SLP and AuD April 15 Deadline: Offers and Waitlists

SLP and AuD April 15 Deadline: Offers and Waitlists

For a fall 2027 speech-language pathology or audiology program, the April 15 rule that covers your offer of admission is CAPCSD's: it expects member programs to give applicants "at least until April 15th" to decide, "with or without offers of financial aid". The CGS April 15 Resolution covers funded offers only.

That difference matters the day a program asks you to commit in March. Applicants who cite the CGS resolution are citing a text that says, in its own words, it does not apply to "offers of admission". The rule written for your offer is the CAPCSD resolution, and it is the one to name when you ask for time. (The graduate April 15 funding guide covers how the CGS rule works for funded PhD and master's offers.)

Every CGS, CAPCSD, CSDCAS and program page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. The newest CAPCSD reminder letter we found is dated February 2023; we found no later one.

Two April 15 rules, two scopes

CGS, verbatim (April 15 Resolution):

"This Resolution applies to offers of full tuition support, fellowships, traineeships, and assistantships only, not offers of admission."

CGS also says: "Institutions that signed on prior to April 10, 2026 must re-sign." A school that signed before then and has not re-signed is not bound for Fall 2027 offers.

CAPCSD, verbatim (February 2023 letter and appendix):

"BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders expects member programs to allow applicants to entry-level graduate clinical programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders at least until April 15th to make final decisions regarding acceptance of offers of admission for the following academic year, with or without offers of financial aid, for programs that begin in the fall semester."

The president's letter adds: "CAPCSD members must comply with the resolutions that support students having the opportunity to thoroughly consider their admissions and financial aid offers." It also names the limits: "there are a few CAPCSD member institutions who are not members of the Council of Graduate Schools" and "there are a few programs that do not have a fall semester start." The letter names audiology and speech-language pathology as the professions its member programs prepare students for.

One program states the link outright. The University of New Mexico's SLP page: "CAPCSD has set a national April 15th deadline for student acceptance of admission and financial aid offers, and all CAPCSD members are expected to adhere to this deadline. Any student asked to respond to an offer of admission or financial aid before April 15th is encouraged to remind the program of this deadline and request an extension until April 15th." (UNM Speech and Hearing Sciences)

What six SLP and AuD programs say

Still interviewing? The AuD program interview questions guide covers Kentucky, JMU and UConn formats.

Notes on the rows. Western Washington's timeline sits under a heading that still reads "2023-2024 Graduate School Application Status". Ithaca's page states no year. UNM's refund line reads, in full: "The $500 fee is refundable once a student has accepted admission into the program. It will not be refunded if a student accepts, then rescinds their admission." South Alabama says its fee "is non-refundable in the event that you change your mind later and decline our offer of admission."

Our count from the table: 5 of 6 pages name April 15; 3 state a deposit amount; 2 say outright that the waitlist is unranked or its rankings are not released.

If a program asks you to commit before April 15

Our view: ask for an extension to April 15 once, in writing, and name CAPCSD Resolution 2013-1, not the CGS resolution. Basis: the CAPCSD text is the one that covers offers of admission, and UNM's page advises exactly this step. A request that cites the wrong rule invites the reply that the rule does not apply.

The countercase: if the program starts in summer or spring, or is not a CAPCSD member, the resolution does not reach it. Ask for time anyway, but ask as a request, not a reminder of an obligation.

Keep the tone inside the CSDCAS Professional Code of Conduct, which asks applicants to "Communicate in a professional manner throughout the admissions process" and says "It is inappropriate to imply in word, gesture, or deed that an application has been poorly managed or the applicant mistreated by a staff member without tangible evidence." Violations are decided by "The CSDCAS Advisory Committee, a committee of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD)".

Constructed example: an extension request

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): Lavanya Kim was admitted to a fall SLP program on March 6 and asked to accept by March 20. She is waiting on two other programs.

Subject: Request to extend my acceptance deadline to April 15, Lavanya Kim

Dear Dr. Thorsby,

Thank you for my offer of admission to the MS in Speech-Language Pathology, starting fall 2027. I am very interested in your program, especially the bilingual clinic.

My offer letter asks for a decision by March 20. I am still waiting on decisions from two programs, and I would like to make a final choice with all of my offers in front of me. CAPCSD Resolution 2013-1 asks member programs to allow applicants until April 15 for fall-start programs. Could my deadline be extended to April 15, 2027?

I will reply as soon as I have decided, and before April 15 if I can.

