6 Common Reasons College Applications Get Rejected

As you fill out your college application, you work meticulously on it to do everything right and impress the admissions office. However, as prospective students are trying to make their application perfect, they may overlook certain aspects of their application which could lead to a rejection from the college. These six commons reasons as to why college applications get rejected should help you edit your application accordingly and have a better chance at scoring a seat in the college of your choice.

• Your application is incomplete
  Before you start an application, the college website will tell you what documents and information you will need to provide in the application. Keep in mind that different colleges have different requirements for information that needs to be provided in the application. For example, some colleges do not require a test score to be submitted, but in turn may ask you to submit essays on three different topics. Know these well in advance, so that you are prepared.


• Your application missed the deadline
  Completing your application a little ahead of the deadline would be beneficial as well. This way, you can go through your application a couple of times and make sure you have filled all the sections. Also, having a parent, teacher, or friend look through your application once could help too.


• Your application is too wordy
  The seemingly opposite of an incomplete application is one that is too wordy. The admissions office has to go through thousands of applications, and don’t want to read essays that are 1500 words long, when they can be reduced to 500 words. Keep your essays succinct and effective and it will do wonders.


• Your application does not meet the academic threshold
  • When you apply to colleges, look for the rank of the college, its admit rate, the average test score and GPA for the current class. This will give you an idea of the academic requirements of the college. One of the main aspects of your application that the admissions office looks at is your academic potential. If it doesn’t meet their requirement, they may think that you are not suited for the learning environment of the school.
  • Apply to colleges where you have a good chance of getting in based on your grades and academic achievements. This will save you time, money, and effort. Base your decision on climate of the city, the cost of education including tuition fee and expenses and the intake of international students in the university.


• Your application has too many errors
  • One word: proofread!!
  • Unfortunately, not all students understand how crucial this step is. As students are filling out multiple applications in the same time frame, it is easy to mix up college names in the essays, or just make silly errors because your are trying to complete the applications in a rush. Too many errors can question your English skills. It could also suggest that you may be lacking in time management skills.


• Your application is too vague
  Some students want to re-use essays from previous applications to reduce their workload. This results in the essays being very vague, not covering a certain topic, and using broad phrases such as “I want to contribute to society” or “I am passionate about working in this industry”. Be specific. Take the extra time to understand what the essay prompt is asking, and go into depth with personal examples and thoughts

Your application form is your first introduction to the university officials. Pay attention to these points to make your application error-free and competent.