<p>Did he get admitted anywhere affordable?</p>
<p>The main use of a gap year would be for a student who:</p>
<ul>
<li>gets completely shut out (i.e. no admissions to any affordable college)</li>
<li>is advanced enough that starting at community college would cause him/her to be stalled in progress because s/he will reach junior level courses too early</li>
<li>has a worthwhile gap year plan (which may be just working)</li>
<li>has a realistic different set of colleges to apply to next time (repeat applications are unlikely to be successful)</li>
</ul>
<p>But many other students who get shut out just start at community college and transfer as juniors to universities to complete their bachelor’s degrees.</p>