How to Email a College Admissions Officer: Samples & Tips
Thinking about emailing your college admissions officer and wondering what to say? There are many reasons you may need to know how to email your college admissions officer. This post has advice to help you write an email your college admissions counselor and get the answers you need!
You might want to email your admissions officer because you have questions about the application process, need to discuss a unique situation, or have a specific question about your merit aid offer.
You might just want clarification on some small detail or need to be sure all your application materials have arrived.
Later in the admissions process, you may want to enquire about your waitlist status or express your continued interest in the college.
No matter the situation, we have tips and sample emails to college admissions officers to help you communicate clearly and make a good impression.
You are more likely to email than you are to call or send a letter to the college admissions department. Just remember that an email works just like a letter.
An email to a college admissions office is written communication from you, so it may be filed as part of your admission application paperwork.
The person reading the email may form opinions or make judgments about you based on what you include in your email and how it’s written. Once an email is sent, it’s impossible to take back.
Because college admissions officers have the power to make a decision that will potentially have a huge impact on your life, writing an email to a college admissions officer is a nerve-racking task.
This post is all about helping you write an email to your college admissions officer that will help you make a good impression and get your questions answered.
Everything you need to know about writing an email to college admissions
Why should you write an email to a college admissions officer?
College admission counselors are available to help potential students navigate the admissions process at their university. They have years of experience answering every question a prospective college student can ask about their school.
You should feel free to reach out to your college representative with any legitimate question you have about the admissions process at their college or your application in particular.
Ask about the admissions process
You should email your college admissions officer whenever you need more information about an admissions topic than you can find on your own.
If you have scoured the admissions website and can’t find the answer to your question, reach out to the admissions officer.
Don’t ask about their acceptance rate or a list of every college major they offer. You can find that information yourself online.
Ask about academic programs
If you have questions about an academic program or major requirements, and can’t find the answer on the school’s website or aren’t sure which faculty members in the department you should contact, email the admissions officer.
Ask about your application and required materials
Email your admissions officer if you see discrepancies in your online portal. For example, if you submitted information (like test scores) months ago and they’re not showing up, email the admissions officer to see if you can find out why.
Similarly, if the people who wrote your letters of recommendation said they submitted them, but your portal says they haven’t been received, reach out to your admissions officer to see what might have happened.
Always be professional, provide all the necessary details, and don’t panic.
Ask about your financial aid package
If you manage to get into your dream school, you might find it’s not a great fit if you can’t afford it. After college admissions decisions are made and acceptance letters go out, many high school students have questions about their merit scholarships or financial aid awards.
While you may be nervous about emailing, especially if this is the first email you’ve sent to your admissions counselor, this is the perfect time to reach out for clarification about your actual cost of attendance.
You’ll want to write an effective email that explains why your actual need is higher than your scholarship award, provide additional information to support your case, and politely and respectfully ask for additional aid.
You may not be successful with securing additional support, but it might be worth asking, depending on your situation.
Which person should you email in the college admissions office?
If you have met a college rep at a college fair or information session, that’s the person you should reach out to. Be sure to mention when and where you met, because they might remember you. Having a personal connection with your rep will always help.
But don’t worry if you haven’t met an admissions officer from the college you want to contact. You can find your admissions officer by looking on the college’s website.
Usually admissions officers are assigned to cover certain geographical locations. Sometimes schools assign multiple admissions officers to large cities, and sometimes one admissions officer covers a whole region of the country.
Each particular school assigns admissions counselors differently. It just depends on the size of the college and where their students typically come from. Find the person who is responsible for your location.
Sometimes geographical regions are assigned to teams of admissions officers. In that case, you can email any of the people assigned to your region.
The admissions rep or reps responsible for your geographic region will read your college essay and application, so your email may be their first opportunity to get to know you.
Always start with an admissions representative, not the Dean of Admissions. It’s the job of college admissions officers to answer questions from prospective students. Needlessly escalating your question won’t make a good impression.
What to do before writing your college admissions email
Look on the university’s website
If you have a question, search for the answer on the college website. Delve into the Admissions Office webpage. Click through to all the sections that might answer your question.
