School Appeal Letter

It is rare for a school appeal letter to result in the reversal of a college’s admissions decision; however it does not hurt for a student to give it a try.In order to have any chance of an appeal being accepted, a student must show that circumstances have changed dramatically between now and the time the student originally applied for and was denied admissions.

Format and Content

Colleges and universities do not always have a specified school appeal letter format for students who have been denied admissions. Many do not technically accept appeal letters; however, a student who has extenuating circumstances may find it to be worthwhile to attempt an appeal letter. It is important to find out to whom an appeal letter should be addressed and, if possible, obtain an appointment to deliver the letter in person.

Sample

The student writing this school appeal letter sample experienced some extreme circumstances the day of her SAT that had a negative impact on her performance and her scores. On the way to take the test, her neighbor’s dog ran in front of her car and she struck and killed the dog. Although devastated, after helping to take the dog to the vet, she just made it to the test site before the doors closed and attempted to take her first SAT. The events of the morning, however, were so upsetting that she was unable to properly focus and concentrate resulting in poor scores.

Dear Dr. Rice,

I am writing to appeal the decision of ABC University to reject my application for admissions beginning with the fall semester 2014. I realize that most admissions decisions are final, but I do have some extenuating circumstances which I believe would be worth a few minutes of your time to examine.

I know that the reason for the rejection of my application is the fact that my SAT scores were below the average typically accepted at ABC. There is a reason for my poor performance on the first SAT. My second SAT was a tremendous improvement over my first; however I did not have the scores on my second SAT when the deadline came to submit my application to your office.

On the way to take my first SAT, my neighbor’s dog ran out in front of my car to chase a squirrel across the road. I applied my brakes, but still hit the dog. I quickly helped my neighbor take the dog to the local vet; however the dog died from the injuries. It was a horrifying experience. Nevertheless I went on to the SAT test site and took the exam, but I kept tearing up during the test and had a very hard time focusing. When my scores came back, they were very poor. My verbal score was 490; math was 500 and essay was 480 for a combined score of 1,470. Two months later I retook the exam and scored 670 on verbal, 690 on math and 680 on the essay for a combined score of 2,040.

As you can see, I am capable of far better SAT scores than those I made on the first exam. I ask that you reconsider my application taking into consideration these scores made on my second SAT. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration. I am available for a meeting any time at your convenience and can be reached via the contact information listed above.

Respectfully,

Mary Ann Jackson