When are university interview dates usually held?

Trying to get my schedule sorted out for the year. When can I typically expect university interviews to take place? Does it vary a lot between schools?

The timing of university interviews tends to vary considerably between institutions, and it also depends on the type of application, whether it's Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision, or Rolling Admissions.

For those universities that offer interviews under Early Decision or Early Action plans, interviews often take place in the fall, typically in November. If you apply under Regular Decision, you can expect potential interviews to occur anytime from December up to February, though these timelines can depend on the university, and are mainly based on when the application deadline is.

Rolling Admissions schools often don't offer interviews, as the goal of rolling admissions is to get you a decision quickly, and scheduling and conducting an interview takes time. At schools that do offer them, you're likely to have your interview shortly after submitting your application, so that the decision timeline doesn't get dragged out.

One important thing to note is that not all universities offer interviews. It's a good idea to research each college on your list to determine whether interviews are part of their admissions process. Furthermore, at most schools, interviews are deemed optional and are provided based on the availability of alumni interviewers in your region. So, if you aren't offered one, it doesn't reflect on the quality of your application, as the number of applications can easily exceed the number of available alumni volunteers.

To get the most accurate information, I recommend checking each university's admissions website for specific dates and instructions. And remember, it's always a good practice to be as flexible as possible with your schedule to accommodate the availability of the interviewers.