Can Colleges Really Rescind an Offer of Admission?
By Patrick Zylka
Managing Director, College Solutions
As a college counselor, this is a question we get a lot: can a college really rescind an offer of admission after sending an acceptance letter?
The short answer?
Yes.
It is not common for colleges to rescind an offer of admission, but it can happen. Certain circumstances, all of which are avoidable, would lead to a college contacting an admitted applicant to inform him or her that the offer of admission is no longer valid.
When applicants apply, they agree that all information they have included in the application is accurate and that they have not purposefully misled or lied to a college. If a college were to find out that an applicant knowingly included false information, this would be grounds to cancel a previous offer of admission. Similarly, violating an early decision agreement by applying to more than one college under a binding agreement would cause colleges to withdraw an offer of admission. All students should be mindful of enrollment and deposit deadlines as well. An offer of admission can also be revoked if a student does not commit by the college’s deadline, typically May 1.
After a busy application season and a challenging first half of senior year, “senioritis” can set in. However, admitted applicants should read their offers of admission very carefully. Most will include a statement that the offer of admission is contingent upon maintaining the same level of academic performance demonstrated through the application process. A slight slip in a grade or two doesn’t necessarily cause panic, but a sharp downward grade trend could lead a college to withdraw an offer.
Colleges take academic integrity very seriously. Once an offer of admission is made, many colleges apply the academic integrity standards for their current students to their admitted applicants as well. Cheating on an assignment or test, plagiarism, and other academic integrity violations could be grounds for revoking an offer of admission. Though it may seem unlikely a college would find out about something like this, it is not out of the question for a high school to communicate this information to colleges that have offered a student admission.
Similarly, social integrity is a serious matter. Being arrested for anything, even “just a silly high school prank,” could lead to an offer of admission being rescinded. It also bears repeating that what happens on social media is visible to the entire world. Offensive and inappropriate content or cyberbullying can cause a college to rescind an offer of admission.
So, what should you do if one of these concerns does happen? It is important to proactively contact colleges by writing a letter or emailing your regional admission representative(s) or the general undergraduate admission office. Succinctly explain what happened. Simply state the facts and do not make excuses. Do not blame others. For example, do not try to pin a lower grade on a teacher or an academic integrity offense on another student. Take responsibility for your actions and include what you have learned from the situation. Taking this proactive approach does not guarantee that your offer of admission will still be available to you. Still, it is much more likely that the college will understand if it does not appear that you were trying to hide the information.
The bottom line is that though these situations are rare, students must maintain high academic and social standards after admission decisions have been received and even after they have committed to college. Considering all the hard work put into high school, extracurriculars, and applications, even a minor slip up is not worth the risk.
About Patrick
Patrick Zylka is a Managing Director at College Solutions and has spent 15 years working in college admissions, most recently at Northwestern University. During this time, he read over 10,000 applications and gave presentations to prospective college applicants throughout the United States, China, Indonesia, and Singapore. Patrick works with students interested in pursuing all majors in college, especially those interested in admission to highly selective schools. Patrick earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his master’s degree from the University of Michigan. When not helping students and families navigate the college admissions process, you can find him training for marathons and ultramarathons. If you’re interested in learning more about what it would be like to work with Patrick as a college counselor, sign up for a free consultation.