts seven Pulitzer Prize winners, many celebrated authors, and a score of federal and state legislators.
Emory Early Decision Deadline
Early decision I applicants must submit their full application by November 1.
They have until December 7 to submit all financial aid materials, which typically include the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, and the student’s and/or parents’ tax returns.
Early decision II applicants have an application deadline of January 1. They must submit all financial aid materials by January 11.
The main difference between early decision I and II is that applicants have an additional month to gather financial aid documents in early decision I, while early decision II applications only have ten additional days.
Early decision applicants will be pleased to hear that Emory University is no longer incorporating loans as part of its undergraduate student financial aid packages. On average, students receiving need-based aid get over $28,000 applied to their balance.
While early decision applicants are making financial decisions, the Emory admissions committee is evaluating an influx of application materials.
Emory seeks to enroll students who have excelled in challenging high school courses. They assign considerable weight to recommendations from teachers, as well.
The personal statement and application essays are another critical piece of the application review process.
These are places where early decision applicants can best make themselves stand out from other candidates.
Emory seeks to determine which applicants are poised to contribute to the Emory community, the surrounding Atlanta area, and beyond.
Emory Early Decision Deferral Rate
While early decision applicants can be deferred during the admission cycle, Emory University does not publish annual statistics.
The school reports that deferred early decision applicants are offered consideration in the regular decision round and that the purpose of such is to garner more information on the deferred students.
Early decision candidates who are deferred will receive their final admission notification on April 1, when regular decision applicants receive their admission decisions.
During this time, deferred applicants must be realistic and begin applying to other schools if they have not already done so.
While it is possible to be accepted to Emory following deferral, it is not probable. In fact, most deferred applicants will not be extended an invitation to attend Emory.
It is always ideal to have options in this kind of scenario.
Deferred early decision applicants should take advantage of Emory’s willingness to accept additional application materials.
For instance, deferred candidates may submit their first-semester senior year grades once finalized.
They should also consider updating the non-academic section of their applications to include recent extracurricular involvement, job experience, or community investments.
Finally, deferred candidates may write a letter to the Admission Committee.
Any additional application materials must be uploaded through the Emory applicant portal by February 18.
The more quickly deferred candidates can submit these additional materials, the more likely they will be included in their application review.
In other cases, an early decision applicant might get wait-listed. 6,539 total applicants were offered a place on Emory’s waiting list last year.
Only 3,883 accepted a space, and only 21 from that group were admitted. It’s safe to say that getting deferred or wait-listed – while nothing to be ashamed about – are signals to invest more time and energy into applying to other schools.
How to Apply to Emory for Early Decision
Applicants should apply early decision to Emory University if they are 100% certain that Emory is their first choice.
As we have shared, the early decision I and II plans are both binding – students accepted through either admission cycle are obligated to rescind any existing applications to other colleges and confirm their enrollment at Emory.
Early decision applicants start by completing the Common Application, answering Emory’s short answer questions, and including a $75 fee or application fee waiver.
The first essay is about the applicant’s academic interests and is limited to 200 words.
Candidates simply elaborate on what they’re interested in exploring or pursuing in college. Students then have 150 words to help the admissions committee “get to know them.”
There are several items that early decision applicants will need to ask school officials to submit on their behalf. These include official copies of high school transcripts, a Secondary School Report, a counselor’s recommendation, and two teacher letters of recommendation. Ideally, the early decision candidate will select teachers from core subject areas in junior or senior year (i.e., English, mathematics, social studies, science).
Something that many applicants don’t realize – they don’t have to pick the teacher who gave them the best grades.
Rather, they should ask for a recommendation from a teacher who challenged them and can best attest to their strengths and resilience.
Emory does remain test-optional for first-year students commencing studies in the fall of 2023.
Early decision candidates who have strong SAT or ACT scores should consider submitting them to increase their application’s competitiveness.
