# Accepted
**Accepted** is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Steve Pink in his feature directing debut, in which a high school senior rejected by every college he applies to invents a fake university, the South Harmon Institute of Technology, which then attracts real students.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-17-wk-movies17-story.html) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted) [Justin Long](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-long) stars as Bartleby "B" Gaines, with [Jonah Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/jonah-hill), Blake Lively, Lewis Black, Columbus Short, and [Maria Thayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/maria-thayer) in supporting roles.[3](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/accepted) Universal Pictures released the film wide on August 18, 2006.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide theatrical release August 18, 2006 by Universal; video release November 14, 2006 by Universal Home Entertainment[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) |
| Director | Steve Pink, his first film as director; his earlier writing credits include *[High Fidelity](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-fidelity-film)* (2000) and *Grosse Pointe Blank* (1997)[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-17-wk-movies17-story.html) • [5](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/2006-08-30_v41_007.pdf) |
| Writers | Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Mark Perez; Perez also receives story credit[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684) |
| Cast | Justin Long (Bartleby Gaines), Jonah Hill (Sherman Schrader), Blake Lively (Monica), Lewis Black (Uncle Ben), Maria Thayer (Rory)[3](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/accepted) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684) |
| Box office | $36,580,083 domestic, $38,314,803 worldwide; opening weekend $10,023,835 in 2,914 theaters[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) |
| Home video | Estimated DVD sales of $38,738,046, exceeding the theatrical gross[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) |
| Reception | 38% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (115 reviews) against a 72% Popcornmeter from 250,000+ ratings; Metascore 47 from 27 reviews[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/criticreviews/) |
| Format | 93 minutes, rated PG-13 for language, sexual material, and drug content[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
After receiving his latest college rejection letter, senior Bartleby Gaines devises a way to fool everyone into thinking he is college-bound: he opens his own university. With friends who are also shut out of college, he takes over an abandoned building, creates a fake website, and hires a friend's uncle to pose as the dean. The scheme works too well, and other rejected applicants begin seeking admission to the nonexistent South Harmon Institute of Technology.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted) The Universal synopsis adds that at the school the students teach the classes and the dean lives in a trailer in the back.[3](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/accepted) Time Out's review describes the fake dean as a disgraced professor whose outbursts include the theory that colleges indoctrinate students "into a life-long hell of debt and indecision."[8](https://www.timeout.com/movies/accepted-1)
## Production
Steve Pink, then known as a screenwriter, put himself forward to direct the film, which was credited to writers Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Mark Perez.[1](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-17-wk-movies17-story.html) Tom Shadyac and Michael Bostick produced for [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) through Shady Acres Entertainment.[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684) Matthew F. Leonetti was the director of photography, Rusty Smith the production designer, Scott Hill the editor, and David Schommer the composer.[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684) The Los Angeles and New York openings were on August 18, 2006, and Universal City Studios registered the copyright on September 27, 2006.[6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684)
## Box office
The film opened at $10,023,835, 27.4 percent of its eventual domestic total, ranking fifth for the weekend in 2,914 theaters.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) Grosses declined steadily over nine tracked weekends, ending at $36,580,083 domestically and $38,314,803 worldwide; the domestic share was 95.5 percent.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted) The Numbers estimates domestic DVD sales at $38,738,046, more than the film's entire worldwide theatrical gross, and its inflation-adjusted domestic figure is $63,163,466.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted)
## Critical reception
Professional reviews were mixed to negative. Rotten Tomatoes records a critics consensus that the film's "inconsistent and ridiculous plot gets annoying, despite a few laughs," with 38 percent of 115 reviews positive; audience approval was much higher at 72 percent from more than 250,000 ratings.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 47, labeled mixed or average, from 27 reviews, while its user score stood at 6.3.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/criticreviews/) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/accepted/) IMDb users rate the film 6.4 out of 10 from about 150,000 votes.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/)
Reviewers split over the premise and the execution. Variety's Justin Chang called it "sweetly amusing, gently anarchic and never mean-spirited," while the Washington Post dismissed it as a fluffy teen comedy that "gets annoying fast," and the Village Voice wrote that an inspired premise ended up "yet another modestly rousing underdog story."[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/criticreviews/) [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) argued the premise would never work even within a wacky comedy.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted) Time Out found the inspirational speeches and montages bland but credited the likable cast with good one-liners.[8](https://www.timeout.com/movies/accepted-1)
## Legacy
A Malaysian Journal of Media Studies article cites the film as an example of American youth films that "seriously challenge the educational system," noting its portrait of a slacker who creates his own institution of higher learning.[11](https://mjcs.um.edu.my/index.php/JPMM/article/download/9011/6360) Universal continues to sell it digitally and on DVD, including a four-movie comedy pack with *Neighbors*, *American Pie*, and *Role Models*.[3](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/accepted)
## References
1. [Dean of ultimate party school, Los Angeles Times (August 17, 2006)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-17-wk-movies17-story.html)
2. [Accepted, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/accepted)
3. [Accepted, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/accepted)
4. [Accepted (2006), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Accepted)
5. [Notre Dame Observer, August 30, 2006](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/2006-08-30_v41_007.pdf)
6. [Accepted (2006), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63684)
7. [Accepted (2006), Metacritic reviews via IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/criticreviews/)
8. [Accepted 2006 film review, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/accepted-1)
9. [Accepted Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/accepted/)
10. [Accepted (2006), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384793/)
11. [Malaysian Journal of Media Studies](https://mjcs.um.edu.my/index.php/JPMM/article/download/9011/6360)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2005 to 2006*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license