By April 1?

So I go to a college prep school and one of my college guidance counselors has said on multiple occasions that colleges must let applicants know by April 1, but I applied to Syracuse and it seems this year and past years as well they never adhere to this. Is there a rule or is it some generally agreed upon thing? I can’t believe I might have to wait another two weeks for my decision so please say there is a formal rule.

There is no rule that decisions must be given by April 1. There are some colleges that annually give out all regular admission decisions first week of April and thus not by April 1. Most usually have sent out decisons by April 1. Syracuse simply says that “most” regular admission applicants will be notified late March, meaning it could be later for some.