I'm applying to a school that has an application deadline on Dec. 1, 2010. Admissions claims that they send out acceptance notifications about a month after all application materials are received. However, this is not my top choice school. My top choice school has a deadline on Jan.15, 2011, and sends out notifications on April 1, 2011. My question is how long do schools wait for a response? Will the school with the earlier deadline be willing to wait until April for me to respond to it?
Unfortunately, there's no clear answer to your question. Has the school that releases decisions earlier posted a deadline for you to accept an offer of admission? (If they release decisions around Jan 1, then they should give you a few weeks or maybe a month to let them know?)
Whether or not the school will extend the deadline completely depends on the school - some schools may provide a short extension. But, from my experience, I think it's rare for a school to give you three additional months to make a decision. If you'd rather wait for your top choice school, then maybe you should apply in a later round where you can consider your offers together and make a decision?
But, the best answer to your question about extensions would have to come from the admissions office.
Good luck!
Julie