Application Deadlines
OGS reviews application deadlines each year. Currently, programs have the option to choose from the following deadlines:
Fall
- December 1 (Doctoral programs only)
- December 15
- January 15 (also the PhD funding deadline)
- February 1 (also the Masters funding deadline)
- April 1
- July 1 (Graduate Certificates only)
Spring
- October 1
- November 1 (Graduate Certificates only)
As noted earlier, the admission requirements for each program can be changed in the Summer. Please watch for emails in late Spring regarding this. Any changes after the specified date will not take effect until the following year. Programs may accept late applications at their discretion. However, OGS will not process any new Fall applications after August 1 or any new Spring applications after November 1.
OGS will work with you to determine when you would like to start receiving applications for review. At a minimum, we will do our best to send you applications no later than 2 weeks after your application deadline.
Rolling Admissions
Rolling admissions refers to a large application window in which students may submit their applications, with decisions released on an ongoing basis as applications are reviewed. It is important to note that CCAS has an application deadline for each program. We must have a deadline so we can successfully manage the admission funnel. Even though we do have application deadlines, departments may still consider applications up until the college deadlines above.
Department Decision Deadlines
CCAS has set deadlines by which application decisions must be returned to OGS. When reviewing your applications, follow the deadlines below.
Doctoral programs
- All applicants must be notified of their application status (Admit, Deny, or, in some programs, Interview) no later than 6 weeks after the program receives the application from OGS.
- All PhD and PsyD decisions must be entered in TargetX no later than March 15 (for Fall applications).
Masters and Graduate Certificate programs
- All applicants must be notified of their application status (Admit, Deny, or, in some programs, Interview or waitlist) no later than 4 weeks after the program receives the application from OGS
- All Masters and Graduate Certificate decisions must be entered no later than 6 weeks after the program receives the application from OGS.
OGS reserves the right to make admission decisions on applications after the deadlines above have passed.
Enrollment Deadlines
Students are given the following deadlines to submit a response to their offer of admission:
Fall - May 1
Spring - November 1
Students who are offered funding in the Fall have a response deadline of April 15. This deadline is a national deadline recommended by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). As a CGS member, GW follows these guidelines. OGS will not issue an enrollment or funding response deadline that is earlier than April 15. Applicants admitted after April 1, with a funded offer will have two weeks from the date of the award letter to respond. As OGS processes over 2,500 awards per year, please submit awards in Banner Workflow as promptly as possible and understand that awards may take a few business days to be processed.
Students admitted after the deadline will have no less than 2 weeks to respond to their offer of admission. Deadlines will fall on the 1st and 15th of the month. For example, a student who is admitted on May 4 will have until June 1 to respond.
OGS does not, by default, stop admittees from responding to their admission offer after the deadlines above. We are able to prevent admittees to a particular program from doing so, but you must let us know in advance. Only a program that has filled to capacity should stop accepting enrollment responses. Additionally, OGS will cancel awards if they are not accepted by the deadline, as we often offer unaccepted awards to other admittees.