Sincerely, Lavanya Kim CSDCAS ID 0000000

It names the resolution once, gives one reason, asks a yes-or-no question, and promises a prompt answer. It does not accuse the program of breaking a rule.

Waitlist emails after April 15

Waitlists move once admitted applicants decide. Western Washington offers seats to waitlisted applicants from "April 16 - May"; Pacific keeps its waitlist open "until the first day of classes." Both say they do not share rank, so do not ask for it.

Our view: send one short email in the week after April 15, saying you would accept a seat, and nothing more unless you have news or the program asks. Basis: Western Washington starts waitlist offers on April 16 and fills the cohort from an unranked list, so a fresh statement that you would accept is the one new fact a program like it can use.

Constructed example: a waitlist email

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): Musa Hill is on a waitlist and has no other offer he prefers.

Subject: Continued interest in the MS in Speech-Language Pathology, Musa Hill

Dear Admissions Committee,

I am on the waitlist for the fall 2027 MS in Speech-Language Pathology, and I would accept a seat if one becomes available. Since I applied, I have completed my 25 guided observation hours and started work as an aide in a school district speech program two days a week.

My contact details are unchanged, and I will answer any message the same day.

Sincerely, Musa Hill CSDCAS ID 0000000

Declining an SLP or AuD offer

Decline in writing the day you decide, so the seat reaches someone on the list. If you accepted a funded offer covered by the CGS resolution and withdraw after April 15, CGS says "the student must inform the program in writing that they are withdrawing from or declining the offer of financial support that they previously had accepted." A deposit paid at Hofstra or South Alabama stays with the program.

Constructed example: a decline email

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): Lavanya Kim, from the extension example, has accepted elsewhere.

Subject: Declining my offer of admission, MS in Speech-Language Pathology, Lavanya Kim

Dear Dr. Thorsby,

Thank you again for my offer of admission and for extending my deadline. I have accepted an offer at another program, and I am declining my place so it can go to another applicant.

Please let me know once my place has been released.

Sincerely, Lavanya Kim CSDCAS ID 0000000

Questions about the SLP April 15 deadline

Does the CGS April 15 Resolution apply to my SLP admission offer?

No. CGS says it "applies to offers of full tuition support, fellowships, traineeships, and assistantships only, not offers of admission." The CAPCSD resolution covers admission offers at member programs that start in the fall.

Can an SLP program require my deposit before April 15?

CAPCSD expects member programs with fall starts to allow you until April 15 to make final decisions. If a program asks earlier, ask in writing for an extension and cite Resolution 2013-1.

Are SLP waitlists ranked?

Pacific does not release rankings, and Western Washington says its waitlist "is not ranked". The other four pages in the table do not say.

When are CSDCAS deadlines for 2026-2027?

CSDCAS opened on July 15, 2026 and closes on July 1, 2027 at 11:59 PM ET, but CSDCAS adds that "the individual program's deadline may differ from the application's cycle dates." Use each program's own deadline.

Does the April 15 rule cover audiology?

The CAPCSD resolution covers entry-level graduate clinical programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and its letter names audiology alongside speech-language pathology.

Review the writing you send next

Your next document is one of the three emails above. If this cycle ends without the seat you want, the reapplication starts with your statements: get a free Quick Review of your SLP personal statement against GradPilot's SLP master's application statements rubric, which reads whether each answer addresses its question and connects your experience to readiness for graduate study. The SLP personal statement examples and the CSDCAS school prompts guide cover the drafts.

More SLP and audiology guides

• SLP grad school interview questions: what program interviews ask.
• Does April 15 apply to your grad offer?: the CGS rule for funded offers.
• Medical and health school essays: the SLP and AuD guides with the other health tracks.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• Council of Graduate Schools, April 15 Resolution (Fall 2027 re-signing): scope, withdrawal in writing.
• CAPCSD, National April 15th Deadline letter and appendix (February 2023; Resolution 2013-1): admission-offer rule, compliance, limits.
• University of New Mexico, Speech and Hearing Sciences acceptance requirements (no year stated): CAPCSD attribution, extension advice, deposit.
• Pacific University, MS SLP admissions (no year stated).
• Western Washington University, SLP application status (page heading 2023-2024).
• Ithaca College, SLP admission deadlines (no year stated).
• Hofstra University, MA SLP admission (no year stated).
• University of South Alabama, Speech and Hearing FAQ (no year stated): matriculation fee.
• Liaison, CSDCAS Professional Code of Conduct and CSDCAS Application Cycle Dates (2026-2027 cycle).