phd application deadlines

Application Deadlines

For all dates listed, the deadline is 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

If there is a discrepancy between the deadline information on this page and other materials you may have received, you should adhere to the deadlines on this page.

Some programs will continue to accept applications after the deadline, if spaces are available. If you are interested in applying after the deadline, contact your department or program of interest to determine their policy on accepting late applications. 

Fall Semester

These are the application deadlines for applicants who wish to begin their graduate studies in fall 2025. For all dates listed, the deadline is 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. If there is a discrepancy between the deadline information on this page and other materials you may have received, you should adhere to the deadlines on this page.

1   Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. applicants : Applications submitted by 12/02/2024 are guaranteed review. Applications submitted after 12/02/2024 but before the closing date of 02/27/2025 will be reviewed based upon availability of space and funding.

2   Romance Studies Ph.D. applicants : Applications submitted by 12/26/2024 are guaranteed review. Applications submitted after 12/26/2024 but before the closing date of 03/06/2025 will be reviewed based upon availability of space and funding.

1 Bioethics and Science Policy applicants : All applications received by January 16, 2025 will receive a final decision by February 2025.  Applications received by March 20, 2025 are guaranteed review. After March 20, 2025, applications will be accepted on a space-available basis through May 29, 2025.

2   Dance MFA applicants : Late applications will be considered under special circumstances. Applicants are advised to contact Prof. Sarah Wilbur ( [email protected] ) before starting an application.

3   East Asian Studies  applicants : All applications received by January 31, 2025 are guaranteed review and will be considered for departmental funding.  Applications received after the priority deadline will be accepted for review on a space-available basis through April 24, 2025.

4   Electrical and Computer Engineering master's applicants : Applications submitted by January 16, 2025 are guaranteed review.  Applications submitted after the January 16, 2025 deadline will be reviewed on a space-available basis through February 27, 2025.

5   Global Health applicants : The priority deadline is January 09, 2025, though all applications received by February 27, 2025 are guaranteed review.  Applications received after February 27, 2025 will be reviewed on a space-available basis through May 31, 2025.

6   Graduate Liberal Studies applicants : All applications submitted by June 02, 2025 are guaranteed review; however, applicants submitting materials by February 15, 2025 will receive an admissions decision by March 15, 2025 and will have priority consideration for financial aid.

7   Master of Arts in Teaching applicants:  The priority deadline is January 30, 2025, though all applications received by February 20, 2025 are guaranteed review. Applications received after February 20, 2025 will be reviewed on a space-available basis through May 01, 2025.

8   Materials Science and Engineering applicants : The priority deadline is January 31, 2025. All applications received by March 13, 2025 are guaranteed review.

9   Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science master's applicants : Applications submitted by January 16, 2025 are guaranteed review.  Applications submitted after the January 16, 2025 deadline will be reviewed on a space-available basis through February 27, 2025.

10   Medical Physics  applicants : The priority deadline is January 08, 2025, though all applications received by January 31, 2025 are guaranteed review. Applications received after February 01, 2025 will be reviewed on a space-available basis through May 29, 2025.

11   Population Health Sciences applicants : The early application deadline is November 25, 2024. All applications received by November 25 will receive an admissions decision by January 2025. The priority deadline is January 15, 2025, though all applications received by February 27, 2025 are guaranteed review. Applications received after February 27, 2025 will be reviewed on a space-available basis through May 31, 2025.

Spring Semester

October 1:  Deadline to submit all Ph.D. and master’s applications (except Graduate Liberal Studies) for the spring semester, space permitting.

October 31:  Deadline to submit Graduate Liberal Studies master's applications for the spring semester.

Note:  Very few departments accept new students for the spring term:

Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering Electrical & Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Master's Bioethics and Science Policy Biomedical Engineering Graduate Liberal Studies Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science Political Science

Summer session

Very few departments accept new students for the summer session. With the exception of applicants to the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program (which begins in the summer), applicants who wish to apply for summer admission must obtain special permission from the department of interest and The Graduate School. Summer session applicants should adhere to the fall application deadlines.

