Regular Decision Notification Dates for the Class of 2026
Applying to college is an equally exciting and nerve-wracking time for high schoolers. All of the work you’ve put in over the past few years is finally paying off. The period in between when you send out your applications and when you receive the letter of decision is a period of great anticipation and stress as students learn whether or not they got accepted into their desired schools.
Naturally, applicants want to know when they can expect to get their coveted acceptance letters. Fortunately, these regular decision notification dates are made public by all universities so you don’t have to wait nervously!
It’s important to keep an eye out for these regular decision notification dates as they can influence where you choose to attend, especially when you’re expecting to hear back from more than one university.
At AdmissionSight, we’re in the business of helping students prepare as best as possible to make the most of their transition to college. Part of that is helping you keep important dates in mind. And one of the most crucial dates to consider when applying to college is the regular decision notification dates.
Here, we’ll take a look at the regular decision notification dates of some of the most popular colleges and universities in the country.
Here’s When Students Can Expect to Receive Regular Admission Decisions
After months of preparing your application while keeping your grades up, you’ve finally submitted all of the required information to the school of your dreams and a few more.
Now comes the waiting part! But you don’t have to sit there twiddling your thumbs. Colleges announce the specific dates students can anticipate to receive their acceptance or rejection letters.
Currently, admissions offices across the country are in full swing with admissions officers diligently looking through thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands, of applications. Overall, more than 10 million students apply each year to colleges. And your application is among those being considered! Pretty exciting, huh?
Colleges and universities in all parts of the country have fine-tuned their college application review process ensuring students can reliably expect their regular decision notifications within a specific time frame.
In general, colleges strive to notify applicants about their final decision by the springtime. More specifically, admissions officers aim to prepare their regular decision admissions choices by the end of March.
Here are regular application decision notification dates for the class of 2025.
Important Note: Keep in mind that although these dates are officially released from each college and university, they are subject to potential change. Many of these regular decision notification dates are general, and high schoolers can expect to see these dates change as spring draws closer.
As you get nearer to these dates, it’s reasonable to assume that these changes are more solidified and accurate as colleges have more information regarding their admission timelines.
It’s a good idea to sign up for a newsletter if the school to which you’re applying offers one.
This way, you can stay up to date on regular decision notification dates if they change. Definitely double-check for the dates that are labeled as “to be determined” (TBD) or those with a more general time frame (i.e. late April, early March, etc.)
| School | Regular Decision Notification Date |
| American University | March 17, 2021 at 3 pm ET |
| Amherst College | Late March |
| Babson College | Mid-March |
| Bard College | End of March |
| Barnard College | Late March |
| Bates College | March 12, 2021 |
| Boston College | March 25, 2021 in the evening |
| Boston University | March 25, 2021 in the evening |
| Bowdoin College | By April 1 |
| Brandeis University | April 1 |
| Brown University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Bryn Mawr College | April 1 |
| Bucknell University | By April 1 |
| California Institute of Technology | March 12, 2021 |
| Carleton College | April 1 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | By April 1 |
| Case Western Reserve University | March 27, 2021 |
| Claremont McKenna College | By April 1 |
| Colby College | March 25, 2021 |
| Colgate University | By April 1 |
| College of Charleston | By April 1 |
| College of William & Mary | By April 1 |
| Columbia University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Connecticut College | Late March |
| Cornell University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Dartmouth College | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Davidson College | March 27 |
| Drexel University | By April 1 |
| Duke University | April 5, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Emerson College | April 1 |
| Emory University | March 24, 2021 at 6 pm ET |
| Fordham University | By April 1 |
| Franklin & Marshall | By April 1 |
| George Washington University | Late March |
| Georgetown University | April 1 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Mid-March |
| Goucher College | Rolling notifications |
| Grinnell College | Late March/Early April |
| Hamilton College | Late March |
| Harvard University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Harvey Mudd College | April 1 |
| Haverford College | Early April |
| Holy Cross | Late March or Early April |
| James Madison University | Mid/Late March |
| Johns Hopkins University | March 19, 2021 |
| Kenyon College | March 21, 2021 |
| Lehigh University | March 25, 2021 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | March 14, 2021 at 6:28 pm ET |
| Middlebury College | Late March |
| Mount Holyoke College | Late March |
| New York University | March 31, 2021 |
| Northeastern University | March 17, 2021 |
| Northwestern University | March 26, 2021 |
| Occidental College | March 25, 2021 |
| Oberlin College | By April 1 |
| Pitzer College | By April 1 |
| Pomona College | March 25, 2021 at 5 pm PT |
| Princeton University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | March 6 |
| Rhode Island School of Design | Mid-March |
| Rice University | By April 1 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | By mid-March |
| Santa Clara University | By April 1 |
| Sarah Lawrence College | Late March |
| Skidmore College | Mid-March |
| Smith College | Late March |
| Southern Methodist University | Mid-March |
| Stanford University | April 7, 2021 at 4 pm |
| Swarthmore College | Mid-March |
| Syracuse University | Late March |
| Tufts University | By April 1 |
| Tulane University | By April 1 |
| University of California-Berkeley | March 26, 2021 |
| University of California-Davis | March 19, 2021 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | March 20, 2021 |
| University of California-San Diego | March 20, 2021 |
| University of California – Santa Barbara | March 16, 2021 at 3 pm PT |
| University of Chicago | March 12, 2021 |
| University of Georgia | March 17, 2021 |
| University of Maryland-College Park | By April 1 |
| University of Massachusetts-Amherst | Early March |
| University of Miami | By April 1 |
| University of Michigan | By early April |
| University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill | March 31, 2021 |
| University of Notre Dame | Late March |
| University of Pennsylvania | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
| University of Richmond | By April 1 |
| University of the South (Sewanee) | March 4, 2021 |
| University of Southern California | March 30, 2021 |
| University of Virginia | March 25, 2021 |
| Vanderbilt University | By April 1 |
| Vassar College | Late March |
| Villanova University | March 25, 2021 |
| Wake Forest University | By April 1 |
| Washington and Lee University | April 1 |
| Washington University in St. Louis | March 24, 2021 |
| Wellesley College | Late March |
| Wesleyan University | Late March |
| Williams College | By April 1 |
| Worcester Polytechnic University | By April 1 |
| Yale University | April 6, 2021 at 7 pm ET |
Don’t see the schools you’re applying to on our list? Contact us to let us know, and we’ll personally help you determine the regular decisions notification dates for the schools on your college list.
