December 15th is the unofficial standard for PhD applications starting next fall, but of course, academia loves its quirks. Columbia Business School goes for December 16th, Carnegie Mellon wraps up by December 11th, and some elite schools close as early as December 1st.
Some schools seem more relaxed, with deadlines stretching into January. Let’s be honest—I guess no one’s reading applications until after winter break anyway.
Fast forward to the next big date: April 15th. This one often gets billed as a “decision deadline”—UCLA’s FAQ clears it up:
“April 15th is not a deadline for graduate decision notification. It’s the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Resolution date before which no institution can pressure an admitted applicant to accept an offer with funding.”
So, offers can (and do) come after April 15th. Programs set their own timelines because, well, academia thrives on chaos. For the curious, here’s the full CGS Resolution on April 15th.
reference
UCLA How To Apply. https://grad.ucla.edu/admissions/research-requirements/