Be a good person. Decline.

Once you’ve decided where you’re going to go to college in the fall (WOO HOO!), it’s time to let the other schools that accepted you know that you won’t be attending. You should decline their offers of admission. Don’t wait. Do it as soon as you’ve made your final decision. When you decline your offer, that spot opens up for someone on the waitlist. If you’re on a waitlist for your first-choice school, then you know how much this step can mean.

A little effort on your part

Many colleges make this an easy task. You just click the box in your portal that says “I decline my offer.” But some colleges make you work a little harder. If the portal doesn’t have a clear option to accept or decline the offer, send a brief email to your admissions representative or to admissions in general. You can write more than this if you want, but be sure to include this statement:

“I’m writing to let you know that I have decided to decline the offer of admission to [name of the school].” Sign it with your full name, and if they gave you a student ID, include that in your signature. In the subject line of the email, write “Regarding Your Offer of Admission.” If you had correspondence with the admissions rep, write them a short note thanking them for their help. Most colleges would be interested in knowing where you decided to go, but it’s totally up to you whether to disclose that or not.

After all of the rush to get in applications, you might be tempted to just relax, but letting the colleges know your plans is just good manners. Most schools set May 1 as the National Candidates Reply Date—the deadline by which you must commit to the school you’re attending. If you don’t accept by then, colleges assume you’re not coming. All the more reason to decline promptly and not leave them guessing. 

So be a good person. Decline.