The college admissions process can be filled with uncertainty. One source of information that can help reduce the uncertainty — in some respects — are college admissions counselors. But do you know how to write an email to college admissions counselors? If you want to communicate with admissions, it’s best to think carefully about how you will communicate with the humans that populate those offices of admission.
Reasons to Write an Email to College Admissions Officers
Students may have different reasons to write an email to college admissions. Some of the most common include:
- A request for particular information about academic offerings, such as the viability of pursuing particular double majors, the availability of certain kinds of courses, or the process for creating a personalized major
- An inquiry about your status on the waitlist
- An expression of continuing interest after being deferred in the early admissions rounds
- A request to connect with student leaders of particular organizations or groups
- A question about financial aid eligibility
- An inquiry about special scholarship programs
- Confirmation of the receipt of all materials by admissions offices–if there is reason to believe there is a problem
- Specific questions about research opportunities, alumni resources
- Requests to connect with learning support services for people with physical or learning differences
- Notes of thanks for something kind that an admissions officer did on your behalf
Sometimes, you may also be responding to an email that an admissions officer sent to you. Further on in this article we’ll address how to write an email to a college admissions counselor if you find yourself in this situation.
The point is that you really do need a good reason to write to an admissions officer. Some students and parents have heard that it is important to demonstrate interest when applying to college. It’s true: you need to show some love to admissions offices to let them know you are really interested in attending.
However, you also want to avoid being annoying. You want to demonstrate interest, but you don’t want to cross the invisible line that leaves the admissions office to think you are a nuisance. You want to ask good questions, and you want to be respectful of the time of an admissions officer. You want to get the information you need in a way that conveys interest without becoming a nuisance.
Do Some Homework Before you Write an Email to College Admissions Counselors
So before you actually write that email, you need to make sure you’ve done all you can to ensure that you can write an effective email that will get you the response you need. Here are some things to think about and research before you write.
Look at the college’s website
Colleges and universities maintain comprehensive websites that contain information for staff, faculty, and students, in addition to providing information for prospective applicants. Use the search function to try to find an answer to your question. If you do find the answer, perhaps you can refashion your question in light of this information. Can your question get even more specific? If it can, you will demonstrate that you have read the website carefully and need a human (the college admissions counselor) to help you find the answer.
Find the appropriate person.
The admissions website will usually (but not always) list the people in the admissions office. In most cases, the admissions counselors are assigned different geographical areas (or “markets,” in business terminology) for which they are responsible for expanding the applicant pool–and addressing prospective applicants’ questions. So take a few minutes to figure out which admissions counselor is assigned to your state, your city, or even just your school. That is the person who may read your application first, and who is most interested in seeing your application. Address your email to the right person.
How to Write an Email to College Admissions Counselors
Once you find the right person to address is your email, now you have to think about how to write it. Consider these five essential elements.
1. Consider the Subject Line
When an email appears in a person’s inbox, the subject line is an important indicator of the contents. So use the subject line to ensure that your email gets opened. You might want to use the words “prospective applicant” or “applicant for the class of 2025.” You could make it more specific: “Question about financial aid from prospective applicant 2025.” No matter how you formulate it, don’t neglect the subject line in capturing the attention of the admissions officer.
2. Address the Admissions Officer Respectfully
Address the admissions counselor respectfully. Don’t say, “Hey, Mark!” Or worse: “‘Sup, Mark.” Use formal address. Usually that means using the word “dear”, as in “Dear Mr. Montgomery.” Some young people have difficulty with that level of formality, so it might be acceptable to open the email with “Hello, Mr. Montgomery.” You probably learned proper etiquette for writing a formal letter back in elementary or middle school. Use that knowledge when addressing the admissions officer in a fairly formal tone.
3. Introduce Yourself When You Write an Email to College Admissions
Be sure to tell the admissions officer a bit about yourself, not so much to give them your life history but to be able to place you and remember you. You could start by saying something along the lines of, “My name is Mark Montgomery and I am applying to Colorado College in fall 2026.” You might give a few other essential facts, including the name of your high school and town, the major that most interests you (if that is relevant to your question), and–if you have it–your ID either for the Common App (known as a “CAID”) or your ID number for the particular school to which you are applying (this number is given to you after you apply…usually through a “portal” for the university that you will log into).
4. Be Concise as You Write an Email to College Admissions
Don’t get into long preliminary explanations: get to the point immediately. State your business. If you’re asking a question, ask it. If you need information, ask for it specifically. As you write the question, think about how the admissions officer might respond. If you find that the question you ask would require a lengthly, complex response, consider writing the question that would require a simpler, more succinct answer. You want the admissions officer to be efficient. You want that person to offer up the answer you need without having to spend an hour crafting a complicated response.
5. Say Thank You and End with an Appropriate Closing
As your Momma always reminds you: “say please and thank you!”. Be sure to thank your addressee for their time and consideration. Then sign off in the same formal way in which you began. Closings like “Best regards” or “Yours truly” or “Sincerely” all may sounds terribly old fashioned. But they’re a whole lot better than “Peace out” or “Later, dude.” Better to err on the side of formality than breezy informality.
Follow with your first name, last name, and phone number. It’s unlikely you’ll receive a call instead of an email, but it’s a good idea to include it anyway.
Dos and Don’ts as You Write an Email to College Admissions Officers
To summarize, here is a list of things you should bear in mind when you write an email to admissions counselor.
Do
- Use a formal tone to demonstrate your respect and ability to speak to adults you do not know.
- Develop a helpful subject line to grab the reader’s attention.
- Edit your email carefully…no grammatical mistakes or syntax errors!
- Be concise: don’t use 10 words to say something you can say in 3.
- Be patient in receiving a response: admissions counselors get hundreds of emails a day, so don’t expect an answer immediately.
Don’t
- Use an unprofessional email address like “Cute_Puppy” or “Bubbalooney.”
- Be rude or disrespectful.
- Neglect to edit your email. Really. No mistakes.
- Mark your email as urgent (not worth annoying your recipient).
- Ask a long list of questions.
- Forget to say “please” and “thank you.”
Sample Emails to College Admissions Officers
If you’re still unsure about how to write an email to college admissions counselors, we offer these templates to help you. They demonstrate both the tone and the brevity of these communications. Feel free to adapt these to your needs.
Sample Email to College Admissions #1
Hello, Ms. Taylor,
My name is Divya Sharma, and I’m applying to Gotham College for the fall of 2024. I submitted my application and my SAT scores on December 15, but I notice in the Gotham portal that my SAT scores have not yet been received.
Could you please confirm whether or not the college has received my score report? Thank you in advance for all your help.
Regards,
Divya Sharma
CAID 987654
phone: 555-123-4567
Sample Email to College Admissions #2
Good morning, Mr. Rodriguez,
My name is Martin Fillmore, and I’m in the process of applying to the University of Los Angeles. I am considering a major in Chemistry, but I also have a strong interests in both Economics and History.
I am simply undecided about my major at this point. Can you tell me more about how academic advising works at ULA for undecided students like me? Thank you very much for your time and assistance.
Best,
Martin Fillmore
Mt. Pleasant HS, Hygiene, Colorado
telephone: 999-875-4321
Sample Email to College Admissions #3
Dear Dupont University Admissions Office,
Hello, my name is Ben Harrison, and I was recently waitlisted for admission. I’m writing to ask if you can please tell me where I am on the waitlist.
My first choice university is Dupont University, and I would love to know my chances of being accepted.
Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Harrison
Dupont U ID Number 45hp987
Telephone: 123-555-1234
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