Updated: Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Join members of IvyWise’s expert team of former admissions officers as they share insights on the waitlist’s purpose and how it works, your chances of getting off the waitlist, and, most importantly, the next steps you need to take over the coming weeks.
You’ve worked hard throughout high school, hoping to be admitted into one of your top-choice colleges. You put time and effort into your application and supplements, only to find out you’ve been placed on the waitlist. Confused? You’re not alone. Fortunately, there are steps you can take in this situation.
College Waitlist Admissions: How to Get Admitted Table of Contents
A college waitlist is a pool of applicants who are waiting for admission into a specific school after the Regular Decision notifications have been released. If you’re considered a great candidate for admission but the university doesn’t have the space for you, you may be put on a waitlist. Learning how the admissions decision process works, especially at the colleges you want to apply to, can help you emphasize the achievements and strengths in your application that will give you the best chance for admission.
Being waitlisted means the admissions committee sees potential in you, so it’s a positive sign even if it comes with uncertainty. Here is what typically happens:
The admission rates for college waitlists can vary widely by institution and even fluctuate from year to year. Ultimately, do waitlisted students get accepted? Sometimes. Highly selective schools tend to have lower waitlist acceptance rates, but there are numerous schools that admit a significant percentage of their waitlisted students. The table below represents just a few of the schools that had higher waitlist admission rates for the class of 2028.
| University | Waitlisted Students Acceptance Rate |
| Baylor University | 80.77% |
| University of Washington | 72.42% |
| Indiana University | 86.79% |
| Pepperdine University | 73.44% |
| University of California – Irvine | 84.32% |
You can check waitlist admission rates for the colleges on your list by looking at each school’s Common Data Set. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the rates are likely to change each year, so information from a year or two ago may not be an accurate indicator of how likely you are to be admitted from the waitlist.
Harvard’s waitlist is a good example. Some years, they have admitted anywhere from zero to a few dozen waitlisted students. In other years, they admitted more than 200.
Being waitlisted requires patience. It can take some time to hear back, and the timeline can vary by institution. Colleges start evaluating their waitlists after May 1 — National College Decision Day. Many waitlisted students hear back in May or June as colleges work to fill and finalize their incoming class. However, you could wait as long as July or August before you receive a decision on your status. This can make being waitlisted all the more frustrating since there is no set deadline to hear back.
Unlike acceptance or rejection, the path for waitlisted students is a little unclear. Some applicants may be unsure about what their admissions odds are, what they can do to improve their chances of acceptance, and if staying on the waitlist is even worthwhile.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for navigating a waitlist decision, there are several next steps students in this scenario should consider. Here are some of our top waitlist tips for improving your waitlist odds, exploring other options, and making the best decision for your needs and goals.
It’s important to get all the facts and understand how university waitlists work before deciding what you should do next. During the admissions process, universities must predict how many students will ultimately enroll — what’s known as college yield rates — which can be difficult to forecast. Waitlists are comprised of applicants who are just as qualified as admitted candidates, but there just weren’t enough spots in the class.
Once a university can better gauge its enrollment numbers, the school can begin to offer vacant spots to candidates from the waitlist. The waitlist isn’t ranked; instead, admissions officers review the school’s institutional needs and decide whom to admit from the waitlist based on those factors.
Ask yourself if the school you were waitlisted at is truly your first choice. After receiving college acceptances elsewhere, some students may feel pulled toward another institution. Feelings about schools can change throughout the admissions process — accept this and honor your current thoughts on each option.
If the school you were waitlisted at is truly your first choice, remaining waitlisted is the only way to potentially gain a seat in the class. On the contrary, if you are excited about another college acceptance, you may choose to remove yourself from the waitlist. Whatever you decide, you should inform the college whether you intend to remain waitlisted.
Writing a letter of continued interest (LOCI) is a great way to demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment to a college if you’ve been waitlisted. In your LOCI, express your gratitude for being considered and reaffirm your strong desire to attend the institution. Highlight any new achievements or updates since you submitted your application, such as improved grades, awards, or extracurricular accomplishments.
