When Do Colleges Rescind Acceptances?

psychboy · May 13

Hey Sally! I was just wondering if I have any chances for being rescinded from Harvard. I had a 98 midyear grade, but it dropped to 80 on the final transcript. All the rest of my grades stayed in the 90+ range. Any chance for anything?

pianolover032817 · May 14

Hinagain Sally! It turns out my AP Spanish grade could end up being a B+ because of my school’s pretty harsh grading scale. Does that change anything for me?

pianolover032817 · May 14

*Hi again. Also, that B+ is along with my B in AP Stats as well.

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@pianolover032817 -No, that won't change anything.

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@psychboy -That's quite a tumble ... from a 98 to an 80 ... and it will most likely catch an admission official's eye, but I doubt you'll even get a warning letter if the rest of your grades are in the 90's.

taloolab · May 14

Hi sally! I reported an A on my UC application but realized that on my transcript it says ‘pass’ but I got the equivalent of an A in the class (it was an elective economics course) am I going to be rescinded? I emailed the school

MassHSGuy77 · May 14

I was accepted EA to a school that has not seen any grades from this academic year and will likely be ending with about a 76 in one of my AP classes. Is this an issue if the rest of my grades are all As/Bs?

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@taloolab -You did exactly what you should have, and you have nothing to worry about.

taloolab · May 14

thank you for easing my stress!

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@MassHSGuy77 - You should be fine. Most colleges will turn a blind eye on a single senior C. especially when it's in a tough AP class.

The only way that this MIGHT be an issue is if you will attend one of those hyper-selective places where most admitted students got straight A's all through high school. If you, too, had straight A's right up until this year, but now you have not only a C but also B's in your more demanding academic classes, with your A's in band, gym, yearbook, etc., then you could get a warning letter from your college asking about the downturn. But having your acceptance rescinded seems highly unlikely.

psychboy · May 14

Thanks Sally. It was in an AP class if that makes any difference. It was just an online class and if you missed the deadline, then you couldn't even make it up so it hit really hard 3rd quarter. I'm just worried since it dropped to a B, but most people say that Bs are fine.

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@psychboy --You'll be fine.

mikester12 · May 14

Hey Sally I'm sorta in the same boat as these other guys. What if I drop from a A+ to a 77? It was an online class unrelated to my major, and all my other classes are As. I got into Yale, so I hope this doesn't warrant a recession?

Sally_Rubenstone · May 14

@mikester12 - No, you won’t lose your spot over this.

texasstudent2019 · May 15

Hey Sally,

Sorry about pestering you with questions like this, but my final grades for the semester came out, and it turns out my final tally for the semester is all As except a single C in CS, which is unfortunate because CS is my intended major at Duke. However, the reason for the C was because my CS instructor gave me a zero for a 30-minute-late online submission worth 10% of my grade because i didn't have access to wifi.

What would be your suggested course of action, and how real is the chance that my admission to Duke gets rescinded?

Sally_Rubenstone · May 15

@texasstudet2019-From where I sit, there's NO chance that Duke will rescind your acceptance. Even so, because you expect to be a CS major and your C was in CS, it would be appropriate for you to write to Duke and explain what you just said here .. how the zero on the assignment was the result of your not having WiFi access.

I don't know if your lack of WiFi was temporary and unusual (e.g., you were on a camping trip or an airplane or visiting your uncle in the middle of nowhere) or if it has been an ongoing issue for you (i.e., no WiFi in your home). But if it's the latter, you should mention that too.

rpdladhrwl · May 16

Hi Sally,

My situation is a bit different from others here, as I'm a transfer student looking to join U of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall. I'm currently studying at a different 4-year college, and my last semester grades aren't looking so good. I am currently a sophomore standing student, and I will have exactly 60 credits - so Junior - when I join UIUC.

At my current institution, my last (and first) semester GPA was somewhat of a promising 4.0. This semester, I will have 2 As, 1 B, 1 C and 1 D. That D was in Accounting, which is a class that is unrelated to the major when joining UIUC.

Regardless of it being unrelated to my major, the D letter grade really concerns me, and I was wondering if this would rescind my admission to UIUC. I would really appreciate your help. Thanks!

Sally_Rubenstone · May 16

@ rpdladhrwl - My guess is that your acceptance won't be rescinded. But you should be proactive and contact UIUC now and try to explain your downturn. If you struggled with illness or added responsibilities at work or at home, be sure to say so. You can also mention that the accounting course was outside of your major, but don't make it seem as if you didn't care about it because you didn't find it important. Instead, however, you can say that it was unfamiliar material that was difficult for you.

When students appear to care about poor grades, admission officials are more likely to give them a break than if it seems that they don't care.

Good luck!

bigsam · May 17

Good Morning Sally,

I am on the fence of earning a C in a major pre req and am worried my admission will be rescinded.
Background- Cumulative GPA is 3.83, with no other C’s on my transcript. Will earn A’s in all other courses this semester which include two other major pre reqs. Term gpa will be 3.41 which will drop my overall gpa to a 3.75.
I am transferring to UCLA from a california CC as a physiology major.
Will this drop in gpa result in the cancellation of my admission?

Sally_Rubenstone · May 17

@bigsam--Keep in mind that I never have access to all of the information about an applicant that admission officials have. But, based on the small piece of the picture I'm seeing here, I think you should be fine.

When Do Colleges Rescind Acceptances?

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