I'm planning on applying early action to Boston College. Is it true they can reject you outright, or do they mostly defer students for later consideration? Any insights would be appreciated.
Boston College, like most institutions that offer an Early Action (EA) admissions plan, has three possible outcomes for EA applications: admit, defer, or deny. This means that yes, they can outright reject, or deny, EA applications that don't meet their criteria.
However, it's worth noting that deferrals are common in the EA round. If the admissions team believes they need more information or context to make a decision – be it your fall semester grades, or perhaps a look at the Regular Decision applicant pool for comparison – they might defer your application to the regular round.
Exact numbers on how many students are deferred versus denied in the early round can vary year by year and aren't publicly released by the college. That being said, it's crucial to ensure that your EA application is as strong as it can possibly be to increase your chances of admittance. Good luck!
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