Benefits of Early Decision

Frequently Asked Questions

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.

• What are the Early Decision Deadlines?

  Our Early Decision I deadline is November 15, and our Early Decision II deadline is December 15. The Early Decision Plan is highly recommended for all students who list Champlain as a top-choice school.

• What is the difference between the first and second Early Decision deadlines?

  Our Early Decision I (ED I) deadline is November 15, and our Early Decision II (ED II) deadline is December 15. Students who apply by the ED I deadline will receive their decision by mid-December, and will be considered first for admission to Champlain College (which is particularly useful for students applying to competitive majors with number caps). Students who apply by the ED II deadline will receive their decision by mid-January, and will be considered before Regular Decision students.

• Is it easier to get into Champlain with Early Decision?

  Yes. While we can’t guarantee admission, your chances are far higher of gaining admission to Champlain through Early Decision because you are competing for admission against a smaller overall pool of applicants. This is particularly true in our high-demand majors like Game Design, Game Art, Computer Science & Innovation, Computer Digital Forensics, among others.

• Do I need to do anything differently for the Early Decision Plan?

  There are only a few small differences between applying Regular vs Early Decision. You can apply for Early Decision by indicating your preference on your Champlain Application or your Common Application. The only other thing you need to do in addition to the regular supporting materials (transcript, letter of recommendation, etc.), is submit the Champlain College Early Decision Admission Agreement by the application deadline.

• If I apply Early Decision, can I still apply to other schools?

  Yes, as an Early Decision applicant at Champlain, you can apply to any other school as an Early Action or Regular Decision applicant. You should not, however, apply to any other Early Decision plan. If you are admitted to Champlain as an Early Decision applicant, you agree to withdraw all other applications and enroll at Champlain—unless your Champlain financial aid offer does not meet enough of your demonstrated financial need, in which case you may request to be released from the agreement.

• When will I receive my admission decision and financial aid offer?

  If you have submitted your application and all supporting materials by the first Early Decision deadline (Nov. 15) and are admitted, you will be notified of your admission decision online via the Application Dashboard in mid-December, and you will receive your letter of admission and financial aid offer by mail a few days after that. If you applied by the second Early Decision deadline (December 15), you’ll receive your decision in mid-January.

  Your financial aid offer will be included with your admissions packet. If we do not have your FAFSA prior to that date, you will still receive a financial aid offer with your merit scholarship eligibility. The Office of Financial Aid will then send a revised aid offer including your need-based scholarships and federal financial aid eligibility once you have submitted your FAFSA. The 2024 – 2025 FAFSA is currently scheduled to be available in late December.

  More than 95% of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants that do not need to be repaid.

• As an ED, will I receive as much financial aid as a Regular Decision applicant?

  Absolutely. Our financial aid process is exactly the same for Early Decision applicants as it is for Regular Decision applicants. What that means is you will receive the same financial aid consideration as all other applicants (this may not be true at other institutions). More than 95% of students receive financial aid in the form of scholarships and grants that do not need to be repaid. Applying Early Decision also allows you to work more closely with our Financial Aid Counselors after you receive your financial aid offer. We will not be releasing decisions for our Regular Decision applicants until early March.

• What if my financial aid offer is not enough?

  The Admissions and Financial Aid process at Champlain is highly personalized. We do everything we can to make Champlain affordable for the students we admit. If you would like us to know more about your unique situation, please contact the Office of Financial Aid to discuss options—which could include additional scholarship assistance. If your Champlain financial aid offer does not meet enough of your demonstrated financial need, you may request to be released from the Early Decision agreement.

• How much of the incoming class will be Early Decision?

  The percentage of students who are admitted through the Early Decision Plan varies from year to year, but typically about a third of our first-year class is admitted and enrolled through the Early Decision Plan. The Early Decision Plan offers a significant competitive advantage in the admissions process. Because the number of Early Decision applicants will be in the hundreds rather than the thousands who will apply Regular Decision, the acceptance rate for Early Decision applicants is typically far higher than it is for Regular Decision applicants.

• If I applied for Regular Decision, can I switch to Early Decision?

  Yes! If you applied Regular Decision and want to switch to the Early Decision Plan, you may do so any time before November 15, or before December 15 for the second Early Decision Plan.

  If you would like to change your application plan, please contact the Office of Admission at admission@champlain.edu or call or text (802) 625-0201, and we will help you change your application. You will also need to submit the Champlain College Early Decision Admission Agreement by the November 15 deadline if you would like to receive your admission decision in mid-December (or by December 15 to receive your decision in mid-January).