If you have questions about academic departments, go to their specific websites. If you have questions about scholarships, look at the financial aid website.
You will not make a good impression if you email your admissions counselor to ask a question that you could have answered by looking on their website.
Being willing to do your own research and seek out information indicates you are ready to take on college classes. Asking someone else to find information for you isn’t impressive.
If you have looked on the college website but still can’t find the information you need, be sure to mention this in your email!
Get ready to be on their radar
Before reaching out to a college admissions office, clean up all your social media accounts. That means look through all your posts and photos to see if anything reflects badly on you.
Check to see that someone else hasn’t tagged you on a post that doesn’t reflect who you really are.
Maintaining an appropriate public presence is an increasingly important factor in the college admissions process.
Have an appropriate email address
Now might be the best time to leave behind the email address you created in third grade, especially if it’s something silly or embarrassing.
It’s better to use a more professional email address for your college admissions. Something with your name is perfect. If you want to be more creative, use your graduation year or expected major.
Also, don’t use your high school email address. You’ll lose access to that email address after you graduate from high school.
You don’t want to miss emails from your new college just because you can no longer access the email address that they have on file. Simply create a new free email account, and you’ll be all set.
Having a new email address that you just use for college applications helps make it easy to check your email and keep up with correspondence from colleges.
When should you email your college admissions office?
You should email your college admissions office as early as possible in the process. If you have questions about the application timeline or application materials, reach out as soon as you can with your questions.
By writing your college admissions officer early, you’ll demonstrate that you are serious about applying to their college. You’ll also show that you are organized and have good time management skills.
More importantly, contacting your admissions officer early in the admissions process will give them time to respond to you.
It would be terrible if you were waiting on a reply and delayed submitting your application, but then missed the deadline.
Remember, it’s your responsibility to contact the admissions office early enough that they have plenty of time to respond to you. Don’t expect to send them an email on the day before everything is due and get an immediate response!
When shouldn’t you write an email to a college admissions officer
Don’t send an email When you’re angry or upset
Don’t write a letter to your college admissions officer when you’re angry or upset.
If you’re writing in a moment of high emotion, you might write something that will reflect badly on you and make the situation worse.
If you are angry or upset, do these things before sending an email:
- Write down your feelings on a piece of paper. That way you can express your feelings, but there’s no way you can accidentally hit send.
- Walk away from the situation for 24 hours. Give yourself some time to cool off and think before responding.
- Ask yourself if you have misunderstood the situation. Consider writing an email that asks for clarification, rather than demands a certain response.
- Think about why you’re really upset and consider if sending an email to the admissions counselor will really do anything to solve the problem.
Don’t send an email if you don’t actually have a question
Don’t email your admissions officer when you don’t have a question.
Don’t email your admissions officer just because you think it will demonstrate interest.
Admissions officers are busy, busy, busy. If you have something specific (especially something positive) to say about your tour guide on a recent campus tour or you have questions after making some college visits, emailing will show engagement and demonstrate interest.
Also, if you want to follow up on a conversation you had at a college fair, it’s okay to send an email to your college rep without asking a question. College fairs can be quite busy, so if you can make a positive impression by sending a follow-up email, go for it!
If you think the email could be perceived as a waste of your admission counselor’s time, then you’re better off not sending it.
Seven Mistakes to avoid in a letter to a college admissions office
In order to make a good impression when emailing your college admissions counselor, there are several mistakes you’ll want to avoid when sending an email. Don’t ask questions the admission officer couldn’t possibly answer
For example, don’t ask “Will I be able to get a job after I graduate?” Instead, ask what kind of internship placement and career counseling the college provides.
The Don’ts of emailing college admissions
1. Don’t send an unnecessary email
Refrain from emailing your admissions counselor just to introduce yourself. That’s what your application is for.
2. Don’t send memes
You might think they’re funny, but they’re not appropriate in an email to your college admissions counselor.
3. Don’t get creative with your text
Just use a plain black font in a standard size. Make your email easy to read. Don’t add colored text, a colored background, or any animation.
