Ivy Day 2026: Dates, Decisions, and What Happens Next

Ivy Day 2026

For Ivy League applicants, there’s one day a year that stands out from the rest: Ivy Day. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of hopeful applicants await their admissions decisions from eight prestigious — and selective — universities. As March rolls around, plenty of online forums fill up with posts asking “when do Ivy decisions come out?” and “when is Ivy Day?” 

If you’re waiting on Ivy League results, you’re probably wondering: when is Ivy Day this year? Keep reading for answers to all of your Ivy Day questions, including:

• What is Ivy Day and why does it matter?
• When is Ivy Day 2026?
• What to expect on Ivy Day, and more!

With Ivy League acceptance rates holding steady in the single digits, Ivy Day can be a nerve wracking experience. Last year, the eight Ivy League schools received a combined total of more than 416,000 applications. So, whether you applied to all eight Ivies or just one, it’s important to prepare for any outcome.

What is Ivy Day?

In general, schools release college decisions on their own timelines. In other words, there’s no universal college decision day in the US. However, the Ivy League does things a little differently.

So, what is Ivy Day? Basically, it’s the day all eight Ivy League schools notify their Regular Decision applicants of their admissions decisions. These eight schools include:

• Dartmouth College
• Cornell University
• Brown University
• Columbia University
• Princeton University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Harvard University
• Yale University

On Ivy Day, you’ll receive your official admissions decision from each school you applied to. So, if you applied to three of the eight Ivies, expect to receive three college decisions on Ivy Day. If you applied for financial aid, you might also receive your financial aid letter along with your admissions letter. However, many official aid packages will arrive after Ivy Day, usually within a couple of weeks.

While Ivy Day is only for Ivy League schools, plenty of other top colleges and universities release their college decisions around the same time. For instance, Ivy Day for the Class of 2029 was March 27. The Stanford decision date came the next day, March 28, and the Duke decision date was March 31. MIT’s decision date, however, was earlier — March 14, nearly two weeks before Ivy Day. The bottom line? If you’re applying to top schools, you’ll usually hear back from almost all of them by late March or early April.

When is Ivy Day 2026?

Officially, the Ivy Leagues have only hinted at when decisions are going to come out for the Class of 2030. On their website, you’ll see Princeton has their decision notifications going out in late March, while Harvard says students will receive their decisions by the end of March. So, when is Ivy Day 2026?

For the last five years, Ivy Day has historically fallen on the last Thursday of March:

Wondering why 2021 doesn’t fit the pattern? Well, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many selective colleges across the country — including the Ivy League — saw a huge increase in applications. As a result, the Ivies decided to push Ivy Day back by about a week and a half.

This break from the pattern is a good reminder that the answer to “when is Ivy Day?” changes every year. You never know what circumstances might affect Ivy Day. However, if you’re ready to mark your calendar, go ahead and circle Thursday, March 26 as Ivy Day 2026.

What time do Ivy decisions come out?

So, we’ve talked about when to expect Ivy Day this year. But what time do Ivy decisions actually come out on Ivy Day?

Typically, Ivy League admissions decisions are released around 7pm Eastern time. However, as with the actual date of Ivy Day, the exact time they release decisions varies too. 

In general, you can expect the release of your Ivy League college decisions between 5pm – 7pm Eastern time. If you live on the west coast, that means you’ll receive admissions decisions some time in the afternoon. For international students, your decisions may come in the middle of the night or even the next day!

Do all eight Ivies release their decisions at the same time?

Theoretically — yes! Whether it’s closer to 5pm or 7pm, all the Ivies try to coordinate the timing of their notifications. However, in practice, it’s not a perfect science. Each school has their own portal and must notify students of their decisions individually. So, if you applied to multiple Ivy League schools, it’s possible you might receive one admission decision slightly ahead of another. 

However, that doesn’t mean you’ll be waiting all night for your last decision. In reality, you should receive all of your college decisions within a few minutes of each other.

So, we now know the answer to “When is Ivy Day 2026?” Now, let’s turn our attention to the day itself.

What to Expect on Ivy Day

On Ivy Day, you’ll receive an email from every Ivy League school you applied to. However, this usually isn’t the email — it’s how schools notify you that your admissions status has been updated in your portal.

Once you log in, you’ll be able to view your admissions decision. Each portal is different. For example, in Harvard’s applicant portal, you’ll see a “Status Update” alert. Clicking this will take you to your decision letter.

On Ivy Day, you’ll receive one of three possible outcomes:

So, how likely are you to gain admissions? If we take all of the Ivy League acceptance rates, the average acceptance rate comes out to 5%. This incredibly low acceptance rate means that schools have to turn away the majority of applicants. On the flip side, thousands of applicants get to celebrate their acceptances on Ivy Day each year.

