What Should I Do If I Get a College Rejection Letter?

Alongside offers of admission, an even larger number of “rejection letters” get sent out each year. Even some of the most accomplished students will get them because more often than not they simply reflect the arithmetic of supply and demand, not students’ achievements and dedication. That said, rejection letters can disappoint, and you still need to bounce back and decide what’s the best next step. But, you do have options! In this post, you’ll learn exactly what you can do if you get a college rejection letter, with tips for keeping your college dreams in focus and on track.

Intelligent and hard-working students across the globe experience this exact situation each year. Some of the brightest students in the world get rejected from their dream college.

If this scenario is you, don’t give up yet!

You still have options.

This post will help you reset your admissions strategy and offer you practical advice for what to do if you get a college rejection letter, and how to still get the best results possible as you continue your college journey.

What if I get rejected — what next?

Before anything else, it may be a good idea to take a deep breath, share your disappointment with a good friend (or even your pet dog or cat). It may also be soothing to keep in mind that many top schools are receiving record numbers of applications and experiencing acceptance rates at or near historic lows.

But, even as the disappointment recedes, it's likely many questions will follow...

What do I do now?

Is there still a chance I can still get into my dream college?

Can I reapply?

What do deferred and waitlisted mean?

Can I still get into my dream college if I get a rejection letter?

It depends on when you apply (early or regular round) and if you received an actual "rejection" letter, or if you were either deferred or waitlisted instead. Let’s take a look at each scenario.

- What does a rejection letter mean?

Rejection letters can come in the early decision or early action round, and in the regular admissions round.

Either way, however, getting a rejection letter means you can no longer apply to that school during the current admissions cycle. You almost always can reapply, however, for admission during a subsequent admissions cycle.

Of course, you can still apply to other schools. And, if you got your rejection letter after applying EA or ED, you'll often receive that notification early enough to apply to more schools during the regular decision cycle.

In fact, it's always good to anticipate getting rejection letters and apply to multiple safety, target and reach schools based on your application profile. This way you boost your odds for getting offers from at least a few schools you're excited about.

- Can I appeal a college rejection letter?

Some schools accept appeal letters, but they typically aren’t successful. If you can’t imagine yourself at any other school, you can write one and see what happens. But if you’re just upset, an appeal letter isn’t a great idea.

What if I don't get in anywhere?

If you get denied in the regular round and don’t have an offer from a different school, you still have a few good options:

Look at Schools With Rolling Admissions

Consider applying to a college that accepts applications with later deadlines, or year-round, with rolling admissions. You may easily find at least a few that offer surprising value and strong programs in disciplines you're pursuing.

Make Plans for a Fruitful Gap Year

Take a gap year and then reapply to a strategic list of safety, target, and reach schools during the next admissions cycle. To get the most of your gap year from an admissions standpoint, start planning early because what you achieve in the summer and fall are accomplishments you can use to boost your applications in the next admissions cycle (and those deadlines will come faster than you think!).

Apply Again as a Transfer Applicant

Attend a community college with a strong reputation for academic excellence or a similar school that offered rolling admissions. You'll start school just as you anticipated before getting rejected and you can achieve at a high level and position yourself to transfer to a great school as a junior. You may even discover favorable acceptance rates for transfer applicants at some great schools, and some community colleges offer pipelines into strong public universities in their region.

Weighing Your Options...

All of these strategies can be good ones, but they really are a fork in the road — not something you likely planned ahead for. This means you've got a short window of time to rethink your college admissions strategy. In which case, you should be connecting with your Crimson strategist for counseling input and guidance, as you weigh your options.

If you're not in the Crimson network yet and ready to be more confident about your strategy going forward, you can start by scheduling a free feedback session for some initial advice and to learn what's like to have an experienced admissions advisor on your side.

What if I'm deferred, or waitlisted?

- What does deferred mean?

When you apply under an early decision or early action plan, you'll get a letter from the college saying you’re accepted, denied, or deferred. If you get a deferral letter, that means they still want to consider you for acceptance in the regular decision round. You don’t have to reapply because the university holds on to your original application.

While all schools hold on to your application, some might ask you to write a letter confirming your interest. This is an excellent opportunity to tell them why their school is perfect for you.

It’s also good to upload any new information that might enhance your application to the university portal. Your updates might include anything you accomplished after you submitted your application. Additional letters of recommendation, grades, or extracurricular updates will help your application stand out from the rest.

