Hey everyone, I've seen that some students get waitlisted at their dream colleges. I'm just curious, how many waitlisted students actually get accepted? Is it pretty rare or does it happen more often than I think? Thanks for the help!
7 months ago
Hello! The chances of being accepted off a waitlist can vary significantly depending on the college and the year in question. Generally speaking, though, the acceptance rate for waitlisted students tends to be lower than the overall acceptance rate of the college. This is mainly because the number of spots available for waitlisted students is contingent on the admitted students' enrollment decisions—if enough accepted students say yes, there is no need to draw from the waitlist.
At some highly selective schools, only a handful of students, if any, may get in off the waitlist each year, while at other colleges, your chances could could be 20% or higher. These numbers can fluctuate from year to year, though, so it's difficult to provide definitive percentages.
For example, in one year, a college may accept a larger number of students from the waitlist if fewer admitted students enroll than expected. In contrast, if yield (the percentage of admitted students who enroll) is higher than anticipated, there will be fewer waitlist acceptances.
To better understand the likelihood of being accepted off the waitlist at a specific college, you can do a bit of research. Many colleges provide information about the number of students waitlisted and accepted in their Common Data Set (CDS), which can be a good starting point. Keep in mind, though, that this information will be from past application cycles, and as noted above waitlist acceptance rates can fluctuate from year to year more than overall acceptance rates.
If you find yourself waitlisted at a particular college, it's important to remain proactive. Keep the college updated on new achievements, grades, awards through a letter of continued interest (LOCI) to showcase your continued enthusiasm for attending the school. You can read more about how to write this letter on CollegeVine’s blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/deferred-or-waitlisted-tips-for-writing-a-letter-of-continued-interest.
It's also crucial to have a backup plan in place and commit to one of the colleges where you have been accepted by May 1st, as there's no guarantee of being admitted from a waitlist. If you are ultimately accepted at a school you’d rather attend, you are able to withdraw your commitment to attending the original school.
In summary, the chances of being admitted off a waitlist can vary, and it's best to research individual colleges to understand the likelihood of admission in your specific circ*mstances. The best general advice I can give is to simply remain proactive and keep all your options open. Good luck!
7 months ago
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