Application Information (2023)

FAQs

What if I accidentally put the wrong information on my college application? ›

If you realize you've made a mistake, don't panic. College admissions officers aren't going to nitpick over a minor error, but several errors may show you in a bad light. If you have significant errors or omissions, reach out to the admissions office of the college you applied to.

Whether the request for additional information comes from a college's admissions or financial aid office, don't panic. Just send along the requested information as quickly as possible. And if you have any questions, contact the college's admissions or financial aid office for clarification.

Submitting an application early offers students the advantage of confirming that materials have been received by the deadline. Most deadlines are “received by” dates, not “post-marked” dates. One caveat: some schools offer a Rolling deadline type, meaning that applications are reviewed as they are completed.

Application Statuses

To help you keep track of your application and all materials, click Check Status at the top of the application dashboard.

No. A single, minor typo will do nothing. So don't sweat one minor spelling mistake, a missed comma, or a couple of transposed letters.

If you need to change information on a submitted application, you must contact the college's admissions office directly to ask how they would like you to proceed.

For the most part, the answer to this question is: no. College admissions officers don't have secret meetings to gossip about which of the incoming freshmen applied to their schools.

So, no, they are not lingering over your additional information section with a glass of wine. But they do read it as carefully as they do the rest of your application. As a college admissions officer, who was your least prepared applicant?

Yes, colleges can look at the public version of your social media accounts, but they don't have some sort of secret, government-like power to access your private information. It's much more likely that your social media behavior would only be brought to their attention if it causes a stir.

It's not unusual for a college's application process to take four to six weeks. Colleges that have an application portal allow students to go online to check the status of their applications at any time. Also, many colleges post both acceptances and nonacceptances on the application portal at the same time.

What not to write in a college application? ›

The average turnaround time for an admissions decision for schools with rolling admissions is four to six weeks, though in some cases students might have to wait longer. For regular decision candidates, the wait is more like eight to 12 weeks. Students handle that waiting period differently, experts say.

These days, most college acceptance letters will arrive as either an email or application status update on a college's own application portal. Afterward, you'll usually receive a hard copy of your acceptance letter in the mail and further updates via email or mail.

Colleges send out emails to applicants, but they usually don't contain an acceptance or nonacceptance letter. Instead, the email you receive is likely going to direct you to the college's online application portal. Today, most colleges have an online portal where students can check the status of their applications.

The early 'sign' would be a letter to you that you have been accepted, or wait-listed or rejected. In some rare cases, you may get a phone call from the college, because of a mishap with their computer or some process that will delay an announcement.

If they've already accepted people who fill out certain niches and you fill that same niche, you might get rejected because your app was read after someone else's. Other factors that can influence your admission include the state that you are from, the high school you attended, and/or your economic background.

While there is some anecdotal evidence that overqualified students get rejected, these students aren't usually turned down because of their better-than-average grades or test scores. Most likely, the overqualified student isn't the right fit for a school or they haven't shown enough interest to admission officers.

If you reapply too quickly after sending your first application, it may look like you applied twice on accident, which may give the opposite impression. If you time your reapplication right, your second application can function as a reminder of your interest to the hiring manager.

If you discover a major factual error after you apply, it's best to resubmit your application. Employers will keep your resume on file even if you are not hired, and they often go back through their records to find candidates for open roles.

Can I submit a college application twice? ›

The short answer is, yes! You can reapply to the vast majority of colleges; however, it's often not your best option. In this article, we walk you through what your choices are and how you can make the right one for you.

Of course they are read! Essays give admission officers real insight into the applicant. You might wonder how a huge school would manage reading thousands of essays, but you can trust that they hire extra staff, if necessary, to make sure the entire application gets a close look.

Offers of admission are based on each school's enrollment objectives. Making admissions decisions is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Large state schools may use a test score and GPA formula. Highly selective schools may have multiple reviewers with many voices weighing in on a decision.

While most students spend time trying to decide where to apply to college, they should also be considering how many applications to send out. Applying to too many schools can lead to a heavier workload, added stress, and tougher decisions.

Admissions officers look at “hard factors” (GPA, grades, and test scores) and “soft factors” (essays, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and demonstrated interest) to gain a full picture of applicants.

Many schools make sure most applications receive at least two full reads before going to committee. The second reader will add additional input and notes to the applicant's file. The second reader often agrees with the comments and recommendations of the first reader but sometimes they will disagree.

No, the Additional Information section is truly optional. In fact, adcoms (admissions committee members) look down on students who force unnecessary responses and include redundant information in this section.

According to the Kaplan study, almost ten percent of admissions officers claim to have revoked an incoming student's offer of admission due to what they discovered on social media.

College or university staff may have the right to enter your dorm to inspect the room, perform maintenance, etc. If the police have arrested you, they may be able to search the room without a warrant. Another exception is when officers reasonably believe that evidence of a crime is being destroyed in the room.

So, do colleges check your social media? Yes. In fact, what students post on social media can greatly affect not only acceptance odds, but they can get acceptances revoked if unsuitable and offensive material is found.

How to increase chances of getting into college after applying? ›

If you indicate that your parents or siblings attended college, you'll be asked to identify the schools. This is the information that colleges will use to identify your legacy status.

