3 easy steps to rejecting college acceptance offer
By this time of the year, high school seniors are almost at the end of the college admissions process and the college talk is mostly where people were accepted.
If you are one of the lucky ones with more than one acceptance letter, you must only accept at one school and notify the other school(s) of your decision not to go there.
In doing so, you let the college know as quickly as possible of your decision in order them to determine the next steps and review their waitlist. This can be a great boon to those who are hoping for a spot to open after being waitlisted.
Rejecting a college acceptance letter is pretty straightforward by following these 3 key steps:
1. Check the guidelines for rejecting an offer by the school
Schools might have specific steps for your to follow including writing a letter, sending a postcard, or going on the website to fill out the response form. There is no need to call the school as you want to document your decision in writing.
2. Be gracious but brief
You only need to provide a brief response of your decision thanking the school and letting them know that you have decided not to accept their offer. You are not obligated to tell them where you are going and why unless you want to. Remember, that you might be applying to the same school later for a transfer or graduate studies so it is best if you leave the door open for such an event in the future.
3. Fill out any surveys and follow-up inquiries
In some schools and with the advent of electronic forms, schools might ask you to fill out a survey or answer some questions regarding the admissions process. It is your decision if you want to complete such forms, but you can provide valuable data and insights to the schools when you do so. Again, it is a good idea to be polite and positive in your approach to any feedback you provide. If there were any parts of the admissions process or people you particularly appreciated, this is a good place to say something positive.
For useful suggestions on making the college acceptance decision, see NextStepU’s article:
6 Helpful Suggestions for Making Your College Acceptance Reply Decision
By NextStepU – Amy P., college freelance writer
