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The Ivy Coach Daily

December 9, 2022

2023 Regular Decision Deadlines

2023 Regular Decision Deadlines
The 2023 Regular Decision deadlines are right around the corner.

With Early Decision and Early Action notifications coming out over the next few days, it’s time to look ahead to Regular Decision. The 2023 Regular Decision deadlines for applicants to the Class of 2027 are right around the corner. While most colleges have January 1st Regular Decision deadlines, the date can vary depending on the institution. So pay careful attention to the precise due date of your Regular Decision applications, which are listed below.

What Applying Regular Decision Means

When students apply to colleges through Regular Decision policies, they typically submit applications in early January and learn of their decisions in mid to late March or early April. During this round of admissions, they can apply to several schools (The Common Application allows students to apply to up to 20 schools, and that doesn’t include college-specific applications not on the platform).

Sometimes, students who apply Regular Decision don’t apply to any colleges in the Early Action / Early Decision round of admissions. Other times, they were deferred or denied entry in the Early Action / Early Decision round (in the case of deferrals, their candidacy to their Early school rolls into Regular Decision).

Either way, they’re now up against the masses since Regular Decision applicant pools are significantly larger than Early Action / Early Decision pools. For example, for the Class of 2026, among the Ivy League schools, Harvard College boasted the largest Early pool, 9,406 candidates, while Columbia University boasted the largest Regular Decision pool, 54,072 candidates.

2023 Regular Decision Deadlines for Top American Universities

When exactly do candidates for the Class of 2027 need to submit their 2023 Regular Decision applications? Wonder no more! Here’s the list of schools ranked among the top 50 national universities by US News & World Report in the 2023 ranking:And here’s the list of schools ranked among the top 25 liberal arts colleges by US News & World Report in the 2023 ranking:

College / University2023 US News Rank (“Best National Universities”)Regular Decision Deadline
Princeton University#1January 1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology#2January 5
Harvard University#3January 1
Stanford University#3January 5
Yale University#3January 2
University of Chicago#6January 3
Johns Hopkins University#7January 3
University of Pennsylvania#7January 5
California Institute of Technology#9January 3
Duke University#10January 3
Northwestern University#10January 2
Dartmouth College#12January 3
Brown University#13January 5
Vanderbilt University#13January 1
Rice University#15January 4
Washington University in St. Louis#15January 4
Cornell University#17January 2
Columbia University#18January 1
University of Notre Dame#18January 1
University of California, Berkeley#20November 30 (Single Deadline)
University of California, Los Angeles#20November 30 (Single Deadline)
Carnegie Mellon University#22January 3
Emory University#22January 1
Georgetown University#22January 10
New York University#25January 5
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor#25February 1
University of Southern California#25January 15
University of Virginia#25January 5
University of Florida#29For Space Available After November 1
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill#29January 15
Wake Forest University#29January 1
Tufts University#32January 4
University of California, Santa Barbara#32November 30 (Single Deadline)
University of California, Irvine#34November 30 (Single Deadline)
University of California, San Diego#34November 30 (Single Deadline)
Boston College#36January 3
University or Rochester#36January 5
University of California, Davis#38November 30 (Single Deadline)
University of Texas at Austin#38December 1
University of Wisconsin – Madison#38January 15
Boston University#41January 4
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign#41January 5
The College of William & Mary#41January 2
Brandeis University#44January 1
Case Western Reserve University#44January 15
Georgia Institute of Technology#44January 4
Northeastern University#44January 1
Tulane University#44January 15
The Ohio State University#49February 1
University of Georgia#49January 1

2023 Regular Decision Notification Dates

When exactly will candidates for the Class of 2027 receive their admissions notifications to find out if they’ve been accepted, waitlisted, or denied by their Regular Decision colleges?

Here are the Regular Decision notification dates at the schools ranked among the top 50 national universities by US News & World Report in the 2023 ranking:

College / University2023 US News Rank (“Best Liberal Arts Colleges”)Regular Decision Deadline
Williams College#1January 9
Amherst College#2January 3
Pomona College#3January 8
Swarthmore College#4January 1
Wellesley College#5January 8
Bowdoin College#6January 5
Carleton College#6January 15
Claremont McKenna College#9January 10
Middlebury College#11January 3
Washington and Lee University#11January 1
Smith College#13January 15
Vassar College#13January 1
Davidson College#15January 11
Grinnell College#15January 15
Hamilton College#15January 4
Barnard College#18January 1
Colgate University#18January 15
Haverford College#18January 15
University of Richmond#18January 1
Wesleyan University#18January 1
Colby College#24January 1
Bates College#25January 10