Regular decision: If you've applied to multiple schools and are unsure of which you want to attend, you probably submitted your application for regular decision, usually by February. In this case, you should expect to see letters come in through mid-March to early April.

What is an application red flag? Simply put, it's something on a college application that can make an admissions officer second guess how qualified an applicant is or if they're a good-fit for the school. A red flag can be as serious as a disciplinary infraction, or as simple as not following application directions.

Texas House Bill 588, commonly referred to as the "Top 10% Rule", is a Texas law passed in 1997. It was signed into law by then governor George W. Bush on May 20, 1997. The law guarantees Texas students who graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class automatic admission to all state-funded universities.

Courses and Grades

A student's grades in college-preparatory classes remain the most significant factor in college admission decisions.

Most institutions keep applications for one year. So, admissions officers can see the original denied application if the applicant reapplies the following semester. The general consensus is that a student should attend another college and apply as a transferee to one's dream school after a year.

Appealing a Rejection

While it's extremely rare for a college to overturn its decision, you may recommend that rejected students write a letter of appeal explaining why they deserve to be reconsidered.

Nothing should stop you from inquiring why an institution rejected your application. So in addition to asking why you had your application rejected, ask about what you can do to improve your chances of acceptance in future.

Your first year and sophomore year affect your cumulative GPA, which is important to most colleges. However, a solid academic record in your junior year is likely to carry more importance with an admissions committee.

Do colleges like to see improvement? ›

Even if you struggled early in your high school career, colleges will look favorably upon strong improvement in subsequent years.

While colleges are not likely to share their specific reasons for rejecting an application, colleges do tell you if they rejected you. For students wondering what to do if you get rejected from all colleges, you may want to consider taking a gap year and reapplying next year.

Colleges send out emails to applicants, but they usually don't contain an acceptance or nonacceptance letter. Instead, the email you receive is likely going to direct you to the college's online application portal. Today, most colleges have an online portal where students can check the status of their applications.

Almost every senior receives at least one college rejection letter. This is tough advice, but try not to take the rejection personally. Most U.S. colleges admit a majority of applicants. Only 3.4% of schools fall into the most selective category, meaning they admit fewer than 10% of applicants.

Good grades, a challenging high school curriculum, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and a strong essay are a few key factors admissions officers assess. Each university may emphasize different elements of the application process.

Likely letters are sent to students who are likely to receive an offer of admission to a school they have applied to. Colleges know that competitive applicants can end up with many choices, so they want to give them extra time and incentive to consider accepting their offer.

Most commonly, no, colleges do not send rejection letters before sending acceptance letters. Acceptance, waitlist and rejection letters are usually sent to applicants around the same time.

Submitting a corrected application can be logistically tricky in the era of online applications, because once your application has been submitted, you are typically prohibited from changing it or resubmitting it.

You should specifically ask the admissions office where you should send this information. They may provide a fax number, an email address, or a mailing address to which you should send the information you forgot to include.

If students can't withdraw their application through their application portal, and no specific instructions are easily found, we recommend that students contact their assigned admissions counselor by e-mail and include the following info: Full name. Birthdate. Full address.

What to do if there is a mistake on your transcript? ›

If the content of your electronic transcript is incorrect or incomplete, you should contact the Registrar's office at your school.

It's not bad to withdraw an application if you have a good reason and you do so in a way that respects the hiring manager's time and effort. Many people withdraw job applications once they realize that the position isn't right for them.

You can reapply for a job whether the company has reposted the job listing or because you've improved your application materials, but keep your options open by applying to other positions. You may find different jobs you're more qualified for or that you may enjoy more.

In general, it is not considered rude to apply to the same job twice. The hiring process is often lengthy and complicated, so employers understand that you may need to apply multiple times before being offered a job.

The application is incomplete.

Missing test scores, recommendation letters and other application materials will delay the review process for applicants. Colleges are likely to ask students to submit missing pieces of their application before the deadline, but it's better to double-check the requirements first.

It Could Affect Your Admission Chances

A late application could affect when your submission is seen, or the school could note on your paperwork that you were late. Students who applied before you may have priority over you. As a result, you could see lower admission chances with a late application.

In general, students may submit incomplete college applications. However, their records will remain incomplete until documents and other materials become available. It's strongly recommended that they submit on or before the college application deadline, although they can still be submitted after the posted date.

If I withdraw an application, can I reapply? You can reapply, but it has to be for a different term. If you have changed your mind and want to reapply to the school, submit a brand new application before the next term's deadline.

You may withdraw your application if it does not yet have a Complete status (note: if you have already submitted your application, we cannot issue any refunds). If you want to withdraw a Complete status application, contact the program directly, as they may already have processed your application.

Policies will vary from school to school but many colleges and universities keep old applications on file for several years, knowing that former applicants may decide to re-apply as transfers. Commonly, recommendations are purged from the application folders before they are saved.

Can I get a grade wiped from my transcript? ›

Some schools allow students to petition to have a grade removed from use in calculating the cumulative GPA, but the record of the class is not withdrawn from the transcript.

If you fail a class, you'll get a 0 on your transcript — and that can bring down your GPA. Failed classes count toward your GPA, though some colleges do not count pass/fail classes in your GPA calculation.

Although you might think that the term "incomplete" has negative connotations, taking an incomplete in college doesn't necessarily indicate any kind of mistake or poor judgment on the part of a student.