4. Don’t type in all caps
When you type in all caps, IT READS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING AT THE READER! No one enjoys being yelled at, even in an email.
5. Don’t ramble
An email to your college admissions officer is not the place to tell your whole life’s story. Save that for your admissions essay!
Similarly, you don’t need to share your academic record or extracurricular achievements. You’ll also talk about those in your application. Keep your email focused and to the point.
6. Don’t flag your email as urgent
Remember, your failure to plan does not constitute an emergency for the admissions officer. You may want a response urgently, but you’ll just have to wait patiently for a response.
7. Don’t brag
Email your admissions counselor to ask a question or get help. But remember that your college application tells them all about your grades, test scores, extracurriculars, and overall awesomeness.
15 Tips for how to write a letter to a college admissions office
This email may be your first introduction to your college admissions officer, so you’ll want to get it right.
Now you know all the things to avoid when writing a letter to the admissions office, so let’s look at what you should do.
These tips for communicating with a college admissions officewill help you write an effective letter to a college admissions counselor.
The Dos of emailing college admissions
1. Do Choose an appropriate email address
Don’t use an email address like minecraft1234@email.com. Make a new address for communicating with colleges. Choose something that includes your name, so you can use this as your new professional email address.
2. Do Write a helpful subject line
Use a clear subject title that sums up why you’re writing. Don’t just say “Question.”
Write “Allergy-friendly dining hall options?” or “Supplemental scholarship essay question.”
Using a clear subject helps the admissions officer search for and keep track of your email.
Also, be sure your subject line is not in all caps.
3. Do Greet the admissions officer and address them correctly
Always address the admissions officer professionally. Open your email with a greeting, like “Hello,” then address the recipient as Mr. (last name) or Ms. (last name).
If you are unsure of whether the person’s title is Mr. or Ms., use their full name.
So you might start your email like this:
Good morning, Mr. Jacobs,
Hi Ms. Smith,
Hello Taylor Jones,
4. Do Introduce yourself
Keep it simple. Tell the admissions officer your full name. Don’t talk about your qualifications or accomplishments–save that for your admissions essay.
5. Do Explain why you’re emailing
Say that you are interested in applying to that specific college, then explain why you are emailing.
For example, say that:
- You have a question, but you can’t find the answer on the college website
- You want to clarify something before you continue with the application process
- You would like waiver for the application fee and why you need one
- You have a concern about a discrepancy in the portal
6. Do get to the point
Ask your question or state your problem. Be specific and efficient with your description of your problem or your question.
Write a concise email that provides all the information your counselor might need to help you. Don’t make the admissions officer guess what your purpose in in writing to them.
7. Do your research
As mentioned above, before you even think about sending an email to your admissions counselor, do your own research to try to answer your question.
College websites are pretty comprehensive. For any given school, you can find lots of information online.
Sometimes you might have to spend some time looking through the website to find what you’re looking for. (If the information was hard to find, be sure to bookmark it so you can come back to it easily.)
Check the Admissions Office FAQs to see if your questions about admission are answered there.
Similarly, you may find FAQs on the financial aid, residential life, and dining services webpages, as well as the departmental sites.
All college campuses provide information online about campus visits and how to make reservations for a campus tour.
If you ask the admission officer a question that you could and should have easily answered yourself, you give the impression that you don’t know how to conduct your own research or that you expect someone else to do that for you. It’s not a good look!
For example, don’t ask questions like:
- Can freshmen bring a car to campus?
- Should I major in math or economics?
- How late is the dining hall open?
Ask questions that genuinely are not answered anywhere on the college website. Meaning, if you have a question about job placement rates, go to the college’s career services webpage and see what you can find out.
If you have a question about the dorms, go to the college’s residential life webpage and look for floor plans or photos.
Make a positive impression by asking specific questions that you can’t find answers for on the school website.
8. Be respectful and polite
It should go without saying, but say please when you ask for help. And thank the admissions officer at the end or your email.
Remember that every bit of correspondence with your admissions rep is part of your college application. Be appreciative of the important role they play in your college admissions journey.
