美国研究生申请分为提前申请和常规申请，对应的录取时间也有区别：
一、提前申请时间
提前申请在11月截止，结果一般会在12月和1月出来，提前申请可以提前享受到学校的录取待遇，但也意味着如果学生申请了某个学校的提前申请，就不能再接受其他学校的录取。提前申请的优势是录取标准要比常规申请低一些，尤其是名校，标准差别很明显，但是由于录取的排他性，很多学生并不愿意选择提前申请。
二、常规申请时间
常规申请的学生，截止日期一般在12月底1月初，最快拿到录取的时间是次年的2月，但大部分拿到录取集中在3月，还有一部分4月会发放。还有一些排名比较靠后的学校，本身申请截止日期就很晚，有的3、4月依然可以申请，这些学校拿到录取的时间会更晚，6月、7月都有可能，当然开学时间也会随着往后延迟。而滚动录取的学校，不存在申请截止日期和录取时间的说法，任何时间都可以申请和录取。
三、录取时间按专业有所区别
像MBA、MSF、MAcc，大多数学校分为几轮审理期，第一轮的申请截止日期一般在10月中旬，可能11月份到12月份就有录取结果了，比如说有学生在11月中旬的时候就顺利拿到了杜克大学管理硕士的录取，罗彻斯特大学金融数学硕士的录取，圣路易斯华盛顿大学会计硕士的录取等。当然，也有部分学校结果出来的比较晚，很典型的就是UT Austin的会计硕士，预计3月份中旬左右才有第一结果出来。
我们将以乔治亚大学为例，了解美国大学研究生院的录取流程
Hello Student
Now that Graduate Admissions has received your application for admission to the University of Georgia, we would like you to be familiar with the review process. Admission to the UGA Graduate School is a collaborative process with academic records and official test scores being reviewed first in the Graduate Admissions Office and then by the academic department and supplemental, departmental requirements reviewed only by faculty in the department.
1. An admissions counselor in Graduate Admissions will review your application for initial completeness and send you an email message that provides information on the status of your application. Depending upon the time of the year and how busy the admissions office, the initial review may take from 5 - 21 days from the date that you received our application confirmation message.
2. Your material in the Graduate School will be copied and sent to the academic department to which you applied. Please review your department's website for specific information on application requirements. (Important note: Letters of recommendation are generally not required for non-degree status. We will not email your recommenders to complete electronic letters. If your department requires letters for non-degree status, please contact the department directly to inquire about alternate means of submitting letters of recommendation to that department.)
3. The academic department has access to the online application information; so you may receive correspondence from them before Graduate Admissions has had an opportunity to set up and review your application. Do not worry if you hear from the department before you hear from Graduate Admissions!
4. Each department establishes its own timeline and procedures for making admissions recommendations. Once departments forward their recommendation to the Graduate Admissions Office, a final review is made. The admissions decision is made by the Graduate School and will be mailed to you in an official letter.
5. For those of you with international credentials, please check our new supplemental information for international applicants where we provide important tips and information about academic records needed from specific countries. This information should facilitate completion of your application.
http://www.uga.edu/gradschool/admissions/int_supplements.html
6. Finally, your application is valid for only the semester for which you are applying. If you need to change the expected semester of enrollment, please contact Graduate Admissions before the original expected semester begins!
Again, we appreciate your interest in graduate education at UGA. If you have questions related to departmental requirements, please contact the academic department.
