foxfire123

Well, master's programs tend to have pretty high acceptance rates. Not that this downplays any of your qualifications or accomplishments, but it's because they don't require too much commitment on the school's behalf to fund the candidates. Most people are willing to take out loans for a master's degree -- especially at a school like Harvard with high name value -- because they see it as an investment to advance in their careers. 
The US News data (so take it with a grain of salt) says that the master's acceptance rate for HGSE is 53.6%. They have Penn GSE at 64.3%, and Stanford at around 29%, so it does tend to be much higher than the PhD acceptance rates at these schools. 

I and many of my those in my program live in the Palms/Culver City/Mar Vista areas. Some of us live in university housing that’s here, and others are just renting other apartments in the area. Although I have a car, many people I know don’t and just use public transport or the UCLA housing shuttle (or others with cars). 
Although it’s hard in your first year, splitting with another person makes it much more affordable. You can end up spending 900-1100 for a two bedroom apartment. $1300 for a studio is lower than you’ll get for single student housing through UCLA, but I think it’s doable.
Can’t help you with the timing question, unfortunately. I started in the middle of COVID and am in the family student housing. If you go into the student housing lottery, you can get an offer at anytime. 
For what it’s worth, undergrads are interested in housing closer to campus (Westwood), so there’s probably less of a seasonal rush for leases further away. 

Yeeeeeah, I realized quite a few schools do the "rolling rejections" method, and I don't think I'll ever really understand the purpose. I wonder if it's like a game of cards, where they keep their best cards (would that be the waitlist?) until the last possible minute ?
Anyways, best of luck to you!

I just got mine! No luck at Irvine, as expected, and totally fine with the result. Glad to be done with this year's cycle!!! I hope you hear soon too

I got into the University of Manitoba!!!!
It may not be highly ranked but goodness, I love my advisor and the research they're doing into student well-being.

:( I'm sorry to hear that. You've been here since the beginning of this thread, and I was hoping that we'd all receive good news. I'm sure you'll have better results next cycle, if you decide to apply again. 
I checked my UCI portal after I read your post since I did not receive an interview either, but no news... There was another rejection posted on the results page from this week, but still nothing. Maybe they just totally forgot about my application, haha. 

Well, master's programs tend to have pretty high acceptance rates. Not that this downplays any of your qualifications or accomplishments, but it's because they don't require too much commitment on the school's behalf to fund the candidates. Most people are willing to take out loans for a master's degree -- especially at a school like Harvard with high name value -- because they see it as an investment to advance in their careers. 
The US News data (so take it with a grain of salt) says that the master's acceptance rate for HGSE is 53.6%. They have Penn GSE at 64.3%, and Stanford at around 29%, so it does tend to be much higher than the PhD acceptance rates at these schools. 

Same here. They do have a “final” deadline in February, so maybe there is still a chance! If not, I am sure you will hear good news from your other choices  
I’ve already had a cycle where I didn’t get in anywhere, and last year, I struggled with not taking the rejections personally and the lack of feedback (as in, not knowing where I “went wrong”). But this year, I’m trying to be more objective. I put a lot of work into my application, so maybe they just saw something that let them think I would thrive elsewhere. There is a lot that we don’t know, like how COVID has affected their funding situation, which faculty are planning to accept students, and how the faculty’s research interests have changed since writing their bio.
This is all to say, I hope you are not down for long! Like I said, we’ll hear back from somewhere (maybe even Irvine!). I really believe we’ll end up where we’re supposed to. 

I'm also applying to ELOE (concentration in higher education).There's usually more grad school applicants in general during a recession which makes most grad school programs (not just HGSE) more competitive. However! The pandemic may change things this time around?
I think the best way to think about acceptance rate is to look at it based on program + concentration + individual interests. Example: someone applying to ELOE with a concentration in higher education and with an interest in college administration has a different profile than someone applying to the same program with an interest in starting an EdTech venture geared towards adults. The more popular track will be more competitive and acceptance rate for that spot will go down.
Basically, it'll depend on how many people are vying for a spot with the same specializations, so some Ed.M spots will inherently be more competitive than others. There's no real way of knowing who applied to what right now (outside of the small, self-selected group posting here), especially because there's no historical data to draw from.
All this being said, I really like the data @foxfire123 shared, and that's definitely the acceptance rate I'm focusing on ?
Whatever happens, everyone here seems super qualified and competitive. I wish you all the best of luck!! 

Yes! But only very briefly before application because I made the final decision to reapply after election results (I'm an international student, so it mattered haha). He actually replied within a matter of days and asked me to send him a reminder in late January, which I did. I also emailed a very nice staff member a few times for questions regarding my TOEFL waiver. If you applied to HEOC, you should have received an email from her confirming that the decisions will be released by early February.
And speaking of UCLA, to anyone who was curious, they have one of the most transparent and open search systems for admission data. https://grad.ucla.edu/graduate-program-statistics/admissions/?t=Annualsnapshot&p=Education
If you go here, you can look up the admissions data for whichever cycle (up to Fall 2019) and for whichever program with pretty tailored specifications. 
For example: 

Or don't look it up, if these kind of numbers don't actually help you feel better. I like having any kind of information, personally, so it helped. 

