Application Timelines

The Standard Timeline

Some programs offer multiple start terms in the academic year, and rolling admissions, but the “standard” timeline is traditionally geared towards a Fall Term start scenario:

September 

• Apply to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) in October

• Begin preparing, take practice exams and focus on areas for improvement

October

• List the programs you want to apply to and schedule campus visits to your top choices 

• Begin dialogue with the admissions counselors and targeted faculty

• Call the department to see if any faculty can meet with you while you're there for a campus visit

• Begin drafting your essays

November 

• Request that your undergraduate transcripts be mailed to the institutions to which you're applying

• Contact your favorite former professors and ask for letters of recommendation

• Send an information packet to the people who write your letters, including your CV, undergraduate transcript, and a list of accomplishments

• Revise your essays

December

• Finish your essays

• Finalize and mail applications and financial aid forms

• Make a backup copy of your application packet 

• Consider sending it through registered mail

January

• File your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• Confirm that your professors sent their recommendation letters

March

• Accept and decline offers

• Recommended: as soon as you have two offers in hand, pick the one that you prefer and immediately decline the other

Rolling Admissions

Some programs offer multiple start terms in the academic year, and accept and examine applications as they are sent in, instead of waiting to review all applications concurrently. Schools with rolling admissions offer flexibility and can work in your favor for late admissions, or for finding out sooner than later whether you are accepted, so you can change your plan accordingly. Their application window is open until all spots have been filled. Typically, you'll hear back four to eight weeks after applying, and in some cases you could hear in just two weeks.

Both small private schools and larger state universities offer rolling admission, but it is not typically found at Ivy League schools. Whether a school does or does not offer rolling admission is no reflection of the institution’s competitiveness or acceptance rates. The application elements and testing requirements are typically the same.

The sites below provide more information on the process and lists of schools offering rolling admissions: 

• Petersons.com

• US News: Competitive Schools with Rolling Admissions

GAP YEARS

If you take a “gap year,” remember to maintain these relationships so they are available when you decide the time for school is right. If you have worked a number of years and are pursuing a graduate degree after a “gap,” your work supervisor may also act as a reference for you.