How do I accept an offer of admission?

Admission letters are sent directly from your graduate field and include important information about funding and resources at Cornell. To accept Cornell’s offer of admission, please log into your ApplyWeb account, and select your Cornell application for graduate admission. Click the button labeled “Complete your Decision Form” for instructions on how to accept or decline Cornell’s offer. Of course, you must be formally offered admission before you can accept or decline an offer.

How long do I have to accept an offer of admission?

Your admission letter will indicate when a response is due. Cornell abides by the Council of Graduate Schools’ “Resolution Regarding Graduate Scholars, Fellows, Trainees, and Assistants,” extracted below. Early notification is always appreciated and helps us plan for the upcoming year. 

Students are under no obligation to respond to offers of financial support prior to April 15; earlier deadlines for acceptance of such offers violate the intent of this Resolution. In those instances in which a student accepts an offer before April 15, and subsequently desires to withdraw that acceptance, the student may submit in writing a resignation of the appointment at any time through April 15. However, an acceptance given or left in force after April 15 commits the student not to accept another offer without first obtaining a written release from the institution to which a commitment has been made. Similarly, an offer by an institution after April 15 is conditional on presentation by the student of the written release from any previously accepted offer.

May I defer my offer of admission?

You may be able to defer entrance to your program for one or two semesters under some special circumstances. To inquire about a deferral, please contact your graduate field directly. 

I was not offered admission and want to reapply next year. How do I reapply?  

If you are refused admission or declined a previous offer, you may reapply in the future using the standard online application. You should plan to submit new supporting materials to be considered for admission.