Deadlines in Slate Explained
Two Important Disclaimers About Deadlines
- All Slate deadlines are in Eastern Time.
- All Slate deadline dates are set for 12:00AM Eastern Time (that's 12:00AM in the morning) for the date listed.
Examples:
- If the Program Final Deadline is listed in Slate as July 1, that means the application will close on July 1, 12:00AM Eastern Time / June 30, 11:00PM Central Time.
- If the Program Final Deadline is listed in Slate as 12/15/2024, that means the application will close on December 15, 12:00AM Eastern Time / December 14, 11:00PM Central Time.
Want to make sure your deadlines are in order? Check Your Program's Application Deadlines.
Deadline Definitions
Display Deadline
The Display Deadline is the deadline that is listed in the application, which should match what is listed on your program's Guide page. The screenshot below shows how the Display Deadline is shown in the Slate application to an applicant.
- A program's Display Deadline can only be adjusted once a year during the annual Lumen/Guide updates.
- If the Display Deadline listed in Slate does not match the deadline listed on your program's Guide page, please contact the Graduate School Admissions Office at admissionstaff@grad.wisc.edu.
Program Final Deadline
The Program Final Deadline is when the application will no longer accept applications to the program. That means applications can still be submitted up to this deadline, regardless of the Display Deadline. The Program Final Deadline is not viewable by an applicant in the application. The program commits to reviewing applications that arrive before this deadline. The screenshot below shows how the Program Final Deadline is shown on the program's page in Slate, which is only viewable by Slate users (not applicants).
- Program Final Deadline must be after the Display Deadline, and we strongly suggest it to be at least 3 days after the Display Deadline, so applicants who experience last-second technical difficulties (or did not factor in time zone differences) have a short grace period to submit their applications.
- Your program can request to move up the Program Final Deadline to stop accepting applications. For example, if your initial Program Final Deadline had been April 15, but by March 1 you already had a committed cohort of applicants and therefore do not wish to receive any more applications, you can request to have your Program Final Deadline to be changed to March 1.
Graduate School Default Final Deadline ("None")
The Graduate School Default Final Deadline is the date that Slate defaults to for programs that have not specified a Program Final Deadline. As shown in the screenshot above for Spring and Summer Program Final Deadlines, it is listed as "None" in the Program Details page. Below are the Graduate School Default Final Deadlines for each term:
Summer entry term default deadline = June 2, 12:00AM Eastern Time
Fall entry term default deadline = June 2, 12:00AM Eastern Time
Spring entry term default deadline = December 2, 12:00AM Eastern Time
- If your program would like to change your deadline from a Graduate School Default Final Deadline (e.g., change it from "None" to a specific date), you must contact Graduate School Admissions Office at admissionstaff@grad.wisc.edu
- If your Display Deadline is after the Graduate School Default Deadline for a term, the Program Final Deadline will be set to the day after the display deadline. For example, if your program has a Fall term Display Deadline for July 1, the Program Final Deadline will be set to July 2.
Example
Below is a screenshot of example deadlines as shown in the Program Details section. Keep in mind all dates are set for 12:00AM Eastern Time.
FAQs
Will Slate tell applicants what the Program Final Deadline (hard deadline) is?
The Program Final Deadline is not posted for the applicant in Slate.
The only deadline available to applicants in Slate is the Display Deadline. The screenshot below shows what the Term Selection page looks like from an applicant's perspective.
Can someone start and/or submit an application between our Display Deadline and Final Program Deadline?
Yes (as long as the Display Deadline and Final Program Deadline are not the same date).
In Slate, an applicant chooses their program first, and then they select their entry term.
After an applicant chooses their program, only terms still accepting applications (terms where the Final Program Deadlines have not passed) will be available to select in the drop down menu, as shown in the screenshot below.
Example Scenario
Applicant Neville Longbottom intends to apply to the Herbology PHD program, which has the following deadlines for Fall 2025:
- Display Deadline: January 15, 2025
- Program Final Deadline: February 8, 2025
If Neville starts his application on February 10, 2025, he would not be able to select Fall 2025 as the term, because the Program Final Deadline has passed.
If Neville starts his application January 20, he would still be able to select Fall 2025 as his term, because the Program Final Deadline has not passed (even though the Display Deadline has passed.)
If Neville starts an application and selects Fall 2025 as the term but fails to submit it by the Program Final Deadline, the application will not let Neville submit the application after February 8, at 12:01 AM. Neville will hit a “hard stop” when attempting to submit, and he will be given a notice that the program’s deadline has passed. At that point, Neville could switch the term to an open term; there is a good chance Neville may not have to change anything else about his application (except, potentially, answers to the Supplemental Application if the program has updated it for the new term).