Although you’re probably disappointed you didn’t get an acceptance letter, a deferral letter isn’t a no, but it’s also not a yes. Don’t forget to focus on your backup plan. Submit college applications to schools in your safety, target, and reach categories!

- What does waitlisted mean?

Students who apply during the regular round might receive a letter telling them they’re waitlisted. This means they were not offered admission, but the college still likes them and might have an opening for them after admitted students commit to their final choice.

If you have your heart set on this school, let your school counselor and Crimson strategist know, accept a spot on the waitlist, and closely monitor communications from the college — they may encourage or require a letter of continued interest, updated grades, or other reporting. If you decide not to attend, you can always withdraw your application.

- What are the chances of getting in as a waitlisted student?

According to recent data from the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, colleges on average admit 20% of students off the waitlist. At the most selective institutions, that figure was 7%.

The truth is the waitlist acceptance rate can vary a lot from school to school, and year to year. This means that your chances at very selective schools can sometimes be very low, but it's also worth remembering that many applicants simply won't have the high level of credentials needed to get waitlisted, so your chances may be better than you think.

Another factor is that yield rates can vary any given year, at any school — and therefore, so can your chances for getting off a waitlist and getting accepted.

Let's imagine that lots of students decide to turn down offers from Harvard during a given admissions cycle — lowering the school's yield rate that year. Harvard will naturally accept more students from their waitlist to make up the difference. Likewise, if the yield rate goes up, then Harvard will accept less students from its waitlist that year.

These variations from year to year and school to school means it's difficult to give a general estimate of your chances of getting accepted once you've been waitlisted.

But, your Crimson strategist may be able to give you better insights based on your circumstances, so be sure to get their input!

While Crimson can’t guarantee admission to every college you apply for, we can help you build a robust application, so you have the highest possible chance of getting into your dream school.

Have a backup plan.

Everyone wants to get into their top school. The reality is that there are limited spots at each college, and the more competitive the college, the harder it is to get in. Even top scholars don’t always get into their top choice.

That’s why you need a backup plan.

- How do I create a college backup plan?

To ensure you get into one of your top choices for college, start by making a balanced list of reach, target, and safety schools.

Reach (Choose 2-3 schools)

Your reach school is probably your dream school. It’s the one you’ve always pictured yourself attending. Your chances of getting into these highly selective schools can be extremely low — statistically speaking, for almost everyone. Ivy League schools fall into this category. Obviously, if your test scores, grades, extracurriculars, and so forth are all really stellar, your chances of getting in are higher. If not, it doesn't mean you shouldn’t apply: it doesn’t hurt to try — just be sure to also apply to some target and safety schools, so you have a backup plan!

Target (Choose 2-3 schools)

A target school is one where your grades and qualifications fall into the accepted range of the school’s most recently admitted class. Even if you can’t guarantee admission, you know you have at least a 40-60% chance of getting accepted.

Safety Schools (Choose 2-3 schools)

Safety schools (backup schools) are the ones you’re pretty confident you can get into. Your grades, test scores, and class ranking are much higher than the school’s average for admitted students. Even though these schools might be your “last resort” schools, it doesn’t mean they’re terrible schools. Choose safety schools with features you can be excited about and with programs that align well with your academic interests — schools you can picture yourself attending.

One Simple Tip That Will Increase Your Chances of Getting into Your Dream College

Submit a complete, thoughtful, and thorough application

As simple as this sounds, a college application includes many parts, and it’s easy to overlook a section or think it’s not that important.

Don’t underestimate the value of any part of the college application. Each piece of your application is designed to reveal an important aspect of you! It’s your opportunity to tell your story, explain your breadth and depth of knowledge, and tell them why you’re the perfect fit for their school. It's easier said than done, of course, but a skilled college admissions professional really can help — increasing your chances of gaining admission to the schools you like most, revealing opportunities you've overlooked, and helping you manage the process, with less guesswork and less stress!

Final Thoughts

Many students get rejected from college. This is especially true for students who apply to highly selective colleges. While no one enjoys receiving these letters, you can learn a lot through this process. You’ll learn how to handle rejection and how to move on. A rejection letter also gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate and maybe even realize your Plan B was even more rewarding than the original plan.

A strong college application will reduce your chances of rejection. Our college admission experts can help you build your application and achieve your academic goals. Reach out today to schedule your free feedback session and see what it's like to have a Crimson advisor on your team!