Suggested Graduate School Prep Timeline

This suggested timeline is for students planning to attend graduate school immediately after earning a bachelor’s degree, and can be easily adjusted for students planning a post-baccalaureate or gap-year experience or for master’s students applying for doctoral programs.

Freshman and Sophomore Years

  • Do well in your coursework
  • Meet with academic advisors to plan your coursework and help you consider graduate programs
  • Develop relationships with faculty
  • Actively seek and participate in research and internship opportunities at your home institution during the academic year and during the summers

Summer between sophomore and junior years

  • Apply for and participate in research and internship opportunities at your home institution or elsewhere (many application deadlines are in the winter or spring before the summer)

Junior Year (or one year before application season)

  • Participate in research at your home institution
  • Identify graduate programs and fellowships that are relevant for your plans
  • If possible, attend conferences in your discipline, especially if they include sessions for prospective graduate students or grad school fairs
  • If possible, start visiting institutions with graduate programs that interest you
  • If needed, prepare for taking the GRE general and subject exams
  • Take the GRE exams if needed
  • Look into extramural fellowships in your relevant fields

Summer between junior and senior years

  • Apply for and participate in research and internship opportunities at your home institution or elsewhere (many application deadlines are in the winter or spring before the summer)
  • Identify graduate programs and fellowships that are relevant for your plans

Senior Year (or in final year during application season)

  • Participate in research at your home institution
  • If possible, attend conferences in your discipline, especially if they include sessions for prospective graduate students or grad school fairs

August/September

  • Actively seek and apply for application fee waivers
  • Contact faculty members to seek their advice and ask if they are willing to write you a strong recommendation letter
  • Identify graduate programs and fellowships that are relevant for your plans
  • Gather information about required application materials and deadlines
  • Work on personal and research statements
  • If your discipline requires you to reach out to prospective faculty for your graduate program, start reaching out to them

October/November/December (depending on the application deadlines)

  • Complete and submit application materials
  • Ask your letter writers to submit their recommendation letters, providing all the forms, information, and deadlines
  • Order transcripts (if official transcripts are required)
  • If needed, confirm that all of your application materials were received

January/February/March

  • If appropriate, look into visiting institutions on your own
  • Some programs typically include interviews (e.g., in bioscience fields) or recruitment trips for admitted students
  • Admissions offers with financial aid packages are often provided around this time
  • If you have been admitted into multiple programs, reach out to others to help you make your decision, and review the other section of this document with further suggestions on making your decision

April 15

  • Most universities participate in the CGS (Council of Graduate Schools) resolution which allows admitted students to have time to make a decision and respond by April 15
  • After you have made your final decision, thank all of your friends and colleagues for their assistance and inform them of your final decision
  • If you declined admission from some institutions, remember to still thank them for their offers, because you’ll likely encounter the faculty and scholars again