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When Do College Decisions Come Out? 2023 Dates

What’s Covered:

 

Whether you’re waiting for your decision or wondering about the general college applications timeline, this post will let you know what to expect. We also include the decision notification dates in 2023 at top research universities and liberal arts colleges.

 

When Do College Decisions Usually Come Out?

 

Your decision notification date depends on the application timeline you chose.

 

Application Timeline

Application Deadline

Decision Notification

Early Decision/Early Action

Mid-October to early November

Mid-December

Early Decision II/Early Action II

Early January

Mid-February

Regular Decision

Early January

Mid-March to early April

Rolling Admissions

Anytime

Anytime

 

If you applied Early Decision or Early Action, with deadlines typically in October or November, you should get your admissions decision around mid-December.

 

If you applied Early Decision II or Early Action II, with deadlines typically at the beginning of January, you should get your admissions decision by mid-February.

 

If you applied Regular Decision, with deadlines usually at the beginning of January, you should get your admissions decision from mid-March through early April. There are also a handful of top schools who send likely letters to especially strong applicants from the Regular Decision round. These letters come around mid-February and let a student know that they are very likely to be accepted.

 

Finally, if your school has Rolling Admissions, you may get your decision as early as a few weeks after submitting your application. These colleges review applications as they come in and release decisions in waves.

 

To gain a better understanding of the different admission cycles check out our article: EA, ED, REA, RD: What’s the Difference? 

 

Decision Notification Dates at Top Colleges

 

Now that you have a better sense of the general deadlines and notification dates, here are the specific dates at top schools.

 

Research Universities

 

School Name

Decision Notification Date

Boston College

ED I: by December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

Brown University

ED: mid-December

RD: early April

California Institute of Technology

EA: mid-December

RD: mid-March

Carnegie Mellon University

EA: by April 15

ED I: December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

Columbia University

EA: by March 1

RD: by May 1

Cornell University

ED: mid-December

RD: early April

Dartmouth College

ED: mid-December

RD: late March/ early April

Duke University

ED: mid-December

RD: late March/ early April

Emory University

ED I: by December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

Georgetown University

EA: December 15

RD: April 1

Harvard University

EA: mid-December

RD: end of March

Johns Hopkins University

ED I: December 16

ED II: February 17

RD: March 17

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

EA: mid-December

RD: mid-March

New York University

ED I: December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

Northwestern University

ED: mid-December

RD: late March

Princeton University

EA: mid-December

RD: Late March

Rice University

ED: mid-December

RD: by April 1

Stanford University

EA: mid-December

RD: early April

Tufts University

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: April 1

University of California, Berkeley

RD: by March 31

University of California, Davis

RD: By March 31

University of California, Irvine

RD: by March 31

University of California, Los Angeles

RD: by March 31

University of California, San Diego

RD: by March 31

University of California, Santa Barbara

RD: by March 31

University of Florida

RD: last Friday in February

University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

RD: early April

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

EA: by January 31

RD: March 31

University of Notre Dame

EA: by December 25

RD: late March

University of Pennsylvania

ED: mid-December

RD: late March/ early April

University of Rochester

RD: by April

University of Southern California

RD: by April 1

University of Texas at Austin

Priority deadline: by February

RD: by March 1

University of Virginia

ED I: by December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

University of Wisconsin, Madison

EA: on or before January 31

RD: on or before March 31

Vanderbilt University

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: late March

Wake Forest University

ED I: Rolling Basis

ED II: February 15

RD: April 1

Washington University in St. Louis

ED I: by December 16

ED II: by February 17

RD: by April 1

Yale University

EA: mid-December

RD: by April 1

University of Chicago

EA: by December 1

RD: between December & March

 

Liberal Arts Colleges

 

School Name

Decision Notification Date

Amherst College

ED: early-to-mid December

RD: March 20

Barnard College

ED: mid-December

RD: Large March

Bowdoin College

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: by April 1

Carleton College

RD: by mid-February

Claremont McKenna College

ED I: by December 15

ED II: by February 15

RD: by April 1

Colgate College

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: late March

Davidson College

ED I: by December 15

ED II: by February 1

RD: by April 1

Grinnell College

ED I: mid-late December

ED II: early February

RD: late March/ April

Hamilton College

ED I: December 15

ED II: February 15

RD: April 1

Haverford College

ED I: December 15

ED II: early February

RD: early April

Middlebury College

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: late March

Pomona College

ED I: December 15

ED II: February 15

RD: April 1

Smith College

RD: late March

Swarthmore College

ED: mid-December

RD: mid-March

United States Air Force Academy

RD: by end of April

United States Military Academy at West Point

RD: By April 15

United States Naval Academy

RD: by April 15

University of Richmond

RD: mid-March

Vassar College

ED I: mid-December

ED II: early February

RD: late March or early April

Wellesley College

ED I: mid-December

ED II: late February

RD: late March

Wesleyan University

ED I: mid-December

ED II: mid-February

RD: late March

Washington and Lee University

ED I: late December

ED II: late January

RD: April 1

Williams College

RD: by April 15

 

When Do Financial Aid Awards Come Out?

 

Your financial aid award should arrive with your acceptance, or a few days after. If you’ve been accepted but haven’t gotten your financial aid package, double check your acceptance packet or the school’s portal to see if there’s a financial aid offer you missed.

 

If you can’t find any financial aid information after a few days of being accepted, call the financial aid office. If you applied Regular Decision, the decision notification date is usually around one month before deposit day, so you want to ensure you have all the information you need to make your decision as soon as possible.

 

If you’re unhappy with your financial aid package when you get it, remember that you can negotiate. Read our guide to negotiating financial aid for more information.

 

Can Colleges Rescind Applications?

 

Yes, acceptances can be rescinded by colleges in certain circumstances. Colleges reserve the right to deny a student admission if the student’s academic performance significantly decreases, or if the student engages in behavior that violates the school’s code of conduct.

 

In addition, a student’s acceptance may be rescinded by a college if it is discovered that they submitted false information on their application, such as a fake transcript or SAT scores.

 

Colleges usually don’t rescind acceptances, however, unless something has gone significantly wrong. If your grades dropped a little (for example, you had all A’s and got a B or two), you don’t need to sweat it.

 

What if You’re Rejected From Your Dream School?

 

If you applied to super selective colleges, remember that the vast majority of applicants will be rejected. While it may give you solace that others are in the same boat, it doesn’t take away the sting of not getting into the dream college you worked so hard to get into.

 

College admissions decisions can feel really personal too, and makes you wonder whether you just weren’t “good enough.” The truth is that applicants meet the standards at top schools, but there just aren’t enough spaces, so schools have to prioritize what they need in their community. For example, maybe they need more philosophy majors, tuba players in the orchestra, or students who will likely join the eco club.

 

It’s okay to be upset and disappointed by your decision; take the time you need. But, make sure you also take a good look at the schools that accepted you and start imagining what your college life could be like there.

 

If you’re looking for support or guidance as you get your decisions back, check out our Q&A forum, where you can ask questions and start discussions with peers.


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