The offer acceptance email arrives, and your intern candidate says yes, so you update the headcount tracker, notify the hiring manager, and finally cross another req off your list.

But then, three weeks before their start date, you get another email: "Thank you for the opportunity, but I've decided to pursue a different one."

Anyone managing early-career programs has likely experienced this moment at one time or another—the scramble to backfill, the awkward conversation with the hiring manager, and the recruiting cycle that starts all over again. According to NACE's September 2025 report, renege rates for full-time positions have climbed as employers delay offers into spring and summer. At the same time, 60% of Gen Z candidates continue passively searching for roles even after accepting an offer.

Reneges create real challenges and costs beyond the immediate disruption of your hiring plans;. they strain relationships with managers who've already planned for the new hire, and force recruiting teams to restart expensive processes all over again. It’s why, with 15% of new hires leaving within their first 90 days, getting the pre-start period right matters more than ever.

When offer acceptance used to mean commitment, now, it means conditional interest. The window between "yes" and day one has become a second recruiting phase where candidates evaluate, compare, and (sometimes) walk away from offers they once jumped at. Early-career leaders who recognize this reality and adapt their approach will see better outcomes, and we’re sharing helpful tips on how you can achieve them.

4 reasons candidates back out after accepting

Understanding what drives reneges helps you address them before they become deal-breakers. And there are 4 key reasons why candidates are pulling out of offers.

1. Compensation gaps: RippleMatch's 2025 research found that better compensation is the top reason candidates renege. When they discover they're underpaid compared to peers or when a stronger offer surfaces, they'll reconsider, and they’ll also renege. 

2. Career fit uncertainty: Candidates accept offers that, often, are based on incomplete information. As weeks pass without communication, doubts surface about whether the role will actually build the skills they need, or match their career goals they’ve set out for themselves.

3. Long lag times between offer and start: NACE data shows that as employers delay offer timing, renege rates increase. Months of silence gives candidates time to consider other offers (and time to pursue new ones, too).

4. Changed attitudes about commitment: According to Handshake's 2024 research, 44% of students now view accepting multiple offers as reasonable, up from 35% in 2022. Only 6% say they'd never renege. After watching companies rescind offers during economic uncertainty, Gen Z treats job commitments more transactionally.

Tips to build engagement into your offer process

The most effective renege prevention starts before you extend the offer, not after acceptance.

Lead with your best offer

If your offer falls below market rate, candidates can easily discover the gap through peers, online research, or competing offers, which means they’ll play hardball and negotiate. Recruiting a role twice costs more than paying market rate the first time.

Discuss compensation expectations during interviews

Don't wait until the offer stage to talk about salary. Instead, it’s helpful for both sides to surface expectations early in the process, because if there is a gap between what you can offer and what they're expecting, you can at least address it transparently. Candidates respect honesty about constraints—they don't respect surprises.

Make acceptance feel like a celebration

When you extend an offer, don't just send paperwork. For example, your team could record personalized video messages from the hiring manager, or ship a welcome package with first-day details. It’s a low-lift way to make candidates feel wanted and valued, especially ahead of day one. 

Set clear expectations for what happens next

More than anything, it’s critical that candidates know exactly what to expect between acceptance and start date. They’ll need to know when they can expect to hear from you, what they should come prepared with on day one, and who they can turn to with questions. 

5 pre-boarding tactics that keep candidates engaged

• Assign a dedicated point of contact: Give candidates a specific person (like a program coordinator or mentor) who can respond quickly and make them feel connected ahead of day one.
• Establish a communication cadence: Reach out at regular intervals with valuable content, not just random check-ins, so that candidates and interns have consistency to rely on; the radio silence is where they’ll start to slip through the cracks. 
• Connect them with their cohort early: Create a Slack channel, WhatsApp group, or private community where interns can meet each other before day one, form friendships with others in their cohort, and ask each other questions. 
• Invite them to company events: Whether it’s a team social, virtual hangout, or networking event, giving interns the opportunity to connect in person and learn from one another’s experience builds a positive culture that might just help you better retain them, and build repeatable events for future cohorts. 
• Share content consistently (and early): Instead of sharing onboarding checklists or to-do task reminders, think about the type of content interns need beyond the prep documentation; for example, you can share employee stories, day-in-the-life content, and honest glimpses of what working at their company actually involves.

How to track engagement and intervene early

You can't fix problems you don't see coming, which is why the best programs build early warning systems. From choosing and measuring the right metrics, to making sure there’s a process in place to re-engage disengaged interns, if you can intervene before someone reneges, both the intern and your program will be better for it. 

Monitor engagement metrics

Track email open rates, community activity, event attendance, and response times. When a candidate stops engaging, that's your signal to intervene before they send the renege email.

Conduct pre-start check-ins

Offer interns the chance to connect with you ahead of their start date, especially when or if you notice interns aren’t responding to tasks and other communications. These aren't administrative check-ins about paperwork—they're pulse checks. How are candidates feeling? Do they have questions or concerns?

Build a renege response process

When a candidate or intern expresses doubt, what’s your plan to ensure they have what they need to feel confident in their decision? Who on your team handles these conversations? What flexibility can you offer—earlier start dates, role adjustments, additional compensation review? 

Analyze your renege patterns

Look at the date you have and assess when reneges happen, which roles see the most, and what reasons interns give for backing out. For example, you can look for patterns across schools, roles, or offer timing, and use that data to prevent future reneges.

The reality you're working with

Candidates and interns have more options than you might think, and reneges are a growing reality for more businesses. The power dynamic has shifted, and offer acceptance doesn't guarantee that interns will show up, or pass up better offers.

Programs that treat post-offer engagement as seriously as pre-offer recruiting hit their hiring targets, and are better equipped to handle reneges or backfills before they happen. When you have a process in place for proactively spotting and intervening with reneges, running a winning program becomes repeatable, not reactive.

Want to see how Abode helps early-career programs reduce reneges through automated engagement and cohort connection? Our partners achieve 2% or lower renege rates by keeping candidates excited from offer to day one.