Acceptance
ak-SEP-tuns
/əkˈsɛptəns/
The act of receiving something offered, or the fact of being received as adequate, suitable, or welcome.
In college admissions, it specifically means being offered a place at the institution. It's the desired outcome for applicants.
The story behind the word. 'Acceptance' comes from the Latin verb accipere, meaning 'to take, receive.' It's formed from ad- ('to, toward') and capere ('to take'). So, an 'acceptance' is literally the act of 'taking to oneself' or 'receiving' an offer, or being 'received' by an institution.
Word relationships
- Admission: the act or process of being allowed to enter
- Approval: general term for agreement or permission
- Enrollment: the act of officially registering after being accepted
- Rejection: the act of being denied
- Denial: refusal to grant or allow
Commonly confused with
- Admittance: 'Acceptance' is the act of being admitted; 'admittance' often refers to the right or permission to enter a place, sometimes physically.
Word family
- Accept (verb): to receive willingly or agree to
- Acceptable (adjective): able to be accepted
Collocations
- acceptance letter
- acceptance rate
- offer of acceptance
- gain acceptance
- conditional acceptance
Example sentences
- "Receiving an acceptance letter from her dream university brought tears to her eyes." Positive outcome for an applicant.
- "The university's acceptance rate is notoriously low, making admission highly competitive." Statistical measure.
- "His acceptance into the honors program was a testament to his hard work and academic excellence." Admission to a specific program.
Memory hook
An ACCEPTANCE letter means the university ACCEPTS you! Accept the offer.
When not to use
While 'acceptance' can mean agreeing to something, in the college context, it almost always refers to being admitted.
Fun facts
- The term 'conditional acceptance' means you're accepted, but with certain conditions (e.g., maintaining grades).
- Some universities send out 'likely letters' to top applicants before official acceptance letters.
Related words
Also appears in
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