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How to Decline a College Acceptance Offer
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.
See also: How to choose a college
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.
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.
See also: Everything you need to know about early decision vs early action
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
Frequently asked questions about how to decline a college acceptance offer
Further reading : What happens if you are accepted early decision and change your mind?
