As you open the much-anticipated offer letter mail from your desired university, a flurry of joy and happiness overtakes you. However, it is not the time to lose composure. On receiving the mail, you must revert as soon as possible with an admission acceptance letter reply. You must express your interest in admission to the course by writing an offer letter acceptance mail. It is one of the first and foremost tasks you must accomplish on your long to-do list.
It is extremely important for students to let the admission committee know if they are planning to accept the offer letter or not as the same may be passed to other eligible candidates. Therefore, it is a matter of great responsibility and quick action must be taken in this regard. Most universities provide students with a window of one to two weeks to decide and reply. The offer acceptance letter must be short, crisp and drafted carefully to indicate your decision. Here in this article, we provide a guideline on how to respond to college acceptance letter while stating your intention to enrol with them and express gratitude to recipients.
What is an Offer Letter Acceptance Mail?
An offer letter acceptance mail is an invitation sent by a foreign university confirming the applicant’s admission to the chosen course.
Universities, after going through the applications, send an admission acceptance letter reply to those students who successfully clear the admission process. These letters of acceptance indicate a final decision on admission on the part of the university.
Students receiving the Offer Letter Acceptance mail can respond with a letter of approval, in which they accept the offer to study at the university. Once they respond, they can coordinate with the university for further procedures including tuition fees, student ID generation, schedule of classes, accommodation, etc.
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Things to Do After Receiving the Offer Letter Acceptance mail
As established, receiving the Offer Letter Acceptance mail is not the last leg of your study abroad process. There are still a lot of things to do after that. Though it will be easier to simply mention them, it won’t be of any use. Hence, here is an organised checklist of the things to do after receiving the admission acceptance letter reply.
Check Deadlines and Other Options
On receiving the Offer Letter Acceptance mail from any university, students must first check the deadline to respond to the university. Generally, universities allow a period of two to three weeks to respond to their offer of acceptance.
Additionally, they need to wait for responses from other universities, to which they have applied for admission.
Send Acceptance
Once the student receives all the letters of acceptance or the ones they prefer, they need to select the university they want to study at and send back a response of affirmation.
It is possible that the universities' deadlines and letters do not coordinate with each other. Hence, students are advised to prioritise their preferred universities well in advance to avoid missing any deadlines.
Students must note that they can send their affirmation to Offer Letter Acceptance mail to only a single university.
Apply for Scholarships
Once students have responded with affirmation, to the admission acceptance letter reply, they need to explore the scholarship programmes available for international students at the university. They can also connect with the university and explore the programmes for which they are eligible to apply.
If the programmes shortlisted required separate scholarship applications, then they must submit the same.
Similar to university acceptance, they will get confirmation of their eligibility for applied scholarships. Further, they will have to select one scholarship programme among all the programmes they were accepted for.
Get Vaccinated
Even before the vaccinations relevant to Covid-19 became mandatory, there has been a list of vaccinations that a student is required to have been administered with before they fly to a certain study abroad destination. These may include vaccinations for Hepatitis B, Measles, Small Pox, etc.
Students are required to check out all the required vaccinations to move to their selected study abroad destination and get those administered along with the updated certifications.
Apply for Student Visa
Students are expected to have been preparing the required documents to apply for a Student Visa to their study abroad destination. If they receive their Offer Letter Acceptance mail at an appropriate time, they can include it and submit their visa application.
Students are advised to not wait for more than 15 days to submit visa applications after applying for their admission, as visa processing may take anywhere between two and three months. However, it is true that an Offer Letter Acceptance mail will ease the process, hence, if they receive their desired university’s mail on time, they can apply for Student Visa with it.
Apply for Insurances
There are many insurances which are either compulsory to enter a particular study abroad destination or they are recommended to have a good experience as an international student abroad. All compulsory insurances are not avoidable, however, even if certain insurances, such as medical insurance and travel insurance, are not compulsory they must still be applied for.
Apply for a New Bank Account
Students are advised to have an account in a multinational bank that operates actively in their study abroad destination as well as their home country. This will help them when transacting and transferring amounts abroad as international students.
