6 Actionable Tips to Get Off a College Waitlist and Get Accepted!
The most important: Write an essay to show demonstrate your interest!
Look for any way to show continued interest in the school.
Make sure to accept your waitlist spot!
Submit a deposit to another school.
Only focus on things in your control!
Get ready to decide if you get accepted!
What should you do if you’re on a college waitlist?
The situation with FAFSA has impacted the college admissions process. Students don’t know where they stand with their financial aid packages, and colleges are trying to sort through an immense number of applications while not fully knowing the status of the incoming students. Common App data shows that there is an increase in the number of students applying to college for the 2024-2025 cycle.
Each school uses its waitlist differently, but ultimately, the school’s yield and enrollment goals will be the major factors that shape the way they use their waitlist. This year, waitlists are lasting even longer.
Although universities usually offer applicants waitlist spots during the regular decision round of admission, waitlisted applicants generally won't hear back about a decision on their admission until AFTER the national May 1 college reply deadline. Sometimes, students don't find out until right before the fall semester!
Although being on the waitlist can feel incredibly uncertain, there are proactive strategies to increase your chances of getting off the waitlist and being admitted to your dream college!
1. MOST IMPORTANT! Write the school a short essay to demonstrate your continued interest!
2. Look for other ways to show continued interest in the school
Look at the school’s waitlist letter for clues about what they want from students. Often when they give you instructions about how to accept your spot on the waitlist, you can also figure out how much they want to hear from you.
Schools might request additional recommendation letters, new test scores, spring semester grades, or a letter of continued interest that describes new developments in your life and your continued interest in attending the school. Schools also might have “optional” things - but if you want to get into that school, they are REQUIRED.
3. Make sure to accept your spot on the waitlist
It is very important to follow the directions that your school includes in the waitlist decision letter.
Receiving a waitlist notice does not automatically mean you have accepted your spot, so make sure to inform your school that you are still interested and would like to be placed on the waitlist!
4. Submit a deposit to another school
Even if you decide to remain on the waiting list, prepare to attend another college. Choose the best fit from the colleges that DID accept you, fill out the paperwork, and send a deposit.
YES, you’ll forfeit this deposit if your dream school (the college that waitlisted you) offers you a place and you accept. But remember, the most important thing is that you are going to SOME college next fall - even if it’s not your dream school!
5. Only focus on things that are in your control
There is unfortunately no accurate way to calculate the odds that you will get off a waitlist. Colleges usually don’t like to share their statistics about the size of the waitlisted applicant pool.
Additionally, comparing waitlist data from previous years is not an effective means of estimating your chances because the college’s class size and class composition targets change from year to year.
Instead of obsessing about your chances of getting off the waitlist, focus on what you can control: maintaining good grades and commitment to your extracurricular activities.
6. Be ready to decide if you do get accepted
Colleges want quick responses from students who are accepted from the waitlist. In order to make a decision in the college’s requested time frame, it is very important to have a conversation with your family to discuss your options moving forward. Discuss the affordability, academic opportunities, location, and other factors that will influence your final decision if your dream school offers you a spot.
If you decide to accept a spot off the waitlist, inform the college and send in your deposit. Be sure to let your backup college know that you will not be attending in the fall.
If you decide to decline the spot off the waitlist, let the college know right away so they can offer the spot to someone else.
It’s scary to be on the waitlist, but they have to take SOMEONE off when people deny!
With the steps above, you can definitely increase your chances of getting off that waitlist! Got more questions about college waitlists? Check out these FAQs!
