I am interested to hear that almost 70% of applicants apply more than once. Is this statistic just for Korean Summer? Do you know last year’s range of acceptance rates across the different summer language programs? I wish students had more factual information on admit rates and trends. Thank you for any additional information you can provide.
1 Like
This post is for future applicants. Definitely have a back up summer plan. We figured my son would get in as he is a strong candidate but he was rejected and is now scrambling for back up summer plans. So definitely apply but have a back up plan too. It is a very competitive world!
1 Like
Is there a specific reason(s) for being rejected?
There are usually a few reasons why one might be rejected. Some examples are:
- a recommendation letter may have indicated that the participant does not deal well with challenges and leadership
- the applicant’s essay answers were not clear enough or poorly written. Good essays include the story, the resolution, and what the participant learned from the experience. Evaluators want to know all that information!
- NSLI-Y heavily favors upperclassmen as they have fewer chances to apply, so freshman and sophomores have a higher chance of rejection
- previous experience abroad such as other summer programs abroad or living in a country during childhood. Some finalists do have prior experience abroad, so this won’t necessarily disqualify an applicant, but it might affect their application negatively.
- poor interview answers, obvious lack of interest during interview, heavily rehearsed answers.
This bit is aimed more towards future applicants, but it does also answer your question.
- Faking/manipulating interests, passions, and desires to study abroad
It becomes apparent if one is trying to force themself to being the perfect candidate. Trying to “fake it 'till you make it” is really obvious to evaluators and interviewers and is sure to get an application rejected. If you want to be a programmer, put that on your application! If you want to be a nurse, put that on your application! Don’t put global ambassador if you have no interest in it. If your career doesn’t require language skills, research ways to incorporate it into your career that make a positive and unique impact.
There are many reasons why one would be rejected, this is just what I’ve noticed are the main ones.
Hope this answers your question! 
Any idea how many people applied and how many got in for Korea?
Based on a Notice of Funding document from 2022, there are 85 spots for summer finalists and 15 for AY finalists. There’s a very rough estimate of an 11-15% acceptance rate for the Korean programs (being as it is a very popular language choice), so there are maybe 556-772 applicants for the summer program and maybe 100-136 applicants for the AY program. It’s very competitive!
If you are interested in seeing how many spots are available for all programs, googling “NSLI-Y notice of funding” should bring up the document! I couldn’t find one for 2023, so there’s a chance there are more spots to accommodate the program’s increasing popularity.
1 Like
This statistic isn’t just for Korean summer, but it is very difficult to get in on the first try. While, I don’t know if that is the exact number, many people reapply either because of rejection, they were given alternate status and never moved up or want to apply to another program.
These are not exact numbers. They are approximations from NSLIY’s 2020 grant document for the 2021-2022 application cycle. **
Arabic: 95 summer / 15 ay
Mandarin : 200 summer / 35 ay
Hindi: 35 summer / 5 ay
Indonesian : 15 summer
Korean: 85 summer / 15 ay
Tajiki: 15 summer
Russian : 110 summer / 16 ay
Turkish: 15 summer / 5 for ay
Unfortunately, NSLIY doesn’t disclose a lot of information about numbers or acceptance rates. But SillyApplicant listed a lot of numbers previously on the thread that are the most recent.
When do the academic year acceptances typically get notified?
Since acceptance and completion of various forms by the end of March, there has not been any updates from NSLI-Y or ACES. Does anyone know when language training will start?
They usually start a few days after the summer rejections. Last year, I first AY acceptances were sent out on April 8th, although they do release AY languages more sporadically compared to summer. So hopefully AY applicants can hear any day soon!
2 Likes
Hi Sorry to bother you again. Do you know when rejection letters go out? Have other people received rejection notification? I was a candidate for Summer Russian 2023. I am trying to close this process and do not understand after being a semi finalist and interviewing we should get a letter or email? I am not upset and have taken another offer, but after the effort and time a notification seems appropriate. Thanks again for serving as an ambassador to the program.
My son received a Korean rejection letter April 3.
My son was admitted on 3/13/22 for Mandarin (Taiwan).
Has anyone heard anything about Korean AY announcements?
Not yet but finalist notifications close Friday (April 21st) so they should start coming out soon
1 Like
Hi, yes, yesterday…I don’t know if they are done, but on Discord some finalists and alternates have heard…
If you do not get it this year, don’t give up. It seems like persistence helps. If eligible, do the virtual session; a previous session in summer or virtual seems to help. Good luck!
I was notified about a month ago that I made it as a finalist for Tajikistan after being an alternate. Apparently there are only 12 finalists. I am very lucky getting in as a sophmore.
1 Like