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How to Decline a College Acceptance Offer
By
Lisa Freedland
Lisa Freedland is a Scholarships360 writer with personal experience in psychological research and content writing. She has written content for an online fact-checking organization and has conducted research at the University of Southern California as well as the University of California, Irvine. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California in Fall 2021 with a degree in Psychology.
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Cece Gilmore is a Content Writer at Scholarships360. Cece earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University. While at ASU, she was the education editor as well as a published staff reporter at Downtown Devil. Cece was also the co-host of her own radio show on Blaze Radio ASU.
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Bill Jack has over a decade of experience in college admissions and financial aid. Since 2008, he has worked at Colby College, Wesleyan University, University of Maine at Farmington, and Bates College.
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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Getting into multiple colleges is great! However, narrowing down your decisions and choosing your future college can sometimes be difficult. Once you do that, though, the hard part is over! Now all you have to do is inform the rest of the colleges that you won’t be attending. So, how exactly do you decline a college acceptance offer? Keep on reading to learn how to decline a college acceptance offer, with tips and an example “I decline” email included!
Also see: Scholarships360’s free scholarship search tool
Confirm that you’ll be attending your chosen school
Before informing any colleges that you won’t be attending, make sure to first confirm that you’ll be attending your chosen school. You’ll want to know that you’ll be able to attend the college without any issues before you turn down other offers.
In order to “confirm” your attendance at a specific university, inform them that you accept their offer to attend. This process varies by school and is stated in the acceptance letter. Once you’ve done that, make sure to submit your deposit before the deadline. And that’s it! You’re now a future college student. As long as you don’t let your grades drop too much your senior year, you’re off to college.
@scholarships360 Check out our sample “”rejection”” email here 👇 https://scholarships360.org/college-admissions/how-to-decline-a-college-acceptance/ #scholarships360 #scholarships #college #collegedecision #collegeadvice #howto
♬ original sound – scholarships360
Email the colleges that you chose not to attend
Typically, students will inform colleges of their decision not to accept by way of email. When it comes to writing these, we have a few tips:
- Be courteous and grateful (they accepted you, after all!)
- Let them know as soon as you make your decision not to attend
- Be polite (don’t burn any bridges – you may want to attend the school at some point later on)
Now, we know what you may be thinking: “Do I really have to tell colleges that I’m not going?”. While you don’t necessarily have to, it’s good practice (and it helps other students too!). Letting the school know earlier on may mean that other students can get off the waitlist and into the school.
In addition to writing colleges a “rejection” email of sorts, you should also make sure you officially reject their offers. This means making sure that you’ve followed their instructions on how to reject an offer, whether this means just sending an email or filling out a form online. If you’re not sure where to check such guidelines, they are likely available on the university website or can be accessed by emailing the university’s admissions faculty.
Further reading : What happens if you are accepted early decision and change your mind?
Sample “rejection” email
Now’s your chance to write one of those college rejection letters (but you’re the sender this time)! So, how exactly should you do it? Just like how colleges inform rejected students of their application status in a respectful and encouraging manner, you should do the same. Remember to be courteous, thank them for their acceptance offer, and kindly explain that you have chosen to attend another university. You may or may not choose to share the name of the school you chose–that’s up to you. Here’s an example:
“Dear Ms./Mr. _______,
I am writing today to thank you for the generous acceptance and scholarship offers from *name of college* for the class of *year you will graduate college*. After long and serious consideration of my offers, I have decided to attend *name of chosen college* instead. I wanted to let you know as soon as I made my decision, and greatly appreciate your time and consideration.
Thank you for your assistance in my college search.
Sincerely,
*Your Name*
And that’s it! Pretty simple, right? Once you’re done, send your emails off, and you should be good to go.
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What if a college calls you?
Although it’s unlikely, colleges sometimes choose to call students who declined their acceptance offer, asking what prompted them to make that decision. Although you’re not obligated to give out this information, it typically helps such universities improve and refine their recruitment process. If you do choose to tell them why, you can generally give a more general response, simply mentioning reasons like financial aid or location. Or, if you visited campus and had an unpleasant experience there, you could let them know that as well.
Related: Top 10 books to read before college
Get ready for college!
Now you know how to decline a college acceptance! After confirming that you’ll attend your chosen university and declining the rest of your admission offers, you’re done (for the most part) and ready to attend college! However, there are a few other steps you should take before you arrive on campus. Here they are:
- Turn in deposits
- Apply for financial aid (if you haven’t yet)
- Submit a housing application/Find housing
- Schedule an orientation date
- Schedule a meeting with an advisor to discuss classes and credits
- Register for classes on time!
Last, but not least, remember to enjoy college! We hope you have a great time, learn a lot, and make amazing friends.
Also read: First year of college: How to prepare
Key Takeaways
See also: Everything you need to know about early decision vs early action
Frequently asked questions about how to decline a college acceptance offer
Can you reject a college after accepting?
Is accepting an offer of admission binding?
How do I reject a college acceptance because they didn't give me enough aid?
