US college application timeline for international students (2026–27)

From junior year to the plane

First, the vocabulary: in the US, the last year of high school is senior year (12th grade) and the one before it is junior year (11th grade). You apply during your final year, for a start the following fall. Map these onto the last two years of your own system.

1. Junior year · January to MarchExplore. Take a full practice SAT in the official Bluebook app (free) and a practice English test. Start a broad list without censoring yourself.
2. Junior year · March to JuneFirst SAT sitting if your list needs it, and your English test. Pick the two teachers who know you best: you'll ask them for letters in the fall.
3. Summer before senior yearThe most valuable stretch of the year: brainstorm and first draft of your personal statement, draft of your activities list. The Common App opens on August 1: create your account and fill in the easy parts.
4. Senior year · SeptemberFinal list of 8 to 12 universities. Formal letter requests, at least a month before your first deadline. Check that your school has a School Profile. Register for the October SAT if needed.
5. OctoberSupplemental essays for your early schools. The CSS Profile opens on October 1 if you're applying for financial aid.
6. November 1 and 15The two big deadlines for early applications (Early Decision, Early Action).
7. Mid-DecemberEarly decisions come out. If it's a yes in Early Decision, you withdraw your other applications. If not, you finish your regular-round essays.
8. January 1 to February 1Regular Decision and Early Decision II deadlines.
9. February and MarchPossible interviews. Your school sends your first-semester senior grades (the Mid-Year Report) to universities that ask for them.
10. Mid-March to early AprilDecisions come out. Compare aid offers.
11. May 1Last day to accept an offer and pay the deposit at most universities.
12. May to JulyI-20 form, SEVIS fee, consulate appointment for the F-1 visa. Your school sends your final transcript after your exams.
13. AugustArrival on campus: on an F-1 visa, you can enter the US up to 30 days before your program starts.

The deadlines that keep coming back

Each university sets its own dates, but they cluster on a few days. Here are the most common ones for 2026–27, across the 1,083 US universities on the Common App.

And 599 universities use rolling admission: they answer as applications come in, while seats remain. See every university with a November 1 deadline or with rolling admission.

International SAT dates 2026–27

Scores arrive about two weeks after the test. For a deadline, what counts is the score date, not the test date.

International dates published by the College Board for 2026–27. More on tests: SAT dates and English tests.

Working back from a deadline

For each university, count backwards from the deadline (D).

If you're starting late

Reading this in October of senior year with nothing ready? It's not over. Here's the order of battle:

• Skip the November early rounds unless your application is nearly ready. A rushed early application hurts you more than a good regular one.
• Ask for your letters this week. It depends on other people, so it takes the longest.
• Pick your list around the tests: with no SAT and no English test, start with test-optional universities and a fast English test (the Duolingo English Test is taken at home, with results in about 48 hours).
• One strong main essay before anything else. It goes to every university.
• Keep rolling-admission universities as a safety net: they answer fast, and some accept applications into the spring. See late deadlines.