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ICLR 2026 oral with 2 rejects, 1 borderline reject

Reddit r/MachineLearning / 3/20/2026

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Key Points

  • ICLR 2026 featured an oral presentation for a paper that initially received two rejects and one borderline reject, prompting surprise among participants.
  • The program committee noted initial scores of 8/4/2/2 and suggested the final score should have been above 6, highlighting a potential mismatch between early reviews and final outcomes.
  • The claim that most reviewers do not update their scores is cited as making the AC's remark unusual, pointing to possible inconsistencies in the scoring process.
  • The discussion is linked to OpenReview and Reddit conversations, illustrating ongoing debates about peer-review transparency and fairness in AI conference decisions.

https://openreview.net/forum?id=BlSH7gNQSq

I'm just surprised that a paper with 2 rejects and 1 borderline reject (out of 4 scores) would end up being an oral. The AC says:

Initial ratings came as 8/4/2/2. While we cannot be sure how reviewers may have updated their scores, I'd expect a final score above 6.

Considering most reviewers do not update their scores, this is a very odd statement.

submitted by /u/WhiteBear2018
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