Yes! But only very briefly before application because I made the final decision to reapply after election results (I'm an international student, so it mattered haha). He actually replied within a matter of days and asked me to send him a reminder in late January, which I did. I also emailed a very nice staff member a few times for questions regarding my TOEFL waiver. If you applied to HEOC, you should have received an email from her confirming that the decisions will be released by early February.
And speaking of UCLA, to anyone who was curious, they have one of the most transparent and open search systems for admission data. https://grad.ucla.edu/graduate-program-statistics/admissions/?t=Annualsnapshot&p=Education
If you go here, you can look up the admissions data for whichever cycle (up to Fall 2019) and for whichever program with pretty tailored specifications. 
For example: 

Or don't look it up, if these kind of numbers don't actually help you feel better. I like having any kind of information, personally, so it helped. 

Ope, I guess CU Boulder has sent out their rejections because I definitely received one haha. On with the next results!
(I'm making it a point to share this here at the risk of it being TMI because I think it's super important to normalize failure. Ph.D. applications are really challenging, even during non-pandemic years. GradCafe has been a very helpful place to me, but I do think it tends to welcome posts from stellar candidates with multiple success stories, which, if you are like me, can make you feel extra anxious and intimidated.) 

Ope, I guess CU Boulder has sent out their rejections because I definitely received one haha. On with the next results!
(I'm making it a point to share this here at the risk of it being TMI because I think it's super important to normalize failure. Ph.D. applications are really challenging, even during non-pandemic years. GradCafe has been a very helpful place to me, but I do think it tends to welcome posts from stellar candidates with multiple success stories, which, if you are like me, can make you feel extra anxious and intimidated.) 

Ope, I guess CU Boulder has sent out their rejections because I definitely received one haha. On with the next results!
(I'm making it a point to share this here at the risk of it being TMI because I think it's super important to normalize failure. Ph.D. applications are really challenging, even during non-pandemic years. GradCafe has been a very helpful place to me, but I do think it tends to welcome posts from stellar candidates with multiple success stories, which, if you are like me, can make you feel extra anxious and intimidated.) 

Ope, I guess CU Boulder has sent out their rejections because I definitely received one haha. On with the next results!
(I'm making it a point to share this here at the risk of it being TMI because I think it's super important to normalize failure. Ph.D. applications are really challenging, even during non-pandemic years. GradCafe has been a very helpful place to me, but I do think it tends to welcome posts from stellar candidates with multiple success stories, which, if you are like me, can make you feel extra anxious and intimidated.) 

Ope, I guess CU Boulder has sent out their rejections because I definitely received one haha. On with the next results!
(I'm making it a point to share this here at the risk of it being TMI because I think it's super important to normalize failure. Ph.D. applications are really challenging, even during non-pandemic years. GradCafe has been a very helpful place to me, but I do think it tends to welcome posts from stellar candidates with multiple success stories, which, if you are like me, can make you feel extra anxious and intimidated.) 

Yeah, I think there have been a couple of interview notices since mid-January. 
On the GSE website, it states that they don’t have a formal interview process or requirement, and that faculty can choose to do so on a case-by-case basis. 
Stanford has always been timely with their responses (right around Valentine’s Day), so I’m sure we’ll hear back around that time this year, too, even if our application status isn’t updated. 

I see another person form Irvine TLEI was accepted. Hope it was you

So I've been just trying to organize the information that's been posted on the Results page in the recent weeks as we ready our minds for the flurry of notifications that are to come. It's too difficult to break everything down by program, so I just created a list based on my personal interests or what I was seeing most often. If you find this helpful, please feel free to add on with any other information you may know + your program of choice! Corrections are also welcome
Current status as of 1/26: 
CU Boulder (Ph.D. in LSHD) - Recent result indicates that POI has sent invite for panel interview and Finalists Weekend (Guessing this means interviews are required)  NYU Steinhardt (Ph.D. in Too many tracks) - According to website, interview requirements seem to differ by program / A couple of interview invites on the results page, and final results seem to come around late February ~ early March Ohio State (Ph.D. in FSML) - Acceptances seem to have gone out; don't know if it's sent in rounds   Stanford GSE (Ph.D. in Too many tracks) - Website indicates there is no formal interview process and that they may be conducted on a faculty-by-faculty basis / A couple of people have posted about interviews, and results page consistently shows Stanford releasing most decisions by mid-February (around Valentine's Day) UC Irvine (Ph.D in Education) - Website indicates interviews are required / Results page indicates interview invites have been sent out and a few informal acceptances have been made UC Los Angeles (Ph.D. in HEOC) - Email from staff that HEOC does not conduct interviews and that results will be available by early February  UC San Diego (Ph.D in Education) - Interviews are required / Email has been sent out to shortlisted candidates that program hopes to finish interviews by 2/2  UMich, Ann Arbor (Ph.D. in Higher Education) - Interviews are required / Email has been sent out to shortlisted candidates U of Minnesota (Ph.D in Second Language Education) - Rejections seem to have been sent out  U of Minnesota (Ph.D in CIDE) - Acceptances seem to have been sent out; don't know if it's sent in rounds    USC Rossier (Ph.D in Urban Education Policy) - Website indicates interviews are required for semi-finalists and continue throughout January / Results page shows a few interview invites; website timeline says decisions will be out by early February Vanderbilt Peabody (Ph.D. in Special Education) - Rejections seem to have gone out 

I guess you know that intellectually, but emotionally it does take its toll. I even followed up with the POI I spoke with initially, and now absolutely no answer. It really doesn't look good. I was generally hopeful when I sent in my applications, but one possibly negative result does indeed affect the momentum you had going in.

