Should H.S. Seniors Submit Fall Grades to Colleges?

Earlier in November, nearly all students who work with Ivy Link applied Early Decision (ED) and Early Action (EA) to their top choice colleges. ED and EA are a great way for students to boost their admissions chances. Now it’s time for students to prepare their Regular Decision (RD) applications put together while they wait for the ED/EA results. 

In the meantime, we want to address a question students often ask: “If I appliedED/EA, should I submit my fall semester grades to those colleges?”

The short answer: yes. 

If students receive high grades, they will want to show admissions officers that they are still on the right track academically. Colleges want to be reassured that the applicants are still committed to academic success and achieving excellence.

If students don’t submit their grades, admissions officers might see the absence as a red flag. They might assume that the student’s grades are mediocre or even terrible, or that the student’s academic performance has slipped. Ivy Link’s general guidelines for our students is that the more evidence of academic excellence an applicant submits to the admissions office, the better their chances of acceptance. So if the student’s grades are great, make sure to submit them! Don’t give college admissions officers a reason to wonder if the student might be hiding something. 

But what if the student’s grades aren’t great? This can happen. There are a number of reasons why a student’s grades might slip. We still recommend that students submit their grades. Most colleges will allow applicants to submit an explanation as to why their grades have fallen, giving them the chance to explain the sudden change. But the hard truth is, even if students don’t submit their grades, the college will still see those grades eventually or the high schools will submit the official midterm or final grades anyway. There is no hiding them. Being forthright looks better than trying to hide the grades. 

Reach out to your high school and arrange to have your official fall term grades submitted as soon as possible. If you need to explain certain inconsistencies or a slip in academic performance, speak with your school’s guidance counselor or one of our advisors.

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