College admittance letters may send a wave of relief over senior applicants.  However, they do not always ensure student’s entrance into the school.
Although students admitted to college rarely see their admission rescinded, it is still a real possibility if grade requirements are not met, according to counselor Randell Kelly.
UC campuses don’t receive senior year transcripts until June or July. Then the transcripts are reviewed and admissions are rejected based on failing grades in core classes, graduation requirements, or failure to meet the course requirements for entrance into a UC.
“Students are rescinded due to academic reasons, like earning D’s or F’s on their senior report card in any graduation requirements,” Kelly said.
Since reviews of transcripts usually happen in the summer, students do not find out if they are rescinded until often it is too late to enroll in other colleges that they may have been accepted into.
According to Kelly, Redwood’s assistant principals and teachers communicate with seniors in danger of receiving a “D” or an “F” that could potentially lead to rescinded admittance.
“Colleges are not going to rescind you unless something is seriously wrong,” said Laurie Favaro, a Marin-based college counselor.  “They might give you less financial aid, or you may lose a scholarship depending on the school.”
Kelly said colleges review special cases carefully.
“Certainly there are circumstances that colleges will factor in such as illness, missed school,”  Kelly said.  “Individual cases are reviewed.”
According to an email from admissions at Cal Poly “all coursework listed as ‘in progress’ or ‘planned’ must be completed with a grade of C- (or better)” in order to be admitted for the fall term.  All California State Universities also adhere to this rule according to a Cal Poly admissions representative.
“I’ve heard that sometimes students will be given a chance to redeem themselves, through an essay or letter,” Favaro said.  “In other cases they have to scramble to find a college to attend as an alternate.”
According to The College Board, The University of Colorado Boulder has rescinded between 30 and 50 accepted students every year since 2007.
The University of Michigan sends out three different types of letters to its incoming freshmen with questionable final grades, according to The College Board. The letter types include gentle warnings, requests for an explanation, and a full revocation of admission.
“More competitive schools will generally be quicker to withdraw their acceptance and keep the kids who did keep their grades up,” Favaro said.  “The most competitive schools expect you to do well all the way through your senior year.”