If you missed the deadline

Once a program's deadline has passed, that program will no longer appear as an option on the application. Most programs will not consider any applications submitted after the deadline. Please contact the department directly to inquire about a late application submission.

Dates and Deadlines

Main navigation, application open date.

The online application is now open for 2025 entry.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary by program and range from November to March for full-time programs. Before you apply, check the application deadline for your program on the Explore Graduate Programs page .

The application closes at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on your program’s deadline.

Decision Notification

Decision timelines vary by program, and the graduate program to which you applied will communicate the admission decision to you in accordance with the program’s notification timeline.

• Dates & Deadlines
• PhD/Master's Application Process

Deadlines below are for degree-seeking (PhD or Master's) applicants. Please note that all deadlines are subject to change at any time.

Summer-Fall 2024

Applicants should schedule any necessary standardized tests no later than November, in order to allow time for official scores to reach the Graduate School before the program application deadline.

December 1, 2024

Application deadline for:

• Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
• Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics (MS)
• Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• English Language and Literature*
• History of Art*
• History of Science and Medicine
• Linguistics
• Psychology*
• Statistics and Data Science (MS)

December 15, 2024

• African American Studies*
• American Studies*
• Anthropology*
• Applied Physics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical and Environmental Engineering
• Comparative Literature*
• Computer Science (PhD)
• Electrical & Computer Engineering
• Film and Media Studies*
• Germanic Languages and Literatures*
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
• Personalized Medicine and Applied Engineering
• Political Science*
• Public Health
• Religious Studies*
• Slavic and Eurasian Literatures and Cultures*
• Statistics and Data Science* (PhD)
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies*

January 2, 2025

Deadline for fee waiver requests .

• African Studies
• Applied Mathematics
• Archaeological Studies
• Architecture
• Computer Science (MS)
• Earth and Planetary Sciences
• East Asian Languages and Literatures*
• East Asian Studies
• Environment*
• European and Russian Studies
• International Development and Economics
• Investigative Medicine
• Italian Studies*
• Medieval Studies
• Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
• Philosophy*
• Spanish and Portuguese*

*Note regarding combined programs: The deadline to submit an application to a combined program is always the earlier deadline of the two individual programs, or December 15, whichever comes first.

Letters of recommendation do not need to be received before you will be able to submit your application, and there is no specific deadline for letters of recommendation. However, since programs begin reviewing applications shortly after the respective application deadline, please be sure that your letters of recommendation are submitted promptly.

All application deadlines are as of 11:59 pm Eastern time.

December 2024-March 2025

Applications are reviewed by departments and programs after the respective application deadline passes.

February-March 2025

Applicants are notified as admissions decisions become available.

April 15, 2025

The reply deadline for most offers of admission for fall 2025.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

The graduate school, application deadlines.

The following are admissions deadlines applied by the Graduate School. Department application deadlines may supersede Graduate School admission deadlines. Therefore, all applicants, both domestic and international, should consult with their program regarding department application deadlines and start dates.

Domestic Applicants

Domestic applicants may apply up to two weeks prior to the beginning of the desired term of entry, unless the program to which you are applying has an earlier deadline. Application materials must be complete to be considered for admission.

International Applicants

All international applicants intending to enroll with VISA types F and J must follow the deadlines below. International applicants intending to enroll with other VISA types may be eligible to apply after the deadlines noted below and should contact the Office of Graduate Admissions for more information.

The online submission deadline is when the initial application must be submitted online, provided the department has no earlier deadline. By the file completion deadline, admission must be granted and all documents required to obtain a student visa must be submitted to the Center for Global Engagement.

Students seeking to earn a graduate certificate must be admitted to the certificate program before completing 6 credit hours toward the certificate.

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Applications and all supporting documents must be received on or before the priority deadlines OR  the Program Deadlines , whichever is earlier. The Graduate School Priority Deadlines are shown below. Note that applications must be submitted to the Graduate School by midnight Eastern Standard Time on the deadline.

Please be aware of specific program deadlines , as many are earlier than the Graduate School priority deadlines.  All application fees are totally non-refundable.

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Graduate school application timeline.

