2023 Regular Decision Deadlines

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:

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:

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:

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.