Admitted vs. Accepted – Difference Explained (+Examples)

“Admitted” and “Accepted” are two different words that are sometimes used in similar contexts. This article sheds more light on their meanings and the difference between them. With examples, this article also shows the proper way to use the words in sentences.

Difference Between “Admitted” and “Accepted”

There is a significant difference between “admitted” and “accepted.” To admit someone or something means to allow them to enter or grant entrance into a particular place. To accept someone or something, on the other hand, means to approve or recognize it.

“Admitted” and “accepted” and mostly used in different contexts and are therefore not interchangeable. However, it is common to hear people say,

• I got admitted into the university

Or,

• I got accepted into the university

As previously stated, to admit someone means to grant them entrance into a particular person. To accept someone means to approve or recognize it. If you get accepted into the university, you have been approved and recognized as a student. But, if you get admitted into the university, you have been granted permission to enter the university.

Take, for example, I say,

• I got accepted into Oxford University and was admitted for the session that begins in the summer.

This means that while you, the speaker, have been recognized as a student of Oxford University, you will not be granted access to your classes till summer.

Also, take this example,

• I got admitted into Oxford University, but I am yet to accept the admission offer.

This means that while the speaker has been granted access to the university, he/she is not a recognized student yet until they accept the offer.

Being Admitted

The phrase “being admitted” means being granted access to a particular place. It also means to be put into consideration. You use the word “admitted” when you want to say that you have been given permission to enter a place.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, to admit someone means “to allow them to enter a place”. Another definition explains it as “allowing a person to join an organization”. In other contexts, being admitted could simply being allowed to enter a hospital for treatment.

It is correct to use the word “admitted” in any of the situations above. If you get admitted into a university, you have been granted permission to join the university.

To give you a better understanding of what it means to be admitted and how you can use the word in your own sentences, here are a few examples including the word “admitted”:

1. She was rushed to the hospital this morning and got admitted immediately.
2. He admitted them into his house.
3. This ticket admits only one person into the cinema.
4. Sally got admitted into Harvard yesterday.
5. My aunt got admitted into a local college to further her studies.
6. I was admitted into the civil service community.
7. I’m hoping to get admitted into the university before summer.

Being Accepted

Being accepted means to be approved or recognized generally. If something or someone is accepted by a group of people, they recognize them as one of them or approve of them. You use the word “accepted” when you want to explain that you are approved of.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines being accepted as “being considered as satisfactory”. It also defines it as being allowed to become a member of an organization. If you accept something, you say yes to the proposal or the invite.

If you get accepted into a university, you have been recognized as a satisfactory member of the university. If you accept to become a student at a university, it means that you have agreed to the invitation extended to you by the university.

The word “accepted” is not only used in contexts that involve a university. It is also correct to use the word when referring to other situations that involve being approved of.

To give you a better understanding of the word, here are a few examples showing the use of “accepted” in different contexts:

1. I accepted the admission offer the moment I saw it.
2. My friend and I got accepted into the sorority club.
3. The board of directors accepted the budget proposal provided by the finance department.
4. I was unable to accept the party invitation because I had no free time.
5. Sally got accepted into her community college.
6. I was accepted as a member of the planning committee.
7. The call for a new student president was accepted by the majority of the students.

Final Thoughts

You cannot use accepted” and “admitted” interchangeably because they mean different things. To be admitted means to be granted permission to enter a certain place; to be accepted means to be approved or recognized generally or by a specific group of people.

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Be Accepted To or Be Accepted Into – Which Is Correct?
I Got Accepted or I Was Accepted – Which Is Correct?
Enrolled vs. Admitted – Difference Explained (+Examples)