Waitlisted at your top choice college?

Here’s how to boost your chances of getting in.

So… how does the waitlist actually work?

In a typical year, students have until May 1st to accept or decline their offers of college admissions. By May 1st, the college will see what their incoming freshman class looks like and how many spots remain. Colleges really want to have their class exactly full, down to the individual student. Too few students means lost revenue. Too many and they may not have enough beds and resources for every student.

If a college has space after May 1st, they will go to the waitlist.

But it’s not just about filling space—it’s about shaping the class. They look at who has enrolled. What areas are missing? Are there geographic areas not well represented? What about academic or extracurricular interests? The college can shape the class further by seeing what type of students they still need to create a well balanced class.

This is where you come in. Waitlists aren’t usually ranked, which means the school is still evaluating who fits best with their final needs. That also means you still have time to show them why you are that perfect fit.

And in some years, schools even start going to their waitlist before May 1st if their yield (the number of students accepting offers) is lower than expected.

Why might this year be different?

The last time I saw this level of uncertainty with colleges was in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. Colleges made their admissions offers before they fully understood that COVID-19 would become a major factor in where students chose to enroll. As a result, many schools turned to their waitlists early (before May 1st!)—and more often than usual.

Today’s uncertainty is different, but still impactful. The uncertainty now is from how funding, programs, or international students might be impacted by changes from the current administration. Funding from the government supports research and other programs at public AND private colleges. The Wall Street Journal just reported that some student visas are being revoked. Could this lead to lower international student yield? How these uncertain factors play out may again lead some schools to pull from the waitlist earlier—or more generously—than usual.

Not all waitlists are created equal

Some schools add thousands of students to the waitlist but accept only a handful. Others are more selective about who they waitlist—and more generous about who they admit from it. Colleges don’t typically advertise their waitlist numbers, but if you dig into their Common Data set, you can frequently (but not always) find the information. 

You can find the Common Data set on the college’s website by Googling “[College Name] Common Data Set.” Scroll to table C2 to find the waitlist stats. If you want to learn more about how to use the common data set to find college information, check out my free video series.

A few examples:

• Boston University (Fall 2023):
  15,033 students offered a waitlist spot
  8,907 accepted a waitlist spot
  34 admitted
  → That’s just 0.38% admitted from the waitlist, in a year BU accepted 9.6% overall.
  
  
• Stanford (Fall 2024):
  483 students offered a waitlist spot
  414 accepted a waitlist spot
  25 admitted
  → That’s 6% admitted from the waitlist—higher than Stanford’s 3.6% overall admit rate!

Of course, everyone on the waitlist is already an exceptionally qualified applicant, so comparing those admit rates to the overall ones isn’t entirely fair. But it does show that some waitlists give you a real shot—and others, less so.

What should you do to increase your chances of admission?

Follow the college’s instructions! If they ask for something, send it. If they specifically ask you not to send anything, don’t.

Write a letter of continued interest (LOCI). This is your best chance to remind the school why you belong on their campus. Here's a structure that works:

• Friendly opener. Include a nice greeting of thanks, a statement that this school remains your top choice, and an indication that you would immediately enroll if given the opportunity. 
• Updates. Share anything new and noteworthy since you applied. Win any awards? Did you as an individual or a team that you were on win regionals, state, or nationals? Have you been doing research? Been published? Taken on a leadership role? You want to be concise here because you want the most important and impressive things to stand out, and admissions officers (as always) are short on time. 
• Fit and contribution. Include a meaningful discussion about how you are a great fit for the campus that you did not include in your original application. This can be a community, research, or a program to which you would like to contribute. Be specific here. Don’t just state how amazing the school is! Show how what you bring and what they offer are a perfect match.

In the meantime….

Getting off the waitlist can happen all the way up to August, even days before move-in. It’s like a game of musical chairs. When a student gets off a waitlist and switches schools, a spot opens up at the college they’re leaving—and that school might then admit someone from their waitlist.

While you stay hopeful, you should also commit fully to the school that admitted you.

• Attend admitted student events
• Join class social media groups
• Start finding a roommate
• Buy the hoodie
• Get excited!
  
  

Falling in love with your current school choice doesn’t mean giving up on your dream school—it just means you’re making the most of your present while staying open to what’s next. And if you do get the call from your top-choice school? That will just be the cherry on top.