You’ve gotten your college acceptances, and you’ve gotten some rejections. One rejection was where you really wanted to go. Now is there no way!
Yes, there is a way.
You can still gain admission to your choice of colleges after rejection. That new way is called guaranteed transfer option or deferred admission. This option allows you to attend the college of your choice after matriculating at another college and earning a required average of at least 3.0 for one or two years.
How is this possible? It’s called enrollment slump. A class of freshman can shrink due to drop outs, transfers, study abroad or other off-campus programs, and even December graduates Now colleges can manage their enrollment numbers by offering those rejected an option to attend later.
The way it works is…
• Applicants who have been rejected will receive a written offer to attend at a late date with the specific prescriptions that make that attendance possible.
• Students are then expected to sign a form acknowledging their interest.
• Students do not usually have to place a deposition.
• Students then meet with the offering school’s academic advisors to make sure they pick transferrable credits and/or compatible program requisites that will make the transfer into the offering college smoother, although nothing is guaranteed in regard to credits.
There are some variations on the deferred admission.
• Some colleges will offer that students who have been rejected can come for the spring semester or even the following year in the fall semester.
• Other colleges have agreements with community colleges near by. Students are accepted to the partnering community college campus and can be admitted after one or two years, if they have performed well academically, to the college of choice.
There are several colleges that offer the guaranteed transfer option and many more are jumping on board, especially as the population of incoming students is shrinking as the baby boomers age. And, such acceptance is not entirely new. Some of those that are offering such admission are Cornell, the State University of New York System, Middlebury, and the University of Maryland. The thing to do is ASK. Some colleges are not advertising they have this option.
Deferred admission is a terrific option for students who have their heart set on a particular college or program or who have aspiration for a more selective college degree. The deferred admission gives them another opportunity, time to prove themselves, and an opportunity to mature and get the life style and study needs down for better college performance.
There are also downsides to these admission plans. Not only is it perhaps unfair to accept another college admission when you know you are not staying, but this practice can affect students in a less that ideal way. Students knowing they are leaving in a year or two do not connect to the college or to other students. They also are in a kind of limbo holding back on engaging with the full college experience while they wait for their “real” acceptance.
But, deferred admission is still an option, and every student can weigh his needs and desires for herself.
