Early Decision
Our Philosophy and Process
We believe that part of our commitment to Early Decision applicants is to provide an "early" decision, and as a result, we either admit or deny Early Decision candidates. Early Decision admission to NYU Abu Dhabi is a binding agreement:
- Students applying for Early Decision admission must follow the same procedures and submit all of the same supplemental materials as Regular Decision applicants.
- If an applicant is offered admission and provided with a financial support package that enables the student to enroll, the student must withdraw any previously submitted applications and accept NYUAD's admission offer within 2-3 weeks of receiving their offer.
- Students are then restricted from filing any new applications as well.
- Early Decision students who are denied admission may not re-apply as Regular Decision applicants.
Early Decision and Financial Aid
NYUAD uses the same methodology in providing financial aid for Early Decision candidates as for Regular Decision candidates. You will be offered the same financial aid regardless of when you apply.
For Early Decision candidates, we use information students share with us via the CSS Profile application, administered by the College Board, to provide admitted students with an estimated financial support package with their admissions decision. It is critical to submit the CSS Profile in a timely manner.
Note: You won’t be able to compare financial aid packages from other schools if you apply Early Decision. Do not feel pressure to apply Early Decision if finances are a concern.
Students will be released from the Early Decision agreement if their estimated financial aid package does not enable them to attend.
Applicants to Multiple NYU Campuses
Each applicant must select Early Decision I, Early Decision II, or Regular Decision, which will apply to all New York University campuses, programs, and schools for which you wish to be considered.
Early Decision I applicants who are not offered admission may not re-apply as Early Decision II or Regular Decision applicants in the same application cycle, whether to the same or a different campus or program.
You will be released from the binding Early Decision Agreement if you are offered admission to anything other than your primary campus, program, or school of interest.
Why Apply Early Decision?
If the college admission process causes you stress or anxiety, Early Decision may be for you. The biggest advantage of Early Decision is the potential to receive an offer of acceptance and end your college search sooner than Regular Decision applicants.
However, it is important to have all admissions related information available at the time you apply — academic transcripts, actual or predicted exam results (predicted results must be provided by your school), teacher evaluations, and more.
If you need more time to complete your application with these materials, we strongly suggest that you apply for Regular Decision or Early Decision II (see deadline dates below). If you can complete your application by the Early Decision I deadline and you are prepared to make a commitment to attend NYUAD if you are admitted, this may be a good option for you.
Early Decision vs. Regular Decision
It is not any easier to be admitted Early Decision than it is to be admitted during Regular Decision. The criteria we use to evaluate candidates for admission — academic transcript and class rank (if available), test scores, teacher evaluations, etc. — is the same for all application deadlines. That said, given the relatively small size of our Early Decision applicant pool, we have been able to admit a larger percentage of our applicants during Early Decision in recent years.
