Your Fall 2027 Graduate School Timeline

If you're applying for fall 2027, the first deadlines have already arrived. Here is what happens when, so you can see which dates are yours.

Now (October 2026) Finish your program list and read each program's Basics page for its deadline and materials. Ask your recommenders this week if you haven't. If you're applying for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, reference letters are due Oct. 16, 2026 and applications Oct. 19 to 23, depending on field.

October to mid-November Contact potential advisors where programs welcome it (see the guide below). Draft your statement of purpose and adapt it program by program.

Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, 2026 Most PhD deadlines. Clinical psychology runs Nov. 1 to Dec. 1; biomedical sciences cluster around Dec. 1; engineering and computer science around early to mid December. Some programs close earlier.

December to March PhD interviews and visit weekends. Many master's programs close between January and April; some take applications into summer.

February to April 2027 Most decisions. Compare funding offers line by line.

April 15, 2027 Under the Council of Graduate Schools' April 15 Resolution, most universities won't require you to accept a funded offer before this date.