Benefits of Early Decision
If you’ve taken the time to get to know us and you know this is where you can thrive, applying Early Decision is the best way to indicate to our Admissions team that you are all in for Champlain.
Six Benefits of Applying Early Decision
Every institution has a few unique advantages that come with applying Early Decision. Champlain makes it easy to apply for free as an Early Decision candidate, and you’ll receive the same financial aid consideration as all other applicants—this isn’t the case at all colleges.
Applying Early Decision
Fast notification for a stress-free senior year
If you apply by the Early Decision deadline of November 15, your admission decision and financial aid offer will be sent in mid December. You’ll be able to sit back, relax, and enjoy knowing that you’ll have your decision weeks or months before other applicants.
Increase your chances of admission
When you apply Early Decision, you are competing amongst a smaller pool of applicants overall. You will compete against a few hundred Early Decision applicants, compared with the thousands of students who will apply Regular Decision. Last year, we had a record-breaking number of applicants.
Gain financial clarity early on
If admitted to Champlain College, you’ll receive your financial aid offer letter at the same time you receive your acceptance letter. All Early Decision applicants receive the same financial aid consideration as all other applicants, and if your financial aid offer does not meet enough of your demonstrated financial need, you may request to be released from the Early Decision agreement.
Secure your spot in a high-demand major
All of our majors are popular, but a few are so popular and specialized that they have enrollment caps. If you’re interested in a program that Champlain is well known for, you can put yourself at an advantage by applying Early Decision. The Early Decision plan allows you to compete against a smaller pool of applicants for the highly coveted spots in these competitive majors.
Take advantage of priority status in the housing & roommate selection process
As an Early Decision admitted student, you will receive priority in the housing preference and roommate selection process and be among the first matched with a roommate and placed in one of our Victorian-era mansion residence halls.
Enjoy more personalized admissions and financial aid guidance
We pride ourselves with providing a highly personalized approach to all we do at Champlain. However, in Early Decision, we are processing fewer applications at one time so our Admissions and Financial Aid teams are able to provide families with extra attention.
How to Apply to Champlain College as an Early Decision Applicant
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1. Fill Out an Application (No Application Fee)
You can apply to Champlain College using the Common Application or the Champlain College Application. We do not charge an application fee. All Early Decision applications are considered equally, regardless of which option you choose to submit. Please do not submit more than one application for admission. View application deadlines.
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2. Fill Out the Early Decision Agreement Form
Please submit the Early Decision Agreement Form to complete your Early Decision application.
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3. Send Us Your Academic Records
Please follow the directions on your application to submit required documentation. If you prefer, you may fax or mail documents directly.
View our academic requirements
High School Transcripts
An official copy of your high school transcript is required. Your school counselor can submit the transcript via:- Common App, Parchment, or Scoir
- Mail to Attention: Admissions Operations, 163 South Willard Street, Burlington, VT 05401
- Fax to (802) 860-2767 // Attention: Admission Operations
Letters of Recommendation
One recommendation should be from your school counselor and the other recommendation should be from someone who can best highlight your academic potential and/or work ethic.Test Scores (optional)
Champlain College is a test-optional institution. Please indicate on your application whether you would like us to consider your test scores (SAT and/or ACT). Students who choose to submit tests scores will use code 3291 for the College Board SAT and code 4298 for the ACT.Transfer Credits
If you have taken college courses and you would like those courses evaluated for transfer credit, please send official college transcripts.Portfolio
If you are applying to the Animation, Creative Media, Filmmaking, Game Art, Game Design, or Graphic Design & Visual Communication major, your program may require a portfolio submission. Learn more about portfolio submissions. -
4. Apply for Financial Aid (optional but recommended)
Applying for financial aid can be an important step in financing your Champlain education. We have a number of merit and need-based institutional grants and scholarships (more than 95% of students received funds that do not need to be repaid), but in order to be considered for institutional grants and scholarships, we must have a submitted financial information.
To provide admitted students with a prompt preliminary estimate of Federal Financial Aid until the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens, we request that families complete the CSS Profile Lite during the application for admission process. Champlain’s Profile code is 3291.
Submit Your CSS Profile Application
You will need to also complete the FAFSA when it opens in December for a revised official Federal aid offer. Champlain’s FAFSA code is 003684. View application deadlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.
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What are the Early Decision Deadlines?
Our Early Decision deadline is November 15, and our Early Action deadline is December 15. The Early Decision Plan is highly recommended for all students who list Champlain as a top-choice school.
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What is the difference between the Early Decision and Early Action deadlines?
Our Early Decision deadline is November 15, and our Early Action deadline is December 15. Students who apply by the ED 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 EA deadline will receive their decision by mid-January, and will be considered before Regular Decision students.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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When will I receive my admission decision and financial aid offer?
If you have submitted your application and all supporting materials by the 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 Early Action 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.
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As an ED applicant, will I receive as much financial aid as a Regular Decision applicant?
Absolutely. Our financial aid process is exactly the same for Early Decision/Action 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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
Questions about applying Early Decision?
If you have any remaining questions about Early Decision, email us at admission@champlain.edu or call or text (802) 625-0201, and we’d be happy to answer them!
More Inside First-Year Applicants
Benefits of Early Decision
If you’ve taken the time to get to know us and you know this is where you can thrive, applying Early Decision is the best way to indicate to our Admissions team that you are all in for Champlain.