Regular Decisions Notification Dates: Frequently Asked Questions
Preparing a college application is one of the most significant academic endeavors you’ve undertaken this far as a high schooler. Although the application process is a months-long process, you’ve been preparing for this moment for years by taking the right courses, acing your classes, mastering extracurricular activities, and developing important skills.
It goes without saying that there’s a lot riding on your college application. Naturally, students are incredibly eager to hear back from colleges on the status of their acceptance.
But that’s not all high schoolers want to learn about the college admissions process. Here, we’ll provide answers to some of the most common questions.
What does it mean to apply during regular decision?
Most colleges and universities offer two different application timelines for interested students. Regular decision refers to the standard time period which typically sees applications submitted at the beginning of the year, usually somewhere in January or February. The regular decision notification dates then fall within March or April as you’ve seen on the graph above.
On the other hand, the earlier admissions timeline – sometimes called early decision or early action depending on the school – allows applicants to submit their documents earlier. For example, early decision applications are usually due in October with results expected in mid-December.
What’s the difference between an early decision and regular decision?
The most obvious difference between these two application deadlines is the due dates for the applications. Early decision and early action require high schoolers to submit their documents a few months earlier than the standard timeline.
There aren’t really any differences in the application processes themselves other than the dates, however. The same documents are required with some minimal exceptions at certain schools. Of course, it’s always critical for applicants to check the specific requirements of their desired school to make sure they fulfill all requirements.
What are the advantages of applying during regular decision?
You often hear a lot about the pros of applying during early decision such as a higher acceptance rate and more time to prepare for college due to the earlier notification dates. Unfortunately, not enough attention is paid to the advantages of applying during the standard timeline. And there certainly are some benefits of sticking with regular decision.
First and foremost, you’re given more time to prepare your college application. Between maintaining your grades in school, taking standardized tests, engaging in extracurricular activities, and preparing your application, you have a ton going on when transitioning into college. Having that few extra months to turn in your application can make that much of a difference in its overall quality which only increases your chances of getting accepted.
Another major benefit of applying during regular decision is having the freedom to choose between all of the different schools you got accepted to.
Many colleges have a policy that those accepted students who applied during early decision are bound to attend the school and must make their decision rapidly. If you don’t want that additional pressure, applying during regular decision is your best bet.
Tips for Applying During Regular Decision
1. Pay attention to important dates.
Applying to college is a major step for high schoolers. To make sure it turns out smoothly and successfully, it’s crucial to plan ahead. One of the first steps to take is to write down all of the important dates for your admissions process.
This includes application submission deadlines, regular decision motivation dates, and other major dates. You can find all of this information on the official websites of your desired school. Make sure to write all of these dates down on your calendar so they don’t interfere with other important obligations you have with work, school, or your personal life.
2. Get started as early as possible.
Even students who opt to submit their applications during the regular decision timeline should get started as soon as possible. Even though you’ll have more time to prepare your documents than those applying during early action, you still want to give yourself plenty of time.
You’d hate to spend all of that time and energy on preparing your application only to realize that you’re too late. At AdmissionSight, we regularly advise students to start preparing at least six months in advance. This gives you plenty of time to prepare all of the things you need while obtaining all of the documents you have to submit including letters of recommendation, high school transcripts, and more.
3. Know what documents are required.
Before you can get started on your application, you’ll need to know exactly what’s required for the application. Fortunately, the vast majority of colleges and universities have a clear list of required documents on their websites. Here are some of the standard documents needed:
- Application
- College essays
- Letters of recommendation
- High school transcripts
It’s important to keep in mind that the specifics vary between each school. That’s why it’s crucial to check with the school to which you’re applying to ensure you know exactly what you need to submit. It’s helpful to make a checklist for yourself so you can keep track of what you’ve done already and what still needs to get done.
4. Work with a reputable professional.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, confused, and even a bit nervous when applying to college, even during registry decisions. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can work with a professional admissions expert to perfect your college admissions efforts.
AdmissionSight is one such entrance expert specializing in helping high schoolers master the application process. We’ll answer any questions you have, explain what’s required to get into your chosen schools, and provide you with the resources and tools you need to succeed.
Increase your chances of getting into the school of your dreams
Looking for a way to improve your odds of getting accepted to your top school? You’re in the right place! Preparing for college and completing your application can be daunting, challenging, and stressful experiences. But it doesn’t have to be that way! You can alleviate some of the anxiety associated with transitioning to college by working with a reputable college entrance expert.
What’s that? Essentially, a college admissions specialist is a professional who helps students master the application process. At AdmissionSight, we have over a decade of experience helping students just like you better understand the admissions process and what college admissions officers are looking for.
We offer a wide range of custom-tailored services designed specifically to help you improve all aspects of your application. Whether you need a hand choosing your high school courses, tips for picking extracurriculars, advice when deciding on summer programs, or anything else, we’ve got you covered! Sound like a good match?
Feel free to contact us to schedule a free booking where you can get all of your questions answered.
