Waitlist Information

Why me?

If you've been placed on the waitlist, the college has decided that, while you are wonderful, they are not ready to offer you a place in the incoming class. This year, many colleges have made liberal use of their waitlist, as it is very hard to predict which students might actually attend.

You don't, though, need to stay on the waitlist. If you are happy with your other options - decline the waitlist spot, get off the emotional rollercoaster, and strut around the house in the college sweatshirt of the school that is thrilled to have you attend in the Fall!

What do I do now?

First, read the waitlist notification carefully. Do you need to reply by a certain date? Most schools require that you accept your spot on the waitlist. If you don't reply, you're off the list. Many schools also provide very specific directions as to what else they might want from you (and what they don't want), and how to provide that information (upload/email/etc). Do not send them things that they have explicitly said they do not want. This will not help you.

If they haven't said it's a no-no, you can put together a short email of continued interest for most schools. If the school is legitimately your first choice school, you can say that. Tell them why, and give them updates on what you've done this year. If you would consider one of the conditional admission programs offered by that school (e.g. a transfer program or January start), you can say that (but be prepared that may be what you get). You can send 3rd mp grades, when available.

How to Write a Great Letter of Continued Interest: Guide + Examples

When will I hear back?

This is the rough part. In many cases, you will not hear back until early to mid-May, at the earliest. This means you need to do the above, and then MOVE ON to other schools where you have been offered acceptance. It is likely you will need to place a deposit at another school.

How do they decide who comes off the list?

First, the college needs to see where their numbers are trending, and, in the case of many - exactly what those final numbers are. Much of who comes off the waitlist is about institutional needs - not necessarily GPA or test scores. They are, for the most part, sculpting their class - based on school within the university, major, geographic background, financial need (or lack of need), and a whole host of other things.

What else? Well, they want to admit students who are likely to enroll. They don't want to send out 10 offers to get 1 student. They want to send out 1 or 2 offers to get 1 student (controlling their admit rate and yield). Hence, if this is your first choice and you will absolutely enroll - now is the time to make that crystal clear.

What are the chances of getting in off the waitlist?

In many cases, the odds are very slim, especially at selective schools. I do not see that changing this year for highly selective schools. At others, I think they will admit more than usual off the waitlist - as some schools have been conservatively hedging their bets all year. No school wants to over-enroll - it creates a whole host of problems - overcommitment of financial aid, class sizes that are too large, and nowhere to house the students. It's bad optics.

Waitlists are generally not ranked. Schools often put many, many thousands of students on the waitlist, and accept a relatively small number off the list. You can often find those stats in the Common Data Set, section C - for the school in question. (use Google, or I can help).

Here's an example, for University of Michigan (2020):

  • # put on wait list: 20,723

  • # accepting the spot: 9,856

  • # admitted: 1,248 (for comparison: in 2019 - 89 came off the waitlist, 2% of those on the list)

Refer to waitlist stats and directions from 2022 (used by last year's class). I will put together a document for this year as more decisions start rolling in and I see waitlists in SCOIR.

Any other advice?

My best advice is to follow my recommendations in "What do I do now"... and then move on. Visit the schools you have been admitted to, and give yourself the opportunity to fall in love with another place. Look at all of the wonderful opportunities that are out there - and remember that you have a great future, regardless of where you go!