Can I Apply to a College After Being Rejected?

As universities release their Early Action and Early Decision results, you may be wondering if there is any way you can re-submit your application in the Regular Decision round to receive a better outcome. So, are you allowed to re-apply in the same application cycle?

No Re-Application and No Appeal Process for Ivy Leagues During Current Application Cycle

Unfortunately, no, you cannot re-apply as a regular decision after being rejected in a previous round. Students tend to think that  Ivy League schools like Yale, Brown, and Harvard have an appeal process. The reality is that Ivy League schools and other highly selective institutions do not have appeal processes. The only known appeal processes for top universities in the U.S. are for University of California schools, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Southern California. And even then, the success rate for appeals is generally 1-2% lower than a deferred candidate’s chances decision (which is around 10%).

Re-Application for Next Year’s Application Cycle

If you are set on a particular college and you happen to receive a rejection letter, you can still apply the following year. But, will the school review your old application? There’s no way of predicting, but all schools will ask transfer applicants if they have applied previously. 

Next Steps to Re-Applying the Following Year

There are two general routes we suggest: either take a gap year and then reapply or enroll in another school and then reapply. We’ll review the options below:

Gap Year Re-Application

Students may choose to take a gap year if they have the funds and the means necessary to do so. This can look like traveling to advocate for women’s rights in your community and abroad or even taking up a full time job in your area of interest.The risk in taking a gap year is that universities are aware that the longer students are away from academics, the less likely they will resume their studies, which is why we, at SK Education suggest students apply to colleges as a transfer student. 

Transfer Re-Application 

As a transfer student, this means you are currently enrolled in another institution (most likely a more affordable college like a post-graduate school, community college, or a state university) and will transfer to another 4-year institution. Through this route you have the opportunity to earn your lower division college graduation requirements and often have the opportunities to take on part-time jobs and deeply explore your interests. Some community colleges offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) that guarantees admission to a few University of California schools. Oftentimes, transfer rates into more prestigious institutions are higher than that of high school applicants. If you are still interested in reapplying to your dream college, we encourage you to reach out to us at SK Education where we can help you reframe your admission in a more advantageous way.

Key Takeaways

• You cannot apply for the same cycle if you have already been rejected
• You can apply to the following year’s application cycle
• If you are applying again for the following year, we encourage you to transfer from another college or university