Should I write essays in deadline order?
Deadline order is a good first pass, but prompts with large word counts or high overlap should start earlier even if their deadline is later.
Deadline list
Regular Decision deadlines by college
A school-by-school list of Regular Decision deadlines for applicants planning essays, recommendations, and final revisions.
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · 5 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2026deadline passed for this cycleJohns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 2, 2026deadline passed for this cycleRice University
Houston, TX · 6 supplemental essays
Jan 4, 2026deadline passed for this cycleSwarthmore College
Swarthmore, PA · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 4, 2026deadline passed for this cycleBrown University
Providence, RI · 10 supplemental essays
Jan 5, 2026deadline passed for this cycleNorthwestern University
Evanston, IL · 8 supplemental essays
Jan 17, 2026deadline passed for this cycleUniversity of Florida
Gainesville, FL · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 1, 2026102 days from nowUC System — Personal Insight Questions
California (UC system) · 8 supplemental essays
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA · 8 supplemental essays
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Davis
Davis, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Merced
Merced, CA · 8 supplemental essays
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA · 8 supplemental essays
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of California, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA · 8 supplemental essays
Nov 30, 2026131 days from nowUniversity of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · 4 supplemental essays
Dec 1, 2026132 days from nowBarnard College
New York, NY · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowBoston College
Chestnut Hill, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowBrandeis University
Waltham, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowColby College
Waterville, ME · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowColumbia University
New York, NY · 6 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowEmory University
Atlanta, GA · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowLehigh University
Bethlehem, PA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowOlin College of Engineering
Needham, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowPrinceton University
Princeton, NJ · 7 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowUniversity of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowVanderbilt University
Nashville, TN · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowVassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowWake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC · 4 supplemental essays
Jan 1, 2027163 days from nowCollege of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 2, 2027164 days from nowCornell University
Ithaca, NY · 13 supplemental essays
Jan 2, 2027164 days from nowDavidson College
Davidson, NC · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 2, 2027164 days from nowWashington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 2, 2027164 days from nowYale University
New Haven, CT · 7 supplemental essays
Jan 2, 2027164 days from nowAmherst College
Amherst, MA · 4 supplemental essays
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowCalifornia Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA · 3 supplemental essays
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowCarnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA · 3 supplemental essays
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowDartmouth College
Hanover, NH · 10 supplemental essays
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowMiddlebury College
Middlebury, VT · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowUniversity of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 3, 2027165 days from nowBoston University
Boston, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowDuke University
Durham, NC · 7 supplemental essays
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowGeorgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowHamilton College
Clinton, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · 4 supplemental essays
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowTufts University
Medford, MA · 5 supplemental essays
Jan 4, 2027166 days from nowClaremont McKenna College
Claremont, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowHarvey Mudd College
Claremont, CA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowNew York University
New York, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowStanford University
Stanford, CA · 3 supplemental essays
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowUniversity of Chicago
Chicago, IL · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowUniversity of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA · 3 supplemental essays
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowUniversity of Rochester
Rochester, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowWashington and Lee University
Lexington, VA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 5, 2027167 days from nowPomona College
Claremont, CA · 4 supplemental essays
Jan 8, 2027170 days from nowThe Cooper Union
New York, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 8, 2027170 days from nowWellesley College
Wellesley, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 8, 2027170 days from nowWilliams College
Williamstown, MA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 8, 2027170 days from nowBates College
Lewiston, ME · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 10, 2027172 days from nowGeorgetown University
Washington, DC · 6 supplemental essays
Jan 10, 2027172 days from nowBucknell University
Lewisburg, PA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowCarleton College
Northfield, MN · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowCase Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowColgate University
Hamilton, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowGrinnell College
Grinnell, IA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowHaverford College
Haverford, PA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowKenyon College
Gambier, OH · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowMacalester College
Saint Paul, MN · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowTulane University
New Orleans, LA · 1 supplemental essay
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC · 2 supplemental essays
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowUniversity of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA · 3 supplemental essays
Jan 15, 2027177 days from nowUniversity of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI · 2 supplemental essays
Feb 1, 2027194 days from nowUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI · 1 supplemental essay
Feb 1, 2027194 days from nowRose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Terre Haute, IN · 1 supplemental essay
Feb 15, 2027208 days from now
Turn a list into an essay plan
Deadline and supplement lists are only useful when they change what you do next. Add your schools in Jengo to map prompts, avoid repeated stories, and start the essays with the highest deadline pressure first.
Build your school list →FAQ
Do deadlines change during the application season?
They can. Always confirm dates in the official application portal before submitting, especially around Early Decision II and Regular Decision.