If you're planning to apply to graduate school, it's best to start early—it will increase your odds of being admitted. Many graduate programs have rolling admissions, which means applications are evaluated as they arrive (rather than all at once after the final deadline).

Here's a sample schedule for a student hoping to enter grad school in the fall. This is a best-case scenario which leaves time to craft a great application, resolve unforeseen problems (a lost transcript, a delinquent recommender) and submit with time to spare.

Your GRE Application Timeline

Begin researching grad schools . Take a GRE practice test . Your GRE score will help you determine how much preparation you'll need for the real deal.

Sign up for a GRE test prep course (we recommend the in-person or online options). Register for the GRE general test if necessary.

Request information from schools that interest you. Consider paying a visit to your alma mater to meet up with a few former professors. They can recommend good programs and may even help you make some connections.

Register to take a GRE Subject test (if necessary) during one of their Fall windows. In the 2023-24 application cycle, ETS offered three date ranges to take a subject test: late September/early October, late October/early November, or mid to late April. Take the GRE general test. If you're not happy with your scores, sign up to take it again. Begin drafting your statement of purpose .

Finalize your list of prospective schools , and familiarize yourself with the professors who share your research interests at each school. Contact your recommenders. Keep polishing your statement of purpose.

Request official transcripts from your undergraduate institution. Send your recommenders supplemental materials (like your resume, personal statement, etc.) that they can use as a reference. Make contact with students and professors at your prospective schools. Arrange a campus visit if you can.

Have someone in the field and a few smart (and honest) friends read over your personal statement. Take the GRE subject test; make sure that your scores will be sent directly to schools.

Complete and submit all grad applications , keeping copies of every section for your records. Verify that your recommendations have been sent.

Read More: What's a Good GRE Score?

How will you score?

Take a GRE practice test with us under the same conditions as the real thing. You'll get a personalized score report highlighting your strengths and areas of improvement.

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Deadlines for Graduate Admissions

Application deadlines for most graduate programs can be found below. 

Please consult the program pages to learn the exact dates for degrees you are interested in. 

Tip: We strongly recommend submitting your application materials early. Recommendations, transcripts, and test scores (where applicable) can often take several weeks to arrive.

Application Deadlines

Deadlines apply to all programs, unless otherwise noted.

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• Admissions Information

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines vary among departments. Please be aware of the deadlines specified by the department to which you are applying.

• If there is a dash (-) in the term column, it means the department does not admit for that term. 
• The deadline for each term is midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the date specified below. You will be unable to choose the term on the application after that deadline.

When completing the online application, if the term you want to apply does not show, it means that term is either unavailable or the deadline has passed. If you are past the deadline, please reach out directly to the program department before reaching out to Graduate Studies to determine if they will allow you to still apply. 

To see the deadlines for each department, click any header to expand the school/college for the program you intend to apply to.

* Although the final deadline may be in August for many programs, international applicants needing to apply for visas and arrange travel are highly encouraged to apply in early spring.

College of Arts & Sciences

Arts and Sciences

* Combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree Program  (for current CWRU students only).

School of Engineering

Engineering

School of Medicine (Biomedical Sciences)

School of Medicine

Weatherhead school of management, frances payne bolton school of nursing.

Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences

Graduate studies non-degree.

** Applications for the Communication Science MA program are only accepted via the CSDCAS application. Do not apply via the School of Graduate Studies application. 

*** Applications for the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) are only accepted via  American Medical College Application Service®  (AMCAS). Do not apply via the School of Graduate Studies application.

**** Applications for the Master of Public Health (MPH) program are only accepted via the SOPHAS application. Dual MPH degree students (such as MA/MPH) should only apply via the School of Graduate Studies application, not SOPHAS.

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Application Deadlines

For domestic applicants the Graduate School requires applications to be submitted no later than one month prior to the start of the term the applicant intends to begin graduate work. Please refer to the  Academic Calendar  for typical semester starting dates.

For international applicants the following Graduate School deadlines apply:

Fall semester admission– April 15

Spring semester admission- August 22

Summer semester - International students are not admitted for summer sessions

Please note that some programs have earlier deadlines than those specified above, and some restrict admission to specific semesters. This information is also available here.

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