Here are the Regular Decision notification dates at the schools ranked among the top 25 liberal arts colleges by US News & World Report in the 2023 ranking:

College / University2023 US News Rank (“Best National Universities”)Regular Decision Notification Date
Princeton University#1Late March 2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology#2March 14, 2023 (Pi Day)
Harvard University#3Late March 2023
Stanford University#3Early April 2023
Yale University#3Late March 2023
University of Chicago#6Mid March 2023
Johns Hopkins University#7Late March 2023
University of Pennsylvania#7Late March 2023
California Institute of Technology#9Mid March 2023
Duke University#10Late March 2023
Northwestern University#10
March 25, 2023
Dartmouth College#12Late March 2023
Brown University#13March 31, 2023
Vanderbilt University#13April 1, 2023
Rice University#15April 1, 2023
Washington University in St. Louis#15April 1, 2023
Cornell University#17Late March 2023
Columbia University#18Late March 2023
University of Notre Dame#18Late March 2023
University of California, Berkeley#20Late March 2023
University of California, Los Angeles#20April 1, 2023
Carnegie Mellon University#22April 1, 2023
Emory University#22April 1, 2023
Georgetown University#22April 1, 2023
New York University#25Late March 2023
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor#25Early April 2023
University of Southern California#25April 1, 2023
University of Virginia#25April 1, 2023
University of Florida#29March 31, 2023
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill#29Late March 2023
Wake Forest University#29April 1, 2023
Tufts University#32April 1, 2023
University of California, Santa Barbara#32March 18, 2023
University of California, Irvine#34March 31, 2023
University of California, San Diego#34Between Mid March and March 31, 2023
Boston College#36April 1, 2023
University or Rochester#36Late March 2023
University of California, Davis#38March 11, 2023
University of Texas at Austin#38March 1, 2023
University of Wisconsin – Madison#38Late March 2023
Boston University#41Late March 2023
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign#41March 3, 2023
The College of William & Mary#41April 1, 2023
Brandeis University#44April 1, 2023
Case Western Reserve University#44March 19, 2023
Georgia Institute of Technology#44Early March 2023
Northeastern University#44April 1, 2023
Tulane University#44April 1, 2023
The Ohio State University#49February 17 – March 24, 2023
University of Georgia#49Mid March 2023

Do keep in mind that these dates can fluctuate. Sometimes colleges jump the gun in releasing decisions. Other times, they hold delay sending out decisions by a few days. So we’ll be sure to update the lists as things change.

Frequently Asked Questions About Regular Decision

If my child applies to an Early Decision 2 school and gets into a more competitive Regular Decision school, can they get out of their Early Decision 2 commitment?

No, an Early Decision 2 commitment is binding. As such, students must attend the schools they earn admission to through Early Decision 2. In short, your child shouldn’t apply Early Decision 2 to Johns Hopkins if they think they’ve got a shot at Harvard. But do they? And, if they don’t, will they get into Johns Hopkins if they apply through Regular Decision? Therein lies the game!

If my child gets waitlisted at a school they applied to in Regular Decision, can we deposit at a school they got into and forfeit their deposit if they get off the school that placed them in limbo?

Yes, that’s common. You have every right to forfeit your deposit at a school your child commits to by National Candidates Reply Date if they subsequently earn admission to a school that placed them on the waitlist.

Would my child’s chances have been stronger at a college they’re applying to through Regular Decision if they had applied to the school in the Early round?

Yes, the odds of getting in are always better in the Early round than in the Regular Decision round. The statistics tell the story.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with 2023 Regular Decision Applications

It’s now mid-December. In just a few short weeks, your child’s applications will be due to their Regular Decision schools (or Early Decision II schools if they have an Early Decision II choice in mind). We can’t fix their coursework at this juncture, nor can we recommend what sorts of activities they should get involved in, but we can still correct many application mistakes. We can reposition how students tell their stories, present their activities to showcase a singular hook rather than well-roundedness, and demonstrate interest in the colleges they’re applying to in the New Year.

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s college counseling, it starts with a PostMortem application review. During this session, we go through the entire Early Decision / Early Action application and a few other college supplements. From this exercise, your child will realize what went wrong and what needs to change to avoid similar results in Regular Decision. If you’re interested in setting up Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review, kindly complete our free admissions consultation form, and we’ll then be in touch.

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