It’s impossible to predict the outcome of your Ivy League admissions decisions ahead of time. So, we recommend preparing for all possible outcomes.

How to Prepare for Ivy Day

For students who submitted their applications over winter break, the months until Ivy Day might feel like forever. Afterall, what is Ivy Day if not the culmination of your hard work? However, in preparation for Ivy Day, it’s important to:

Preparing for Ivy Day

Stay present.

Instead of making “When is Ivy Day?” your whole personality, focus on what’s right in front of you. There’s nothing you can do to speed up Ivy Day or make it come any faster, so don’t worry about what’s going to happen down the road. Instead, continue enjoying senior year and making the most of your last semester of high school! 

Be realistic.

Ivy League acceptance rates means getting into an Ivy is statistically unlikely. So, try to go into Ivy Day with realistic expectations. While you certainly shouldn’t expect the worst, being open to any outcome can help you feel more calm and prepared.

Limit comparison.

Of course, it’s natural for you and your friends to talk about which colleges you’ve gotten into. Afterall, what is Ivy Day if not the culmination and celebration of your hard work? However, on Ivy Day, try to keep your focus on yourself. Even if you get good news, your friends and classmates might not, so don’t pressure anyone to tell you about their results.

Get ready.

Before Ivy Day, try to log into your application portals. That way, you can be sure you have your login information handy on the actual day.

As we mentioned, on Ivy Day, you’ll either be admitted, waitlisted, or not admitted. So, let’s talk about what each of those possibilities look like.

What To Do on Ivy Day if You Are Admitted

For starters, congratulations! If you received an acceptance letter on Ivy Day, you’re probably feeling ecstatic, relieved, and a ton of other emotions, so take the day to enjoy the high! Earning an acceptance letter from an Ivy League school is no small feat — and if it’s your dream school, the experience is that much sweeter.

Of course, it’s important to be conscious of your peers who are going through their own rollercoaster of emotions. But, before the day is over, set aside some time with your friends or family to celebrate your accomplishment. All of your hard work and determination paid off, and it’s worth taking the time to recognize that before you start thinking about what comes next.

Evaluating financial aid

Once the dust settles, you can start thinking about next steps. Students who applied for financial aid should expect to receive a formal financial aid package, either on Ivy Day or shortly after. This will tell you what scholarships and grants you’ve been awarded, as well as what loans and work-study you qualify for. 

Evaluating and comparing financial aid packages is crucial to making your final decision. So, if you don’t receive your package within a couple of weeks, be sure to follow up with the school. Additionally, if you feel like you haven’t received enough aid, you might consider writing a financial aid appeal letter. This type of letter allows you to explain any new circumstances or concerns about your financial aid.

For more tips on how to approach a financial aid appeal letter, take a look at our guide.

Responding to your acceptance

When you’re accepted, the school will hold your spot in their upcoming class until College Decision Day on May 1. This is your enrollment deadline — essentially, you have until then to decide whether you want to accept or decline the school’s offer of admission. If you decide to accept, you’ll need to confirm your enrollment in your student portal. This may include paying an enrollment deposit, though not all Ivy League schools require one.

If you decide not to enroll, we recommend letting each school know as soon as you’ve decided. As you weigh your options, remember that other students on the waitlist may be hoping for a spot to open up. If you decide an Ivy isn’t the right fit, let the school know so they can offer your spot to someone else.

Finishing senior year

Your Ivy League acceptance, like most other college acceptances, is conditional on you keeping your grades up and passing your senior year classes. So, in the meantime, stay engaged at school and continue working toward your diploma. You’ve done the hard part, now it’s time to cross the finish line!

What To Do on Ivy Day if You Are Waitlisted

While the other two potential outcomes of Ivy Day are definitive, being waitlisted is more of a question. It basically puts you in limbo — if a spot opens up, you could get off the waitlist at any time. However, if you don’t get off the waitlist, you’ll need to make a plan to commit to one of the schools that admitted you.

Being put on the waitlist can be at best, confusing, and at worst, disappointing. But there’s still something to celebrate here! When a college puts you on their waitlist, it means you submitted an impressive application. So, although being waitlisted might not be the outcome you wanted, you should still feel confident knowing you submitted a strong application.

If you want to stay on the waitlist, you’ll first need to log into your applicant portal and accept your spot. Only students who confirm their spot on the waitlist will gain admissions if a spot opens up. Next, we recommend writing a letter of continued interest.

