<p>It depends on whether the deadline means the date submitted to the feds or the date received by the school. The school at which my D auditioned this weekend said the March 1 deadline is when they need to receive it from the feds so we need to file it at least 2 weeks - and maybe more - before that. Many recommend submitting it by Feb 1 in order to make sure they get it by March 1. Other schools use the March 1 deadline as the date you submit it to the government.</p>