9. Don’t make demands
Explain your situation or question, and humbly ask for their help and expertise.
10. Do Make it easy to contact you
At the end of your email, provide your full name (again) and contact information.
It’s best to type out your email, give your phone number, and provide your mailing address. You want to make it easy for the admissions officer to contact you to respond to your query.
11. Do Be easy to understand
Don’t use abbreviations or slang. College admissions officers have a lot on their plates. If you want their help, don’t make them struggle to decipher your question.
12. Do Edit your email or letter before you send it
Be sure your email to the admissions officer makes sense and that your question is clear. You should make it easy for the admissions officer to respond to you.
Again, be sure you are polite and have addressed the admissions officer directly. You want to put your best self forward and make a good impression!
13. Do Proofread for grammatical errors and misspellings
You want to make the very best possible impression on your admission officer. Treat this email as you would any other part of your college application. Proofread it carefully to look for grammatical mistakes and misspelled words.
Also check your email for tone. This is hard to quantify, but you basically want to be sure the reader would not misunderstand the tone of your voice in the email. For example, check carefully to see that your email doesn’t sound impatient, demanding, or angry.
If you are sending the same email to multiple schools, be sure you remove any reference to another school!
14. Do Be patient when awaiting a reply
Admissions officers deal with hundreds, even thousands of applicants, so they have a lot of responsibilities.
Give them time to reply. Don’t send follow-up emails until they respond to you or if you haven’t heard from them after three days.
15. Respond as quickly as possible when they get back to you.
Be respectful of the time and effort your admission rep put into answering your email.
Quickly respond by thanking them for answering your question and asking any other follow-up questions you have.
Sample email to college admissions office
Here are three sample emails to a college admission office. These example letters will help you draft a great email to an admissions officer.
Email to admissions officer: Sample 1
Hello Ms. Lewis,
My name is Hailey Smith. I’m interested in applying to New College of Florida in the fall.
I have severe food allergies. After searching the website for information on how New College accommodates food allergies, I am still unclear on whether my allergies would be accommodated in the dining hall. I want to be sure that New College would be a good fit for me.
Can you provide me with more clarification about how New College of Florida works with students with food allergies to provide safe food options? If this is not a question you can answer, please put me in touch with the right person in dining services.
Thank you for your help!
Best regards,
Hailey Smith
Cell, Email, Address
This email is brief and to the point.
It states what the applicant’s concern is and indicates that they’ve already tried to research and obtain more information.
It clearly states what the writer would like the admissions officer to do.
Email to admissions officer: Sample 2
Dear Mr. Ortega,
My name is Caroline Post. I’m a prospective student, planning to apply to Boston University this fall.
I am interested in studying Data Science. I have a few questions about the program that I couldn’t find answers to on the Data Science webpage.
What percentage of students do paid summer internships and is there support to help students get placement in these positions?
Also, are first-year students able to assist professors with their research, or are those positions reserved for upperclassmen?
Finally, would it be possible to connect with a current student in the Data Science department?
I really appreciate your assistance! Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Caroline Post
Cell, Email, Address
This email asks thoughtful questions about the specific program the student is interested in.
The student demonstrates initiative and that she really wants to be hands-on with her chosen major.
The email is organized and friendly.
Email to admissions officer: Sample 3
Dear Ms. Maxwell,
Hello! My name is Daniel Briggs, and I’m a senior at Washington High School in Smartsburg, South Carolina. I am excited to say that I have recently been admitted to the University of Western Florida and I hope to enroll for next fall.
After receiving my acceptance letter, I checked my application portal. I realized that my ACT scores from June 2022 don’t show up in my records, even though I requested that they be sent to UWF. That is my highest ACT score, so I want to be sure it is submitted by the application deadline of December 1, so that I will be considered for the academic merit scholarships.
I have attached a copy of my personal ACT report showing that the scores should have been sent to UWF. This test was associated with my high school email account, Dan.briggs@florida.hs.edu, so perhaps that accounts for the discrepancy.
Please let me know what you discover and how I can help resolve this issue. As you can imagine, I am very concerned, because I want to present my best scores to the scholarship committee.
