Can university rescind an offer if more students than expected accept it before me?

[ConfusedStudent]

Hi  I've recently received a fully funded PhD offer from University A, which is (for now) my top choice. I also have an on-campus interview scheduled for mid March in University B, which I'd really like to attend before making my final decision. 

The program at University A is very small, and their website explicitly states that they aim to admit a maximum of two people in the program each year. However, I've learnt that they sent out five offers this year. 

Now, I'm aware that programs typically send out more offers than they have spots. I'm also aware of the April deadline, until which we're free to accept or decline offers. 

My question is the following: what will happen if, say, two or three people accept their offer sooner that me? Will the university rescind the offer of admission and/or funding, given that all the spots are filled? 

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm an international student, unversed in American academic culture. In my country, it's not uncommon to admit students on  a first-come, first-serve basis. 

 

[.letmeinplz//]

Possibly if they get more accepted acceptances than they expect they will just accept less the next year. For example, X University assumes 50% of accepted students to accept the offer for 10 slots, so they accept 20. If 15 accept the offer, the next application cycle may see only 10 people accepted (if they still assume an average of 50%) to get back into balance. For some programs that publish their acceptance/matriculation data you can sometimes see this happen (1 year will all of a sudden have less acceptances than normal, then the next year it will be back to the usual numbers). I doubt the university will rescind an acceptance for non-applicant related reasons.

Edited January 30, 2017 by .letmeinplz//

[meggied]

This happened at Northwestern a few years ago. More people accepted the prior year so the next year they just accepted less students. I don't know if a school can actually take away your acceptance unless you give them a reason, such as failing a class. 

[TakeruK]

I agree with the others---schools generally plan on adjusting future years so that the average is 2 per year (or whatever number they want) instead of setting a max on an annual basis. Also, sometimes schools say something like "we accept 2 per year" so that applicants have a general idea of what the class size is, and this doesn't mean it will be literally enforced. I think it is normal for a school that wants 2 students to make about 5 offers (I'd say that 4-6 is normal for 2 students).

For your case, refer to your offer letter. If they say that you have until April 15 to decide, then you should not have to worry about the offer disappearing. If there is no deadline, then you should contact the school now to ask about it. Also, some schools do have limited spots for each professor though, so accepting later might mean that you are less likely to be able to work with the person you want. If you are concerned about this, you should also contact the professors you are interested in at School A, tell them that you have been accepted and although you haven't made your decision yet, you would like to chat with them further about potential research opportunities. This will also help you decide A vs. B and if they are concerned about being able to fund you in their group, they should say it at this point (you can also ask about available spots etc.)