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Should Rejected Early Applicant Apply in the Regular-Decision Round?

Written by Sally Rubenstone | Jan. 3, 2019

Should Rejected Early Applicant Apply in the Regular-Decision Round?

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I was rejected from the early round at my first choice (University of Michigan). I have achieved a lot since last spring (the most recent grades that Michigan's reviewers saw) and I want to apply again in the regular round to show them my new improvements. Should I do this? It can't hurt, right?

Unfortunately, a student who has been denied outright in the Early Decision or Early Action round is not eligible to re-apply as a Regular Decision candidate. Occasionally students who have been rejected by a favorite college will try to appeal the verdict, but such appeals are rarely successful. You can read more about appealing a rejection in this "Ask the Dean" column.

However, unlike some universities, Michigan does not offer an appeals process, so it is unlikely that any efforts you make to overturn your decision will be considered. But if you enroll elsewhere and do well, Michigan will certainly consider you as a transfer candidate.

Although it is disappointing to be turned away from a top-choice college, many students who land at a second- or third-choice school (or even at a LAST choice!) often end up very happy and even grateful that fate redirected them.

About the Ask the Dean Column

Sally Rubenstone is a veteran of the college admissions process and is the co-author of three books covering admissions. She worked as a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years and has also served as an independent college counselor, in addition to working as a senior advisor at College Confidential since 2002. If you'd like to submit a question to The Dean please email us at editorial@collegeconfidential.com.

Sally Rubenstone

Sally Rubenstone knows the competitive and often convoluted college admission process inside out: From the first time the topic of college comes up at the dinner table until the last duffel bag is unloaded on a dorm room floor. She is the co-author of Panicked Parents' Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student's Guide to Changing Colleges and The International Student's Guide to Going to College in America. Sally has appeared on NBC's Today program and has been quoted in countless publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Weekend, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, People and Seventeen. Sally has viewed the admissions world from many angles: As a Smith College admission counselor for 15 years, an independent college counselor serving students from a wide range of backgrounds and the author of College Confidential's "Ask the Dean" column. She also taught language arts, social studies, study skills and test preparation in 10 schools, including American international schools in London, Paris, Geneva, Athens and Tel Aviv. As senior advisor to College Confidential since 2002, Sally has helped hundreds of students and parents navigate the college admissions maze. In 2008, she co-founded College Karma, a private college consulting firm, with her College Confidential colleague Dave Berry, and she continues to serve as a College Confidential advisor. Sally and her husband, Chris Petrides, became first-time parents in 1997 at the ripe-old age of 45. So Sally was nearly an official senior citizen when her son Jack began the college selection process, and when she was finally able to practice what she had preached for more than three decades.