Flickr user Jeremy Wilburn
May 1st is the National Candidate Reply Date or College Decision Day, which are both fancy ways of saying that you need to tell a college you plan to attend their school by the first of May. Ideally, you should send in your acceptance notice far before College Decision Day, just to ensure everything goes smoothly.
How to Accept a College’s Offer of Admission
Typically, the instructions of how to notify a school that you plan to attend will be detailed in the acceptance letter they send you. Nowadays, the notification tends to be an online ordeal, so it’s as simple as a few clicks and pressing enter. However, don’t let the ease of the process keep you from completing it as soon as you’re certain you want to attend. Wi-Fi can be a fickle thing and you don’t want to tempt fate. We aren’t saying to accept without hesitation. Give your decision some thought, but certainly, don’t wait until the last minute to make your choice.
Let Other Colleges Know You Won’t Be Attending
You should also let the other schools on your list know that you won’t be attending. A simple email to the admissions team will do. Sometimes online admissions portals will include a reject button so that the school’s system is automatically notified. You don’t have to say why you rejected their school, or which school you’re going to instead—simply state that you won’t be attending. This common courtesy let’s them give your spot and your financial aid to another deserving student. It doesn’t take very long and the college would definitely appreciate knowing about your final decision.
And if you need help paying for tuition, check out College Raptor’s free Student Loan Finder, where you can compare lenders and interest rates side by side!