Students can approach their existing bank(s) and enquire about their services and presence in the study abroad destination. They must also enquire about remittances, charges, service charges on transfers and exchange, general fluctuation rates, etc. so that they can draw a personal budget.
Education Loan
Students have to apply for education loans as well on the basis of their acceptance letters. There are many banks and financial institutions which offer education loans on a full cover of probable educational expenses. Students are advised to apply for all good loan policies and select the one which suits their circumstances the best.
Students will have to draw a detailed schedule for tuition fees and other educational expenses. The loan amount shall be decided on the basis of probable expenses, the institution’s reputation, and the scope of course accepted.
Book Accommodation
International students can choose between on-campus and off-campus accommodation while studying abroad. They will have to book the appropriate accommodation before flying to their study abroad destination.
To book on-campus accommodation, they can connect with their university’s administration. They can enquire about food, electricity, and other surcharges and services, and the way they are charged for them.
To book off-campus accommodation, students can connect with the university’s administration, if they provide the relevant service. Alternatively, they can connect with other students of the university or explore opportunities through accommodation-finding platforms.
Prepare to Fly to Study Abroad Destination
Finally, students have to book a flight to their study abroad destination. Students will have to factor in duration, routes, departure and arrival dates, location and time, prices, and on-flight services, before booking a flight ticket.
How to Respond to a College Acceptance Letter?
One of the things to do after receiving the Offer Letter Acceptance mail is to respond to the chosen university with an affirmation for admission. In order to know how to respond to college acceptance letter, students are required to keep in mind five things while writing the response. Each has been described below:
1. Formal Letter Format
Students will get an idea of the format by looking at the admission acceptance letter reply. They have to follow the exact same format as the university has followed in the Offer Letter Acceptance mail.
Generally, the format to be followed is that of a formal letter.
2. Express Gratitude
Students must use the first paragraph as the introduction. It should be used to bring up the fact of receiving an Offer Letter Acceptance mail and expressing gratitude for it.
Gratitude must be expressed in concrete but limited words to avoid a flattering tone.
3. Express Intent to Enroll
The Intent to enrol must be expressed at the end of the introduction paragraph as a statement. It should be described more in the description paragraph. The paragraph should include intent to enquire about class schedule, timings, travel, tuition fee schedule, visa application form, scholarship details, and accommodation details.
4. Conclude with Further Expectations
Lastly, the concluding paragraph must be written expressing your expectation of a reply to the details enquired, and gratitude for entertaining the additional queries.
5. Include Relevant Contact Information
The address and other contact details shall be included in the beginning. Additionally, students are advised to add appropriate contact information either at the end of the second paragraph or as a ‘PS’.
Tips for Responding to a College Acceptance Letter
While responding to a college acceptance letter, students are advised to keep in mind the following handy tips:
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Follow Specific Instructions: If the mail mentions clear instructions about how a response should be given, they must be followed word-to-word without fail.
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Proper Subject Line: The subject line must not exceed 8-10 words, and must properly express the intent of the letter, such as ‘Responding to Offer Letter Acceptance Mail Received on July 5, 2022’.
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Edit for Grammar and Spelling Errors: Students must not surpass editing as the last step of finalising the response letter. They must check for grammar and spelling errors and correct them. The letter reflects their communication skills and must be properly written.
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Ideal Word Count: The introduction and concluding paragraphs must be limited to 80 words at most, with an error of 5 words. Description paragraph can be written as per the requirements, but it must not exceed 125 words. The overall word count of the body while responding to a college acceptance letter must not exceed 250 words in any case.
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Coordinate Letter Format: The letter format must coordinate with the mail. It shows what the university expects from the student in their response.
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Paragraph Count: The paragraph count must be at least three and not more than four. The additional paragraph may be used after the description, and a summary of important details, like contact information.
Writing an offer letter acceptance mail is the first step in your booking your seat at the university. The letter must be positive and thankful in its approach. Ensure that the letter is free from any errors. After this, you will have to secure your enrollment by paying the admission fees. There are several other activities that you need to complete post-admission so responding to the offer letter acceptance mail as soon as possible will kickstart your moving to the study abroad process.
For end-to-end assistance including visa assistance, please write to us at abroad@collegedekho.com.
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