If You Receive an "Invitation to Apply" and a "Fee Waiver" are your chances of acceptance higher?

[NonTrad14]

I received an invitation to apply with a fee waiver to Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, for their PhD Program in Psychology.  Is this any indicaiton of a higher probability of acceptance?

 

Thank you!

[sunpenguin]

I received this too, and so did the girl who sat in front of me at the GRE subject exam. My impression had been that they sent this out automatically to anyone who created an account, but the theory of the girl I met at the exam was that they automatically send it out to everyone whose GPA is above a certain cutoff. If my first impression is correct, then no, it probably is no reflection on our chances of admission. But if the GPA theory is correct, it could be an indication that they'll be giving our applications some extra attention.

 

Either way, good luck!

[MsDarjeeling]

I think the answer to this question depends on which school has done this and how many were sent out.  Some schools may extend this offer based on gpa, attendance at a certain event, a degree program they're trying to expand, etc.  It's yet another advertising tool and a form email that could have been sent to anyone is a hint.  Under those circumstances it isn't really a selective offer so no I don't think it improves your chances of admission.    

 

Now I have heard of circumstances where a student was interested in a particular program at a very well known school, visited for more information, and someone important met with them and then chose to waive their application fee.  That may not be something that happens to every single interested person so it may suggest improved chances of admission. 

[Loric]

In my field, being invited to apply is pretty much an acceptance as long as you meet the school's minimums. However, those invites come from the department itself - as in hand written by someone on the faculty, not a form letter.

[pohks]

I received the same invitation and application fee waiver from Brandeis, too, although my field is different. The email said that the invitation was sent based on my TOEFL scores (?!) and intended field of study. Honestly, I doubt that the invitation increases the chances to get admitted; they probably send out the invitations to increase the number of applicants.

[TakeruK]

When you register for the GRE, there is a box you can click on to get offers like this from schools. If the offer came from a source like this, then it's probably not an indicator of your ability to be accepted. Like others above said, it could just be a form of advertising, or a school that doesn't normally get the high end of applicants trying to attract applications from top students. I also got these invitations to programs that were not even in my field!!

 

However, like Loric said, if you get a personal invitation to apply, from a professor that knows you personally in the department, and that prof worked it out with the University somehow to waive your application fee, then it might be a good sign that you're going to be accepted. At least, it's a sign that this prof would want you to apply and thinks you could make a good fit in their department. But in my experience, I've heard many profs make promises or guesses that turn out to not work out at all -- one prof rarely has the power to sway an entire committee so if the prof is wrong about how much the department will like you, then it might not work out! (But if the school does not do admission by committee then it is an even better sign).

[Loric]

It really depends on the major/emphasis.

 

In the arts, a single professor can push someone through by just writing an email that says "Accept XYZ, offer fellowship, tuition waiver, and GA position. Thank you."

 

My understanding is that it rarely works that way in other areas, or even in some of the arts departments at some schools. I also think in the arts you're more likely to have a single professor for an emphasis who all the others will defer to and not really question. 

[juilletmercredi]

In my field a single professor usually doesn't have all that power...they can advocate for a person and push that person through, but the applicant also has to be a good applicant in the first place and appealing to the department.  However, if it's a good application and the professor really wants the applicant, the rest of the department will usually let them through.  There's no reason not to.

 

But if this is a form letter invitation and fee waiver on the basis of GRE scores - no, not necessarily.  It's a recruiting tool.  Maybe Brandeis wants to increase the quality of its doctoral program by increasing the competitiveness of the students, or maybe they want to increase diversity.  Even if it's a big(ish) program - let's say they take in 12 students per year - three people just in this one thread got the invitation, so I would be willing to bet that more than 12 students got one.