Thank you so much for your help!
Best wishes,
Daniel Briggs
Cell, Email, Address
This email gives the admissions officer all the information they need to help the student.
Even though the student is writing about a problem that involves potentially missing out on thousands of dollars, they remain calm and positive.
Email to Admissions Officer: Template
Here is a template to help you write an email to the college admissions department when you have a good question to ask or an issue you need help with. This is just a starting point, so customize your letter to your college admission officer so it works best for you.
Dear [title and last name or full name],
Hello! My name is [first name, last name]. I am [an admitted student, a senior who has already applied, a junior considering applying, etc.].
I have some questions about [ask your question and explain the context].
I appreciate your help. Thank you!
Sincerely,
[Your first and last name]
[Your email address, cell number, and mailing address]
FAQs about writing a letter to college admissions officers
Should the student or parent email the admissions office?
The student should email the admissions office.
While there are a few exceptions to this rule, the student should be in charge of all things related to the admission process.
It’s the student who will be attending college, who is being accepted or rejected, and who will have to navigate the halls of academia.
The student needs to take charge of the college application process, including dealing with any challenges that arise.
How do you start an email to a college admissions office?
If you know the name of your admissions officer, start the email with their name:
Dear Ms. Jackson,
Hello J.J. Hallock,
If you don’t know the name of your admission officer or you have to submit your email to a generic admissions email, simply begin with:
Dear sir or madam,
Hello USC Admissions Team,
Should I email my college admissions counselor to demonstrate interest?
Honestly, no. If you don’t have a real question about the university or need assistance with the admissions process, there’s no need to email your admissions rep.
What questions should I ask college admissions?
Ask questions about the admissions process, clubs, majors, study abroad, scholarships, or the waitlist. But only ask questions that you can’t answer yourself by looking online.
How formal should your email to the college admissions office be?
You don’t need to write an overly formal letter, but you shouldn’t be overly casual either.
Write naturally, using your own voice, but with a little more polish than you would in a casual conversation.
Avoid slang, abbreviations, and acronyms. Be pleasant and professional.
Can I text my admissions officer?
Maybe! Don’t text your admissions counselor unless they invite you to.
It’s always okay to send a well-crafted email instead of a text.
Can I email my admissions officer to make sure they have all my application materials?
If you believe your application packet to be complete, but you want confirmation that your recommendation letter or transcript has arrived, you can reach out to your admissions officer asking them to confirm receipt of all your materials.
Note that if you can check this for yourself on an online portal, then you shouldn’t send that email.
I still haven’t heard a decision from the college admissions office. Can I email to ask why?
Unless the deadlines for notification have come and gone, you shouldn’t email the college admissions office to ask why you haven’t heard anything.
Some colleges have rolling admissions, but this still doesn’t mean you’ll hear back immediately.
Many colleges release all notifications on the same date, so you’ll just have to wait, along with everyone else.
Is it ever okay to email the Dean of Admissions?
Well, emailing the Dean of Admissions should be your last resort.
It’s a good idea to follow the chain of command. Start by emailing your admissions counselor, because they’re the best person to contact first.
If they are unable to answer your question or resolve your problem, they should refer you to someone else.
If they don’t, then reach out to someone at the next level of leadership, working your way up until you get the answers you need.
Generally speaking, you should only email the Dean of Admissions directly if there is an unusual situation or you have experienced an inappropriate or unprofessional interaction with a member of the admissions team.
These situations are rare, so the likelihood of you having to escalate to the dean’s level is rare too. But if circumstances warrant it, yes, you can email the dean.
Final thoughts on how to email your college admissions officer
At every college, the admissions officers are there to help students who are applying for admission! If you have a problem with your application or a question about the college that you can’t resolve on your own, you should absolutely reach out to your admissions counselor.
Sending an email is a great way to get the necessary information to help you make decisions about whether a school is right for you, so don’t be afraid to reach out.
Keep your email professional, polite, and to the point. Always remember that even an email is a reflection of you.
By using these sample emails as a guide, you should feel better prepared to contact the admissions officer, even at your top choice college! Good luck!
