Decline a PA School Acceptance: Email Templates

Decline a PA School Acceptance: Email Templates

Decline a PA school acceptance by email to the program, in three or four sentences, the day you decide. The CASPA agreement sets the outer limit: within five calendar days of matriculating at a PA program, you must tell every other program still considering you that you withdraw.

Our view: declining fast is the professional move, and it is how the next applicant on that program's list gets your seat. The email needs no explanation and no name of the program you chose. Four constructed emails below cover the common cases, followed by CASPA's own withdrawal statement.

Every CASPA and PAEA page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026, for the 2026-2027 CASPA cycle.

What CASPA and the Code require

PAEA's CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation lists this among applicant responsibilities: "Accept or decline all interview invitations and offers of acceptance in a timely and considerate manner." The 2026-2027 CASPA Applicant User Agreement, linked from PAEA's CASPA page, makes the last step a rule:

20. Within five (5) calendar days of matriculation at a PA program to which I have been admitted, I must notify all other designated programs for which my application is still under consideration that I no longer wish to be considered for admission to their program.

Clause 20 runs from matriculation. PAEA's PA Program Admissions Resource (2023) lists "Offer Accepted" and "Matriculated" as separate WebAdMIT decision codes, so the clock starts later than your acceptance. Five days after you matriculate is the deadline, not the plan. Who you write to depends on what you are leaving:

None of these gets a refund. CASPA's refund page says "no refunds can be issued for any reason" once you submit (Refunding/Withdrawing Your CASPA Application).

Decline a PA school interview

Constructed example: declining an interview invitation

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email. Context (invented): Nina Shah has accepted an offer elsewhere and has an interview invitation from Selkirk College.

Subject: Declining interview invitation, Nina Shah, CAS ID 0000000000

Dear Selkirk College PA Admissions Office,

Thank you for inviting me to interview. I have accepted an offer at another program, so I am declining the interview and withdrawing my application so the date can go to another applicant.

Sincerely, Nina Shah

Send it the day you accept elsewhere. If the program scheduled you through CASPA's My Interviews page, the email still goes to the program.

Reschedule a PA school interview

Constructed example: asking to move an interview date

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email. Context (invented): Bram Okonjo has a required clinical shift on his scheduled interview day.

Subject: Interview date change request, Bram Okonjo, CAS ID 0000000000

Dear Gilchrist University PA Admissions Office,

I am scheduled to interview on November 18 and am grateful for the invitation. I have a required shift that day that I cannot move. If another date is available, I could attend on November 20 or any day the week of November 30.

Thank you, Bram Okonjo

It gives a reason in one sentence and two concrete options. Ask once, as early as you can.

Withdraw from a PA school waitlist

Constructed example: leaving an alternate list

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email. Context (invented): Celia Marquand is on Ossory State's alternate list and has accepted a seat she will keep.

Subject: Withdrawal from alternate list, Celia Marquand, CAS ID 0000000000

Dear Ossory State PA Admissions Committee,

Thank you for keeping me on your alternate list. I have accepted a seat at another program and am withdrawing so the place can go to another applicant.

Sincerely, Celia Marquand

If you sent this program a letter of continued interest, this email ends it. If you sent it a letter of intent, that letter promised you would accept its offer; this email withdraws the promise, so send it the day you decide. How lists move after you leave is in the PA waitlist, alternate list and hold status guide.

Decline a PA school acceptance after you paid a deposit

In PAEA's CASPA Program Directory, which programs fill in themselves, 310 of the 324 programs that list a seat deposit call it non-refundable. Expect not to get it back, and do not argue for it in the email. The amounts and the exceptions are in the PA school seat deposit guide.

Constructed example: declining an accepted seat

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's email. Context (invented): Jun Takahara paid a non-refundable deposit at Larchmont University, then was admitted to the program Jun prefers.

Subject: Declining my seat, Jun Takahara, CAS ID 0000000000

Dear Larchmont University PA Admissions Office,

I am writing to decline my seat in the class entering in 2027. I have accepted an offer at another program. I understand my deposit is non-refundable.

Please let me know if any other step is needed to complete my withdrawal.

Thank you for your support, Jun Takahara

"Declining" is in the subject line and the first sentence, so staff can act on it without a reply. The deposit line closes the topic in six words.

Withdraw from the whole CASPA cycle

If your application is not yet Verified and you want out of every program, CASPA's help center says to email support@caspa.myliaison.com "with your full name, CAS ID, and the following statement":

"I authorize CASPA to withdraw my application from the 2026-2027 application cycle. Furthermore, I understand that no refunds can be granted for applications that have already been submitted."

CASPA adds that "withdrawal requests must be received via email—requests are not accepted via telephone or chat." Once your application is Verified, this route closes: write to each program instead, using the interview or waitlist email above.

Questions about declining a PA school

Do I have to give a reason when I decline a PA school?

No. The Code asks for a "timely and considerate" reply. One clause ("I have accepted an offer at another program") is enough, and you need not name it.

Can I decline by phone?

You can call, but send the email too. CASPA accepts its own withdrawal statement only by email, and a written decline gives the program a record.

How fast must I decline after accepting elsewhere?

The rule is five calendar days after you matriculate. Our recommendation is the day you decide, because a program's alternate list can only move once you leave.

Will declining hurt me if I reapply?

None of the CASPA or PAEA pages above says it does. A considerate decline is what the Code asks for.

Declining an MD acceptance instead? See how to decline a medical school acceptance. For the CASPA system itself, see what CASPA is. More guides are on the medical school essays hub.

Review the writing you send next

Get a free Quick Review of your letter of intent before it goes to the program you are still waiting on: it checks that the letter gives that program a specific reason and a commitment you will keep. The emails above are short enough to send as written; if what you have for that program is news, the update letter rubric reads for what changed since your interview. The five-day withdrawal rule and the rest of the pre-matriculation list are in accepted to PA school next steps.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• PAEA, CASPA Admissions Code of Cooperation: accept or decline in a timely and considerate manner.
• PAEA, 2026-2027 CASPA Applicant User Agreement and Release (last updated January 22, 2026; linked from PAEA's CASPA page): clause 20.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Refunding/Withdrawing Your CASPA Application: withdrawal statement; email only; no refunds; Verified applications go to programs.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Deleting CASPA Programs: submitted programs cannot be removed.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, Viewing Interview Requests: interview changes go to the program.
• CASPA Applicant Help Center, CASPA Customer Service: admission decisions and interview questions go to programs.
• PAEA, CASPA Program Directory (2026-2027 application cycle, self-reported): non-refundable deposit count, our tally.
• PAEA, PA Program Admissions Resource (2023, written for programs): WebAdMIT decision codes.