How to Appeal a Rejection

It’s a bummer to get rejected from a college you were excited to attend, but it happens to even the best candidates. Really. So don’t be too hard on yourself.

You might consider appealing the rejection. Appeals are rarely successful, but if you feel strongly that a school should give you a second look, here are the steps to take.

• Contact the school’s Admissions Office. You, the student, should be the one to place this call. Do not have parents, teachers, or advisors call on your behalf. The school will want to hear from you personally. Your initiative demonstrates your continued interest in the school.
• Contact the school as soon as you receive the rejection notification, as some schools have deadlines for appeals as early as April 15th.
• When you call the Admissions Office, calmly and politely express your continued interest in the school without whining, complaining, or being overly emotional about the rejection.
• Verify that the school received all of your materials—make sure you weren’t rejected due to administrative errors or missing information! Say something like: “Was there anything missing in my folder? Did you receive all the information I sent?” Then list the materials you sent.
• Request detailed instructions for the school’s appeals process. Follow those instructions exactly. The process typically includes some paperwork and follow-up phone calls, a letter from you, up to three letters of support (e.g., from teachers), and any additional information that would help your cause.

Your appeal will have the best chance of success if you can bring compelling new information to light about why you should be accepted. In your appeal, describe…

• New achievements (perhaps you took the SAT again and earned a higher score, maybe you just won a major competition)
• Any personal hardships or extenuating circumstances of which the school was not previously aware
• Connections you have made with faculty; more concrete information about how that school’s programs and resources are a good fit for your academic strengths and goals.
  

Even if your repeal is unsuccessful, take the following good advice from The College Board’s website to heart: Consider the upside of a rejection letter. Sometimes it is easier to make a decision if your choices are narrowed down. If you had been accepted all of your wish-list schools, you would be facing a difficult decision. Secondly, if you were accepted to all of your schools, perhaps you would always wonder, “Should I have aimed higher?”

There are many schools out there that can meet your needs and make you happy. Though it might feel pretty crummy right now, a rejection is not the end of the world.