How to decline offers (courteously)

[HenryB]

First of all, for anyone here also got >1 acceptances, congratulations!!!!
But then we are going to face a problem: we have to turn down some of the offers.
What we should and shouldn't say in the email? Does anyone have any advice or examples for us to look at?
Thanks

[bstrekha]

The ones I got into had a link where you just click accept or decline. For decline, it asked for where you were thinking of going instead and whether it was for reputation, location, research, etc.

If you are required to let them know in email, I'd figure a simple "Thank you so much for your offer, but after thinking it through I have decided to take the offer of admission from another university." Or something along those lines should be fine.

It's not like they are expecting everyone to say yes. In fact, schools offer more admissions and expect around 25-35% to accept the offer.

[astroprof]

While some universities require you to click an accept or decline button, this information does not necessarily get back to the department in a timely manner. Thus, it may also be helpful if you also send a short note to your point of contact in the department (administrative assistant or faculty member). Your response to the department does not need to be longwinded. While we appreciate learning which school you have chosen to attend, you do not need to wait to decline other schools until you have made your final decision. Indeed, it is important to notify schools as soon as you have eliminated them from consideration, so that they can make additional offers (if needed). Similarly, you do not need to wait until April 15 to make your final decision! The earlier you can notify schools, the earlier they can notify students on the wait list of their status, and thus the earlier those students can make final decisions, etc. [Please note, however, that most schools admit more students than they expect to accept their offers, so it is not a one-to-one correspondence between declinations and additional offers to students on the wait list.]

[admissionprof]

If you are required to let them know in email, I'd figure a simple "Thank you so much for your offer, but after thinking it through I have decided to take the offer of admission from another university." Or something along those lines should be fine.

It's not like they are expecting everyone to say yes. In fact, schools offer more admissions and expect around 25-35% to accept the offer.

This is correct. It isn't necessary to say where you are going, just let them know that you are declining. But the most important thing is to let them know NOW. As soon as you know you won't be attending a school, tell them. It is so frustrating to want to make more offers, but having some students that we've accepted wait until the last minute (at which time it is often too late). You won't hurt anyone's feelings, and you'll make your fellow applicants much happier.