Union College, established in 1795, sits at #44 on the US News & World Report’s list of Top 50 Liberal Arts Colleges. This school is a great option for students who are searching for the liberal arts experience with a moderately competitive acceptance rate. Last year, for the Class of 2029, Union had a 43% acceptance rate. 

For the Class of 2028, a combined total 42.16% of Union applicants in the ED I and ED II round were admitted. The acceptance rate for Early Action was 53.11%, information which many colleges do not usually release. It’s pretty surprising that the Early Action acceptance rate was about 10% higher than the Early Decision I and II rates, but we may have figured out the answer to why it appears that way down below. As we’ve waxed poetic before, schools prefer students who are willing to make a binding commitment, and Union is no different. 

Union College Early Action, Early Decision I, and Early Decision II Admissions Statistics Over 10+ Years

In the Concordiensis, Union College’s student newspaper, they published a very detailed breakdown of the Classes of 2026 and 2027 acceptance rates, which we’ve included below. Note how high the ED I acceptance rate is; it’s much higher than ED II. We can assume a similar breakdown of the data for the Class of 2028, meaning that the ED II acceptance rate is so low, it pulls the overall Early Decision acceptance rate below that of Early Action when looking at the average. However, Early Decision I is clearly the way to go for students who want the highest possible likelihood of making Union their home.

Admissions Cycle	Union College Graduating Class	Early Action Admission Rate	Early Decision I and II Admission Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	Not Reported	Not Reported
2024-2025	Class of 2029	Not Reported	Not Reported
2023-2024	Class of 2028	53.11%	42.16%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	57.64%	Overall: 48.48% EDI: 76.5% EDII: 31.5%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	58.9%	Overall: 69.50% EDI: 88.7% EDII: 46.2%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	Not Reported	60.90%
2019-2020	Class of 2024	Not Reported	65.58%
2018-2019	Class of 2023	Not Reported	61.06%
2017-2018	Class of 2022	Not Reported	56.19%
2016-2017	Class of 2021	Not Reported	62.75%
2015-2016	Class of 2020	Not Reported	61.52%
2014-2015	Class of 2019	Not Reported	59.90%
2013-2014	Class of 2018	Not Reported	63.88%
2017-2018	Class of 20217	Not Reported	67.38%

Breakdown of the Union Class of 2030 Admits

We don’t yet have compiled information on the acceptance rate for Union’s Class of 2030, but it’s safe to assume that students who applied ED I have already heard back, as noted on the school website: “We appreciate the commitment of students applying ED and favor these applicants in the process. ED has a higher rate of acceptance. ED I applications are due on November 1 and ED II applications are due on January 15, with decision notification occurring approximately one month after the deadline.”

Early Decision II applicants are expected to hear back in mid-February, and Early Action applicants should be on the lookout for a notification in January. Note that if you’re deferred EA, you have until February 20th to switch your application to Early Decision II.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with a Union College Deferral or Rejection

If you’ve been deferred from Union’s Class of 2030, it’s not over yet! You still have time to craft a compelling Letter of Interest and sway admissions officers to reconsider your application. If you were rejected from Union College, there is still plenty of time to correct those application mistakes and move forward with a strong application to other schools.

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission to Union’s Class of 2030 post-deferral or to another school post-rejection, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form. We’ll then be in touch to outline our services, including a PostMortem for rejected candidates and a PostMortem followed by assistance in crafting a powerful Letter of Continued Interest for deferred candidates.