Getting denial letter from a college you’ve always wished to join can be frustrating and heartbreaking. However, if you’ve insisted that you still want to join the very college that denied you an admission, you’ll have to re-write your application from scratch. But can you apply to the same college twice?
You can apply to the same college multiple times but for different terms. Most colleges give you the option to apply three times a year. So, you still have the opportunity to apply to a college of your choice.
There’s no guarantee that reapplying to the same college after denial will get you eventually accepted. However, since colleges give you the option to try again, you might as well give it another trial to see what happens.
Can You Reapply to the Same College After Getting an Acceptance?
It doesn’t make sense to reapply to the same college after getting an admission acceptance. What you have to do is to plan yourself accordingly to stand attending classes as soon as the first semester starts. That way, the admissions officers will have the conviction that you were serious about joining their institution.
However, you may have taken a year gap for one reason or the other, including saving enough money for your college education or pursuing your life’s passion for a while.
In such a case, you can reapply to the same college. Make sure you have a good reason for not having enrolled in the course after the approval of the first application. Otherwise, the admissions committee may not give your application a second thought.
To be clear, just because a college accepts your admission application doesn’t mean you have to go to that college. It’s up to you to decide whether you want to go or consider another college, except if you applied through the Early Decision plan.
Unfortunately, completely ignoring your application simply because you feel like you don’t have to go to a particular college isn’t a prudent way to handle the situation. The best you can do is to write and send a deferral letter, which is an important note that explains to the admissions officers why you would like your application delayed.
Two things can happen if you send a deferral letter to the college:
- The admissions officers can accept the letter
- The admissions officers can reject the letter
If the admissions officers accept the letter, you won’t have to go through the application process again. All you’ll have to do is to attend the college when you’re ready to earn a degree. If denied, you’ll have to go through the entire application process all over again. And the admissions officers will review your application as though it’s the first time you’re applying.
Can You Apply to the Same College in Regular Decision if You Failed Early Decision?
Many colleges don’t reject Early Decision applicants if they find them unfit. Instead, they defer them to Regular Decision pool, where they’ll have their application reevaluated. Only a few colleges ever reject Early Decision, which means that its acceptance rate is often higher than the Regular Decision plan.
One of the best things about Early Decision application is that you get feedback in a very short time. Depending on the decision that the admissions committee makes, the response you get can be an acceptance or a deferral.
If the college denies your Early Decision application, there’s a high chance they won’t accept your application if you reapply Regular Decision. If the college defers you, they will send you an acceptance letter or a letter asking to try applying to another college in a different location.
Regardless of the response you get from the college, you still have the option to refine and resend your application to the same college the following term or after a gap year.
After How Long Can You Apply to the Same College Twice?
You can apply to the same college twice a year as long as you send your application for different terms. However, if you feel like you haven’t had enough time to perfect your application, by refining your standardize test scores and extracurricular, you may take a gap year and reapply to the same college just once.
Some colleges have rolling admissions, in which case you can apply for as many times as you wish. Because rolling admissions wok on the first come, first serve basis, it’s best to send your application to the admissions committee as early as you can.
What You Should Do Before Reapplying to the Same College Twice
You’re welcome to apply to the same college if they declined your first application. However, you can only apply too much even if you have the option to do so as many times as you like.
Remember, it takes time and money to work on a college application, so you need to give your second application the best shot. So it’s important to observe the following before you reapply:
Write a New College Admission Essay
Don’t submit a previously submitted college admissions essay. Write a new one instead, especially if it’s the essay that caused the admissions officers to deny your application in the first place.
You can use our college admission writing service here if you would like professional academic writing help.
Get a Recommendation Letter
Get a new recommendation letter from a different teacher in your previous school. You have to do this especially if your previous letter didn’t highlight your strengths and potentials as a student.
The new letter will go a long way to strengthen your essay, easily increasing your chances of getting an admission to the same school.
Final Thoughts
Applying to the same college twice is the only option you have if you want to study in that institution. Before you get started with the reapplication, figure out what kept you from getting an acceptance the first time you sent your application. By doing so, you’ll know where you went wrong in your application and not repeat the same mistakes when reapplying.
It’s up to you to decide when to reapply. If you want to start learning sooner, reapplying two to three times may be a good option. Some students even opt to reapply after taking a gap year, which is a good move to have enough time to improve their application.