<p>I know in college admissions, some places will send out "likely" letters in late January/February to students that they really want but can't officially admit until the real deadline--the letters essentially say something to that effect.</p>
<p>Do graduate schools do this? I think I might have received one, but I can't tell without a comparison.</p>
<p>There is no "real" deadline for graduate schools -- if a program wants to admit you, it simply does so. Graduate programs can admit as early as they like; the deadline is at the end, and schools which belong to the National Council of Something-or-Other must admit by April 15 at the latest.</p>
<p>What if their published policy on their website is that they do not admit until after interview? The email I received mentioned that but (my interpretation is that) they hinted strongly at the interview being mostly to go through the motions of it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
There is no "real" deadline for graduate schools -- if a program wants to admit you, it simply does so. Graduate programs can admit as early as they like; the deadline is at the end, and schools which belong to the National Council of Something-or-Other must admit by April 15 at the latest.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>the april 15 date is for the acceptance of financial support. in short, schools that are members of the cgs (and there are a lot of them) cant require you to accept/decline an offer that includes financial support before april 15. schools can admit after that date... but it doesnt make a whole lot of sense if support is involved, as most students will have already accepted binding offers.</p>
<hr>
<p>on interviews, at most schools it really is an issue of going through the motions. one final check that you can speak english, have some real knowledge of your intended field of study, are a good enough match for the department in terms of personality... et cetera.</p>
<p>depends on how competitive the program is. last year i was waitlisted after an interview at a school that had over 750 applicants, interviewed 40, and accepted 8.</p>
<p>
[quote]
the april 15 date is for the acceptance of financial support. in short, schools that are members of the cgs (and there are a lot of them) cant require you to accept/decline an offer that includes financial support before april 15. schools can admit after that date... but it doesnt make a whole lot of sense if support is involved, as most students will have already accepted binding offers.
[/quote]
Ack, I always get that mixed up. I should have looked it up when I wrote it this afternoon. Sorry about that.</p>
<p>To the OP: It's possible that this particular program does in fact admit a large percentage of people who get interview invitations. (I interviewed last year at a program that told us it accepted 90% of those who interview. The graduate director told us on that weekend that "basically all" of us would be eventually accepted. Seems kind of harsh to me, since 90% and 100% are not the same.)</p>
<p>Even if a student has very strong credentials, schools will usually make him/her go through the same interview process as everyone else, with approximately the same degree of uncertainty. After all, they don't want to make any promises if you turn out to be a kitten-eating axe murderer. ;)</p>