summer melt

noun

The phenomenon where incoming students who have committed to attend a college or university change their minds during the summer and opt to attend another institution.

“Summer melt sometimes happens when students are admitted over the summer to a school that places the student on a waitlist in the spring.”

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Meanings

nounsummer melt (uncountable)
  1. uncountableeducationThe phenomenon where incoming students who have committed to attend a college or university change their minds during the summer and opt to attend another institution.

    Summer melt sometimes happens when students are admitted over the summer to a school that places the student on a waitlist in the spring.

Cite this entry
APA

summer melt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/summer%20melt

MLA

“summer melt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/summer%20melt. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “summer melt,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/summer%20melt.

Source: summer melt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.