Also, I have read about very qualified people not getting in during a cycle for all the reasons you stated. A negative response really doesn't necessarily say anything about the individual, as you say. I'm hopeful for you too and I'm sure this year your applications were even much better. 
Good luck, and do keep me posted on where you get in!
 

Same here. They do have a “final” deadline in February, so maybe there is still a chance! If not, I am sure you will hear good news from your other choices  
I’ve already had a cycle where I didn’t get in anywhere, and last year, I struggled with not taking the rejections personally and the lack of feedback (as in, not knowing where I “went wrong”). But this year, I’m trying to be more objective. I put a lot of work into my application, so maybe they just saw something that let them think I would thrive elsewhere. There is a lot that we don’t know, like how COVID has affected their funding situation, which faculty are planning to accept students, and how the faculty’s research interests have changed since writing their bio.
This is all to say, I hope you are not down for long! Like I said, we’ll hear back from somewhere (maybe even Irvine!). I really believe we’ll end up where we’re supposed to. 

Ope, I see someone posted about an interview invite from NYU Steinhardt. A couple from Irvine, Stanford, and UMich Ann Arbor this past week, too. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here like Bernie at the inauguration staring at my cold and empty inbox haha ??‍♀️
On the flip side, I confirmed with UCLA that the HEOC program doesn’t conduct interviews. They were also nice enough to send out an email to all applicants saying that decisions will be ready by early February. 
Hopefully, we’ll be out of the dark soon, since it’s actually late January now and February soon! We’re almost to the end of waiting, everyone!!

So I've been just trying to organize the information that's been posted on the Results page in the recent weeks as we ready our minds for the flurry of notifications that are to come. It's too difficult to break everything down by program, so I just created a list based on my personal interests or what I was seeing most often. If you find this helpful, please feel free to add on with any other information you may know + your program of choice! Corrections are also welcome
Current status as of 1/26: 
CU Boulder (Ph.D. in LSHD) - Recent result indicates that POI has sent invite for panel interview and Finalists Weekend (Guessing this means interviews are required)  NYU Steinhardt (Ph.D. in Too many tracks) - According to website, interview requirements seem to differ by program / A couple of interview invites on the results page, and final results seem to come around late February ~ early March Ohio State (Ph.D. in FSML) - Acceptances seem to have gone out; don't know if it's sent in rounds   Stanford GSE (Ph.D. in Too many tracks) - Website indicates there is no formal interview process and that they may be conducted on a faculty-by-faculty basis / A couple of people have posted about interviews, and results page consistently shows Stanford releasing most decisions by mid-February (around Valentine's Day) UC Irvine (Ph.D in Education) - Website indicates interviews are required / Results page indicates interview invites have been sent out and a few informal acceptances have been made UC Los Angeles (Ph.D. in HEOC) - Email from staff that HEOC does not conduct interviews and that results will be available by early February  UC San Diego (Ph.D in Education) - Interviews are required / Email has been sent out to shortlisted candidates that program hopes to finish interviews by 2/2  UMich, Ann Arbor (Ph.D. in Higher Education) - Interviews are required / Email has been sent out to shortlisted candidates U of Minnesota (Ph.D in Second Language Education) - Rejections seem to have been sent out  U of Minnesota (Ph.D in CIDE) - Acceptances seem to have been sent out; don't know if it's sent in rounds    USC Rossier (Ph.D in Urban Education Policy) - Website indicates interviews are required for semi-finalists and continue throughout January / Results page shows a few interview invites; website timeline says decisions will be out by early February Vanderbilt Peabody (Ph.D. in Special Education) - Rejections seem to have gone out 

Yeah, I think there have been a couple of interview notices since mid-January. 
On the GSE website, it states that they don’t have a formal interview process or requirement, and that faculty can choose to do so on a case-by-case basis. 
Stanford has always been timely with their responses (right around Valentine’s Day), so I’m sure we’ll hear back around that time this year, too, even if our application status isn’t updated. 

Well, for UCLA, the email that was sent to HEOC applicants explained that they don’t update their status on the application platform — meaning it will stay as “submitted.” When I applied last cycle, I never had status updates either until the decision. What I mean to say is that I think the option may be available to schools, but whether they use it or not depends on the program. 
Personally, I’m just readying myself for the rejections from USC and Irvine. Those two schools specify on their sites that they require interviews, and several people have now posted they received invites. I even saw a couple acceptance results (probably informal) from Irvine. One good thing about doing this for the second time is that I am very used to rejections, I guess ?