Were you denied admission to an Ivy League school in the Early Action/Early Decision round for the Class of 2029? Were you denied admission to multiple Ivy League schools in the Regular Decision round? If so, you’re likely wondering what your next steps should be and how you can best position your case for admission moving forward.

What To Do After an Ivy League Rejection in the Early Round

Suppose you were denied admission to one of the eight Ivy League schools in the Early round. In that case, you may still have a shot at the seven other Ivy League institutions in the Regular Decision round (depending, of course, on the merits of your application).

And while there is no possibility of earning admission this year to the school that denied your case for admission in the Early round since all denials from Ivy League schools are final, you can also reapply next year as a transfer applicant.

So, what should be your game plan after receiving word of a rejection from an Ivy League school in the Early round? Your three-step game plan should be as follows:

1. Sign up for a complimentary consultation with Ivy Coach to learn about our services for denied applicants.
2. Complete a PostMortem application review with Ivy Coach so that you have a firm understanding of what went wrong and what needs to change for your Regular Decision applications, which are due in just two weeks or so.
3. If indeed there were mistakes on your applications — and we’ve never once encountered an instance in which there were no mistakes on a denied student’s application — you should get to work reframing your Regular Decision applications. At Ivy Coach, we take on a few students each year in the second half of December, with applications due at the start of January.

What To Do After Being Rejected by the Ivy Leagues in the Regular Round

In the event you either didn’t get in during the Early Action/Early Decision round or made the mistake of not applying in the Early round (what a wasted opportunity!) and you then faced multiple rejections from Ivy League schools in the Regular Decision round, your path forward to earn admission to an Ivy League school isn’t as straightforward as it is after an Early round rejection.

So, what should be your game plan after receiving word of rejection from all of the Ivy League schools you applied to in the Regular Decision round? Your five-step game plan should be as follows:

1. Complete a PostMortem application review with Ivy Coach. It’s not so that you kick yourself. It’s so that if you ever do wish to reapply — as a transfer applicant — you won’t make the same mistakes again. You’ll come away with an understanding of what went wrong. In our experience, students are upset when they hear this analysis but they tend to get over it the next day when they realize many of the mistakes made were in their control.
2. Enroll at the best college you did earn admission to — even if it’s not an Ivy League school.
3. Prepare transfer applications with Ivy Coach over the summer before you enroll at the best college you got into. This way, you can enjoy the first year of your college experience — no matter how your transfer admissions process turns out.
4. Make minor adjustments to your transfer applications with Ivy Coach over the early months of next year — before March transfer deadlines. When we work on transfer applications over the summer, we’ll outline what activities and coursework you should take during your first year. However, some changes might be needed before applications are submitted based on what you ultimately pursued during your first year.
5. Submit your transfer applications to Ivy League schools in March. While there is always a chance that a school will review your previous application, some schools will take the time to do so, and others won’t. It’s impossible to know which ones will and which ones won’t. So don’t spend too much time thinking about it, and just make sure you submit compelling applications this second time around.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance Moving Forward from Ivy League Rejections

If you’re interested in optimizing your case for admission after an Early Action/Early Decision rejection by an Ivy League school or after multiple Regular Decision rejections by Ivy League schools, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch to outline our services for denied applicants.