Writing a letter of continued interest

When a college waitlists you, it’s not a symbolic gesture — your application is still actively being considered. However, the “waitlist” isn’t a publicized list, and schools don’t often share whether students are at the “top” or “bottom” of the waitlist. For these reasons, it’s almost impossible to know what your chances of getting off it are. But that doesn’t mean your hands are tied.

If you’re still genuinely interested in attending a school you’ve been waitlisted at, you can submit something called a letter of continued interest. A letter of continued interest basically tells admissions you still want to attend and that you would choose to enroll if accepted. Each school will have their own instructions for what to submit and how to submit it. For instance, at Cornell, you’ll log into your portal, select ‘Upload Materials,’ and submit your letter of continued interest under the ‘Waitlist Correspondence’ category.

Not sure how to write a letter of continued interest? Check out this guide.

Evaluating your other options

Just like Ivy League admissions are hard to predict, so are your chances of getting off the waitlist. So, in the meantime, it’s important to consider your other college options. Treat your position on the waitlist as a wild card, not your first choice. That way, you are ready no matter what happens.

When exploring your other options, think back to what first drew you to each school. Visit campus if it’s nearby, or reach out to current students to hear about their experiences. Even if you’ve already done your research, viewing everything through the lens of an acceptance can make each interaction feel even more exciting.

Remember, you don’t have to make any decisions until the May 1 enrollment deadline. So, take some time to weigh your options. If a spot opens up on the waitlist before May, you can reconsider your priorities and whether that school is still your top choice. However, if you haven’t heard anything by the end of April, we recommend committing to another school by the May 1 deadline.

What To Do on Ivy Day if You Are Not Admitted

If you didn’t get the outcome you were hoping for, your Ivy Day may feel disappointing — and that’s okay. Feeling sad, even heartbroken, about the outcome is completely natural, and it’s worth taking the day to process how you feel. You get to decide who you do and don’t talk to about your feelings. But, no matter what, it’s important to remember that you are not alone!

It may seem like you’ve been singled out, that the spotlight of “rejection” shines solely on you, but students all over the world are grappling with similarly tough outcomes, and, like you, are trying to see the best in what lies ahead. So, once you’ve given yourself time to feel all the feelings, refocus your energy on what’s still to come.

Look to the future

Ask any college admissions expert, and they will have endless stories to share about how, in hindsight, students are relieved, happy, and satisfied with where they land, despite the initial sting and sadness of those denials.

One of the strongest indicators of future success is not the name of the college you have attended. Rather, it is your ability to thrive at the school and take advantage of the academics, activities, community, and alumni network your college provides. 

You have a choice to make; either focus your positive energies on the choices you do have and commit yourself to optimism or determine your self-worth by something that is not an accurate reflection of your potential and your worth.

Start making plans

Remember, you still have a decision to make — look at the colleges you received offers from with fresh eyes and an open heart. If colleges are open to visitors, try to get to the physical campuses to get a sense of whether the school resonates with you. If you can’t get to campus, do a virtual visit.

Attend admitted student events and allow yourself to get excited. While a certain school might, at one point, have felt like a good back up option, it could in fact be the perfect school for you — one that will support and challenge your intellectual development and your curiosity, allow you to meet interesting people from all over the world, and help shape you into a person you are excited to become.

Practice gratitude

While this may sound silly, and hard to come by given your sadness about your college decisions, gratitude is one of the most basic ways in which we can transform our thinking. Focus on the positive aspects of your circumstances, and let some of that excitement build.

It’s important to feel the loss of the dream or the pain of the denial, but it’s equally important to experience those feelings in the context of reflection and gratitude. College admissions can often feel like a race, one with a world-class group of competitors, and one that highlights the stark difference between “winners” and “losers.”

College admissions, however, is a journey, an adventure, and every single person has their own path, one filled with amazing opportunities and experiences. Your story, your journey, is just beginning. Make it your own. Guide yourself by hope, pride, and excitement, and have confidence in your ability to thrive. Pack what you need — intellectual curiosity, an open mind, enthusiasm, generosity, and excitement — and walk out the door.

Ivy Day – Final Thoughts

Now that we’ve gone through the ins and outs of Ivy Day, here’s a recap of what we covered:

For anyone worried about what Ivy Day might bring, just remember: one day doesn’t define your worth, talent, or future. No matter the outcome on Ivy Day, chances are you’ve got plenty of great college options to choose from. And, once you have all your decisions in hand, you can start weighing your options and figuring out which campus is the best fit for you.

Ivy League acceptance rates are some of the toughest to beat. So, whether you’re celebrating, disappointed, or stuck somewhere in between, give yourself some grace. Applying to college is no small feat, but one day it’s going to be far from your greatest accomplishment.

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