Be sincere and specific about why the college is your top choice, mentioning programs, opportunities, or aspects of the campus that excite you. Keep the letter concise and professional, and ensure it reflects your genuine interest and dedication. This proactive approach can help reinforce your application and potentially improve your chances of being admitted off the waitlist.
Whether you choose to remain on a university waitlist or not, it’s important to secure your spot at another college (unless you decide to take a gap year). Many waitlist decisions don’t come until after the May 1 enrollment deadline for most colleges, so lining up another option is imperative. Weigh all your acceptances and avoid factoring your waitlist school into the equation.
Students who created a balanced list of best-fit colleges should be excited to attend any institution from this selection and trust there will be exciting opportunities at each school. Celebrate your enrollment, even if you are still waitlisted at another institution.
Students who choose to stay on the waitlist should reaffirm their interest in attending a specific school by sending an update to the admissions office (unless a school specifically states that they do not wish to receive additional materials). This can include any accomplishments that occurred after a student submitted their application, as well as grades and AP test scores. Students should also use this as an opportunity to convey their passion for the college and commitment to enroll if admitted.
Simultaneously, students need to remain realistic about their admissions odds as waitlisted applicants. It’s ok to hold out hope but strive to also get excited about the opportunity to attend another school and that institution’s unique learning experiences!
If you are currently on the waitlist and struggling to stay calm, there are several steps you can take to make the most of this process. Firstly, take some time to reflect on your circumstances. Write down a list of the opportunities you have to choose from, including other colleges and taking a gap year. Pinpoint the unique skills and learning experiences associated with each choice to help you get excited about every scenario.
Secondly, acknowledge and accept this sense of uncertainty. It can be extremely challenging to keep waiting for something you’re not sure about. Instead of ignoring these feelings, give yourself time to take them in. Turn to activities that bring you joy and help you unwind, such as outside reading, exercising, or checking in with friends. Finally, stay in the know — keep an eye out for updates from the college you are waitlisted at as well as news from another school if you have put down an enrollment deposit.
While being on a waitlist can be stressful, it’s important to remain optimistic about all the opportunities that await. Hopefully, you received acceptances from a few colleges you’d be thrilled to attend — or maybe you want to take a year off if you aren’t admitted from the waitlist and try again during the next application cycle. For now, being proactive about your waitlist status can help alleviate some of your anxiety.
If you are currently navigating a waitlist outcome, the IvyWise experts can provide you with insight on what comes next. Our college admissions counselors will review all your application materials and provide a strategic plan to help you achieve your academic goals.
For waitlisted students, it can be hard to judge just how much of a chance they have of getting accepted off the waitlist. Data around waitlist acceptances can be scarce, especially as waitlists at top colleges grow and more and more schools become less transparent about their admissions statistics. The college counselors at IvyWise, however, have dug into the data and have some insight into waitlist admission rates.
Harvard is one of the most popular first-choice colleges for students, and it’s also one of the most competitive. Admission rates are consistently under 5% — for the class of 2028, the admission rate was 3.65%.
Given this competitive admissions rate, some very talented students are going to find themselves on Harvard’s waitlist. While most applicants have a general idea of what a waitlisted outcome means, few understand how waitlists really work and what they can do to boost their odds of admission.
A letter of continued interest (often referred to as a LOCI) is a written statement that a student sends to the admissions office of a school they are still interested in attending, despite being deferred or waitlisted. Generally, these letters reiterate the student’s interest in and fit for the college in question and update the admissions office on any achievements that the student has earned since submitting their initial application.
How to Feel Your Best When Admission Decision Time Comes
For students who applied to colleges in the regular round, March and April can feel like an emotional roller coaster. Between waiting for admissions decisions, receiving a verdict from each school on your best fit list, and deciding where to enroll, the spring season marks a major milestone for many high school seniors.
