What to do if you are waitlisted for college admissions
Each March and April, most students inevitably receive a combination of acceptances, rejections, and waitlists. Although acceptances and rejections are relatively straightforward to navigate, waitlists are a weird gray area in which students feel like they have to languish until they hear back much later in the spring.
Disclaimer about the waitlist
How does the waitlist work? Each admissions cycle, colleges must predict how many students will enroll, which decides how many students they can admit. Students on the waitlist are qualified to attend the college, but there just wasn’t enough space for them. As deposits roll in through May, colleges get a better sense of how many spots are left, and they are able to use the waitlist to admit more students to fill those spots for the coming school year.
When colleges decide which students to admit from the waitlist, they do not use a ranking system or use the order in which the students responded to the waitlist notification. They take a look at the school’s needs for that year and admit students accordingly. For example, if there aren’t enough math majors for that year, they are likely to admit prospective math majors from the waitlist.
To be realistic, the chances of being admitted from the waitlist of selective colleges are low, but it is still possible.
What should I do if I get waitlisted?
1. Ask yourself if the waitlist school is still your top choice.
Your feelings and thoughts about schools can change throughout the weeks and months, and that’s totally normal. Maybe you received acceptances before waitlists, and now you feel more attached to the schools you got accepted at. If the waitlist school is your top choice, let them know that you would like to remain waitlisted via written response. Some colleges require you to submit this response through their applicant portal, while others ask for a call or written response.
2. Craft a compelling letter of continued interest.
Don’t expect to just “wait” as the word “waitlist” suggests and get admitted! These days, it’s an unwritten rule that you provide a letter of continued interest. In this letter, include the following:
Make it clear that the school is your top choice and that you’ll attend if accepted.
Reiterate your interest in the school. Why is this school a perfect match for you? Make sure you do the research and reference specific departments, programs, classes, activities, initiatives, et cetera. What will you be able to contribute? Make sure that you include different information here than you did in the supplemental essays.
Let them know of any new relevant developments since the application submission date. Do you have any updates about your grades, test score, extracurriculars, awards, academic interests, community involvement, and more? These will be added to your file.
3. Make sure to put down a deposit at another school to which you were accepted.
Students can get off the waitlist. It does happen, but it’s rare. So in the meantime, think as if you are not going to be admitted from the waitlist. Most colleges require an enrollment response by early or mid-May, so choose a college from your “accepted” list that you love and respond to them. If you made a balanced college list, you should have “accepted” schools you’re excited about! Don’t worry, you will not be penalized on the waitlist for accepting a spot at another college. Colleges understand that you’re not sitting around waiting and need a school for fall. After all, many students who get admitted from the waitlist don’t hear back until May or even after
4. Move forward like you aren’t waiting to hear back from the waitlist.
After submitting your letter of continued interest, focus on the schools you’ve been accepted at. Attend the admitted student events and go to additional visits if needed, and decide which school you like most out of the acceptances. Then, go to pre-orientation and pre-freshmen meetup events. Neglecting your accepted school and/or the school you put an enrollment deposit on is not a good idea. Again, chances of being admitted off the waitlist are low, so you are most likely to find yourself disappointed if you count on getting off the waitlist.
5. If you are accepted from the waitlist, step back and think about your options.
You may hear back later in the spring or summer that you’ve been accepted off the waitlist, which is great news! In the meantime, your feelings and thoughts may have changed about this school, and that’s totally ok. You may have gotten more attached to the school you put down your enrollment deposit on. Have a long think about this. If you do decide to accept the waitlist spot, let the college know and put down your deposit. Then, let your other college know right away, so they can admit another student off their waitlist to fill your spot. Congratulations!