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.
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
Early Decision II/Early Action II
Mid-March to early April
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?
Now that you have a better sense of the general deadlines and notification dates, here are the specific dates at top schools.
School Name
Decision Notification Date
ED I: by December 15
ED II: by February 15
California Institute of Technology
Carnegie Mellon University
ED I: December 15
ED II: by February 15
RD: late March/ early April
RD: late March/ early April
ED I: by December 15
ED II: by February 15
RD: end of March
Johns Hopkins University
ED I: December 16
ED II: February 17
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
New York University
ED I: December 15
ED II: by February 15
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Davis
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of Florida
RD: last Friday in February
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
EA: by January 31
University of Notre Dame
EA: by December 25
University of Pennsylvania
RD: late March/ early April
University of Rochester
University of Southern California
University of Texas at Austin
Priority deadline: by February
University of Virginia
ED I: by December 15
ED II: by February 15
University of Wisconsin, Madison
EA: on or before January 31
RD: on or before March 31
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
Wake Forest University
ED I: Rolling Basis
ED II: February 15
Washington University in St. Louis
ED I: by December 16
ED II: by February 17
University of Chicago
EA: by December 1
RD: between December & March
School Name
Decision Notification Date
ED: early-to-mid December
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
RD: by mid-February
Claremont McKenna College
ED I: by December 15
ED II: by February 15
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
ED I: by December 15
ED II: by February 1
ED I: mid-late December
ED II: early February
RD: late March/ April
ED I: December 15
ED II: February 15
ED I: December 15
ED II: early February
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
ED I: December 15
ED II: February 15
United States Air Force Academy
RD: by end of April
United States Military Academy at West Point
United States Naval Academy
University of Richmond
ED I: mid-December
ED II: early February
RD: late March or early April
ED I: mid-December
ED II: late February
ED I: mid-December
ED II: mid-February
Washington and Lee University
ED I: late December
ED II: late January
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.
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.
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.