What Does Each College Application Status Mean?

Ah, spring. It’s a time for blooming flowers, rising temperatures, and receiving college admission decisions. We’ve all seen the videos of ecstatic students jumping for joy over their acceptance letter, but there’s an equally common reaction: Tearing open an envelope and wondering, “What does my college application status mean?”

To help you avoid falling into the latter category, we’ve compiled the most common college application status meanings and the next steps needed for each.

(Psst: If you’re a parent reading this, we have a college admissions decision guide just for you.)

Admit

If you receive an admit decision, congratulations — you’ve been accepted to the university! This is a no-strings-attached decision, meaning you don’t need to meet any additional requirements or submit any additional information.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Accept the offer: Follow the directions in your letter to accept the offer. Typically, this includes paying a deposit to hold your spot and completing a checklist of items such as registering for orientation, applying for housing, etc.

• Reject the offer: Let your admissions recruiter know about your decision so your spot can be offered to another student.

Conditional Admit

An application status of conditional admit means you’ve been accepted to the university, but you’ll need to meet certain criteria to enroll. For example, you may be required to start during a semester other than the one you applied for, take part in a college-readiness program, or complete additional courses. If your school has several campuses, you may also be admitted to a different campus than the one you chose.

Why You Received This Status

Top universities are extremely selective and almost always receive more qualified applicants than seats available in the next class — particularly students seeking a traditional fall semester start. If your application wasn’t competitive for fall semester admission, it may have been evaluated for summer or spring semester admission, when fewer applicants seek to enroll. It’s also possible that the school simply felt you would be more successful if you began on a different, smaller campus or a less busy term.

In addition, admissions officers may have determined that participating in a college-readiness program or taking special courses will ensure you transition to college seamlessly and are ready to meet the academic rigors of a selective university.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Accept the offer: Follow the directions in your letter to accept the offer. Typically, this includes paying a deposit to hold your spot and completing a checklist of items, such as registering for orientation, applying for housing, etc. Be sure to meet the terms of your conditional admission (such as registering for a required program) or your admission could be rescinded.

• Reject the offer: Let your admissions recruiter know about your decision so your spot can be offered to another student.

Referred

A status of referred means you have been accepted to the university, but you may be placed in a special program or a different major. It’s also possible that your academic department needs more information from you before making a decision.

Why You Received This Status

You may have been referred to another department that admits students to special student success programs. Examples include first-generation-in-college or 2+2 transfer programs.

If you applied to a competitive program like nursing, but your GPA wasn’t deemed high enough, you may have been referred to a different major like health sciences, where you’re more likely to thrive.

Finally, if you’re applying to a talent-based program like performing arts, you may need to complete additional steps before the university makes an admission decision, such as scheduling an audition or submitting a portfolio,

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Complete additional requirements: If you’re asked to schedule an audition, submit a portfolio, or submit additional information, do it by the stated deadline or your application may be canceled.

• Wait for a decision: If you weren’t asked to complete any additional requirements, be patient. A decision should arrive soon.

• Cancel your application: If you decide not to complete additional requirements or elect to attend another university, cancel your application so your spot can be offered to another student.

Deferred

If you receive a status of deferred, you aren’t currently admissible to the university but could be accepted later.

Why You Received This Status

If your grades or test scores are not competitive for admission, the university may want to see more recent senior-year grades, new SAT/ACT scores, or a personal statement that addresses a recent drop in your grades. Then they’ll make a final admission decision.

If you applied to a university as an early decision or early action candidate, a deferral means you weren’t admitted in the early round, but your application will be considered as part of the regular decision pool of applicants.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Submit all requested information: Ask your guidance counselor for help submitting your most recent grades or drafting personal statements. Ask the testing agency to send your new scores to the university. Submit all requested information by the deadline or your application may be canceled.

• Wait for a final decision: If no additional information was requested, simply wait for the admissions office to make a decision.

• Cancel your application: If you decide to attend another university, you may cancel your application.

Waitlisted

You may receive a status of waitlisted when you are qualified for admission, but there is not currently enough space available in the incoming class.

Why You Received This Status

Universities with rolling admission evaluate applications as soon as they are received and issue decisions a short time later. If you applied late in the application cycle, it may be that you qualify for admission, but all slots have already been filled. Alternatively, all spots may have been offered to applicants with stronger credentials.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Wait for a spot to open: If an admitted student chooses not to attend the university, you may be offered admission.

• Cancel your application: If you decide to attend another university, cancel your application to be removed from the waitlist.

Denied

If you receive a denied status, it means you have not been accepted to the university.

Why You Received This Status

While it can be hard to acknowledge, you may have been denied for any number of reasons, including grades/test scores that were not competitive enough or coursework that didn’t meet minimum academic requirements (such as a certain number of high school math or language courses). Ultimately, this school wasn’t the right fit for you right now. Time to look at your other acceptances and pick a new dream school!

Even if you have been denied admission to all universities you applied to, keep in mind that there are many paths to success. We’ve outlined them in this article.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Apply to a different campus: If you have your heart set on attending this university, you may want to update your application to be considered for a different campus.

• Accept the decision: Although it may not be your first choice, consider taking a gap year or attending another four-year university where you were offered admission. Alternatively, you can enroll in a two-year college, earn an associate degree, and reapply to the university as a transfer in order to complete your bachelor’s degree.

• Appeal the decision: If you have vastly improved senior grades or SAT/ACT scores, or you feel that the university overlooked extenuating circumstances, you may wish to appeal. Before you go down this path, know that very few appeals are granted.

Cancelled

A status of cancelled means your application has been canceled voluntarily or by the Office of Admissions.

Why You Received This Status

Either you elected to cancel your application, or the Office of Admissions cancelled it. They may do this if you failed to pay an application fee or submit requested information by the deadline.

Your Options/What to Do Next

• Nothing: If you cancelled your application voluntarily, you don’t need to do anything else.

• Contact admissions: If you believe your application was cancelled in error, contact the Office of Admissions for assistance.

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of your college application status, but if you still have questions, don’t go it alone. Please reach out to the admissions recruiter at the universities where you’ve applied.

For students who have applied to USF, contact the USF Office of Admissions for help, either online or by phone at 813-974-3350.

Want quick access to the application status definitions in this article? Download our glossary so it’s handy whenever you need it.