When you can't find an acceptance deadline

[EccentricAcademic]

I was accepted to a school but not ready to choose between schools yet. I still need to wait a bit.

 

The school in question does not have clear deadlines for when to accept. Is it ok to ask them or does it put my acceptance at risk?

 

 

[LittleDarlings]

I think you should ask. They've accepted you, I can't see them revoking it because you ask a simple question

[ginagirl]

I was under the impression that there was a universal April deadline. Is this not true? Would the program say otherwise if that wasn't the case?

[peachypie]

I would definitely ask/clarify if you don't know.  most abide by the resolution to let you have until april 15th.

[TakeruK]

Once you have an offer in writing from the Graduate School, it's actually pretty final. No school is going to revoke an offer because of something silly like asking about a deadline, or something like a typo in a response email, etc. Obviously, if you do something actually terrible (e.g. lied about your application materials, or harassing others in the program, etc.), there are still ways for them to revoke your offer.

 

But otherwise, although it seems "flimsy" until you actually start grad school, your offer won't magically disappear because you asked a question! It's actually okay to ask the programs tough questions when you are deciding between your offers. I would encourage applicants to ask questions like:

 

how many of your students pass quals? how many graduate? are you hiring more faculty in the next few years? is the department seeking to hire more profs in current fields of expertise, or are they thinking of hiring profs in other subfields to broaden their expertise? for individual profs, you can ask about their own future research plans. 

 

When you are the one holding the offers and deciding where to go, it's "your turn" to be the decider and ask the hard probing questions. Obviously, you should do this in a friendly, polite, tactful way, and if you do this in "good faith" (i.e. you're actually asking legitimate questions to help you make a decision) and not in an arrogant way, then everything should be fine

 

I was under the impression that there was a universal April deadline. Is this not true? Would the program say otherwise if that wasn't the case?

 

This is not universal. Here is the actual CGS resolution: https://www.cgsnet.org/ckfinder/userfiles/files/CGS_Resolution.pdf

 

There are a few important points to remember:

 

1. This applies to financial offers only, not admissions. For funded PhD programs, these go together, but this deadline is far from universal in unfunded programs especially. It is still consistent with the resolution if the school requires the applicant to respond to the offer of admission prior to April 15 and provide financial details later.

 

2. Not every school is on this list, particularly schools outside of the US (but many schools will follow the same timeline).

 

3. There are no penalties for breaking this resolution, nor is it enforced (as far as I know), so there is no guarantee that you will get a April 15 deadline. 

 

4. You should absolutely send in your decision before April 15 if you are 100% sure/decided ahead of time! Don't wait until the last minute just because you can!

[ginagirl]

super helpful, thanks!

[EccentricAcademic]

Yes, very helpful

[iit_chem]

What if i accept the early deadline and then reject before April 15 if a better offer comes along ?

[elisewin]

what I'm actually concerned about is wait lists. What if I am in a wait list and April 15 comes so I have to accept the offer I already have, and then I get accepted from a wait list on the next day?

[TakeruK]

What if i accept the early deadline and then reject before April 15 if a better offer comes along ?

 

According to the CGS Resolution, you should be able to do this without any real issues. However, if you are being held to an earlier deadline, then it's likely they aren't following the CGS Resolution. If you do this, you will burn bridges probably, but in some cases it will be worth it. Even if they are following the Resolution though, if you are ever in a point where you are waiting for another offer, then you should not make a decision before April 15. In your shoes, I would do everything possible to get the school to extend the deadline and only resort to accepting then changing my mind if that is the only option the school leaves  you.

 

what I'm actually concerned about is wait lists. What if I am in a wait list and April 15 comes so I have to accept the offer I already have, and then I get accepted from a wait list on the next day?

 

According to the CGS Resolution, if you said yes to School A on say, April 14, and then on April 20th, School B (the one you like more) takes you off their waitlist, then you can still accept School B's offer. However, in order to do so, you have to get a "release" from School A. According to the CGS Resolution (wow, I am saying this a lot, lol), any school that makes an offer after April 15 (e.g. School , cannot "accept" your acceptance without a release from School A. 

 

I think that if this happens and you ask for a release from School A, they will likely give it to you. No one wants to keep around a grad student that doesn't want to be there! You might hurt some feelings in the department but I think ultimately they will understand that you have to make the best decision for you. If not, it might make it harder for you to get future work at School A (but probably not really) but beyond that, I doubt there will be serious consequences. Again though, you might be able to ask for a couple more days beyond April 15 from School A. 

[elisewin]

That was really helpful, thank you so much!

[EccentricAcademic]

It paid off to ask and clarify the date.

What I'm starting to learn is that no one minds questions of a reasonable and polite nature; in fact, it shows your interest and can be in your favor. They know you are considering other places. Be the person that asks and is informed, than the person that guesses. That's the kind of person these schools want to admit anyway.

[AWall2014]

I think the federal deadline for all grad school acceptance decisions is April 15th.  Think Tax Day!

[Crucial BBQ]

I was under the impression that there was a universal April deadline. Is this not true? Would the program say otherwise if that wasn't the case?

 

I never heard of a universal deadline.  

According to the CGS Resolution, you should be able to do this without any real issues. However, if you are being held to an earlier deadline, then it's likely they aren't following the CGS Resolution. If you do this, you will burn bridges probably, but in some cases it will be worth it. Even if they are following the Resolution though, if you are ever in a point where you are waiting for another offer, then you should not make a decision before April 15. In your shoes, I would do everything possible to get the school to extend the deadline and only resort to accepting then changing my mind if that is the only option the school leaves  you.

 

 

According to the CGS Resolution, if you said yes to School A on say, April 14, and then on April 20th, School B (the one you like more) takes you off their waitlist, then you can still accept School B's offer. However, in order to do so, you have to get a "release" from School A. According to the CGS Resolution (wow, I am saying this a lot, lol), any school that makes an offer after April 15 (e.g. School , cannot "accept" your acceptance without a release from School A. 

 

I think that if this happens and you ask for a release from School A, they will likely give it to you. No one wants to keep around a grad student that doesn't want to be there! You might hurt some feelings in the department but I think ultimately they will understand that you have to make the best decision for you. If not, it might make it harder for you to get future work at School A (but probably not really) but beyond that, I doubt there will be serious consequences. Again though, you might be able to ask for a couple more days beyond April 15 from School A. 

Never heard of this, probably because none of the schools I have applied to are on this list (although I did just quickly glance through), and many schools I did not apply to, either.  

 

Of the schools I applied to, when you accept an offer you place a down payment to hold your spot just like undergrad.  And like undergrad, if you later decide to take School Bs offer, you are free to do so with the understanding that your down payment is non-refundable.  I have heard of some acceptances as being binding, but as far as I know if you don't want to go to School A you don't have to. 

[Crucial BBQ]

*edit* 

 

Three schools I applied to are on the list.

 

*eats crow*

[TakeruK]

I never heard of a universal deadline.  

Never heard of this, probably because none of the schools I have applied to are on this list (although I did just quickly glance through), and many schools I did not apply to, either.  

 

Of the schools I applied to, when you accept an offer you place a down payment to hold your spot just like undergrad.  And like undergrad, if you later decide to take School Bs offer, you are free to do so with the understanding that your down payment is non-refundable.  I have heard of some acceptances as being binding, but as far as I know if you don't want to go to School A you don't have to. 

 

This is true in many of my programs too, but they usually don't ask for this "down payment" (or "registration deposit") until like June or so.