What is a Letter of Continued Interest?
A Letter of Continued Interest (or, if you’re Notre Dame, a “letter of desire”) is a formal letter to a school expressing that you still want to attend their school, despite being waitlisted or deferred. It’s a good way to remind the school that you still exist, you take initiative, and above all, you’re someone they will want to accept in the next round of admissions or take off the waitlist.
While the LOCI is generally written at a time when you have negative emotions swirling from the sting of initial rejection and uncertainty going forward, this letter should remain positive and upbeat, keeping the school updated on your achievements in a polite and professional manner.
The skills you have cultivated throughout the process of writing supplemental essays, composing an Activities List, and preparing for college interviews can all come in handy when writing your LOCI. However, it is important to note that this letter is not a space to reiterate your application—instead, you should provide the admissions committee with new information about your candidacy and interest in a school. While your original application gives admissions officers a comprehensive picture of your academic and extracurricular profile, a Letter of Continued Interest offers a brief snapshot of who you are now.
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Navigating the disappointment of deferral can be daunting. Command Education Senior Mentors work one-on-one with students to reflect on their candidacy and interest in a school, consider their major accomplishments and updates, and compose engaging and thoughtful LOCI that will catch admissions officers’ eyes.
What do Colleges Want to Know About Students Who are Waitlisted or Deferred?
When admissions officers revisit a deferred or waitlisted application, they’re looking for new, concrete information that strengthens an applicant’s candidacy. The letter of continued interest can be helpful in this regard, providing insightful information about what a student has accomplished in the time since applying. Some of the most helpful and relevant updates for students to provide are:
Upward Trends in Grades
Whether a higher GPA or an improvement in a core class, positive changes to a student’s GPA are important to note in the LOCI. Particularly for deferred students, sharing mid-term grades can offer admissions officers a fuller picture of your academic preparedness in the regular decision round.
New Awards or Honors
If a student has earned awards or honors—such as academic or subject-area awards, placement in competitions (science fair, debate, robotics, writing contests), or national or regional recognition—they should be sure to highlight these for admissions officers.
Positive Changes in Extracurriculars
Perhaps a student took on a new leadership role or met a fundraising goal in one of the clubs included on their Activities List. These types of accomplishments show admissions officers that students haven’t let senioritis get the best of them.
Recently Published Papers
Whether a STEM student who has published the findings of their independent research or a creative writing student whose poetry made it into the school’s literary journal, publications show admissions officers that a student’s work is highly regarded by others in their field of interest.
Passion Project Achievements
Spearheading an independent initiative in your community shows admissions officers the kind of student you’ll be on campus. If you have scaled your initiative or accomplished a win since you initially applied, be sure to let admissions officers know.
Advice from a Senior Mentor
“The letter of continued interest is the last opportunity students get to speak directly to admissions officers in their own voice. I encourage students to stay authentic to themselves while also getting creative with the format of their letter. It should be professional and polished while also showcasing what makes them unique.”
– Michael, Senior Mentor
What to Include and Avoid in Your Letter of Continued Interest
Who should I address my letter of continued interest to? What should I include in my letter of continued interest? What should I not include in my letter of continued interest?
These are common questions students have regarding letters of continued interest. Here is some guidance for you to follow as you write and address your letter of continued interest:
 3 Things to Include: |
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An Addressee
This letter should be personal rather than generic. Address it to your regional admissions officer (if you don’t know who this is, check the admissions website or email an admissions rep to ask) instead of the admissions office or the Dean of the college.
A Note of Gratitude
It’s important to be gracious, even though you did not receive the acceptance letter you hoped for. Take the time in your letter to show gratitude and deference, thanking the committee for taking the time to evaluate your candidacy and thoughtfully consider your application materials.
Reasons Why You Still Want to Go to This School and Why They Should Still Want to Accept You
Reiterate what it is about this school that prompted you to write the Letter of Continued Interest. You shouldn’t send the same letter to every college that waitlisted you—instead, your letter should describe why you’d be a good fit at the particular college you’re writing to. Because this is a semi-formal part of the admissions process but not the kind of standard thing that everyone sends, it’s crucial to make it personal and unique.
 3 Things to Avoid: |
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Unnecessary or Reiterated Information
Admissions officers are swamped with other applications and letters, especially if you applied early and have been deferred. The LOCI is not an opportunity to re-write your supplemental essays or compose 500 words on another topic of your choosing.
Additional Letters of Recommendation or Additional Essays
Additional application materials will hurt more than help, unless specifically requested by the admissions office. When in doubt, follow the advice of the Yale Admissions Blog: “We do not recommend that you send the admissions office piles of updates after a deferral. You should not try to re-do any parts of your application. You should not inundate your admissions officer with weekly emails and cards.”
Reproaches
It may be tempting to rehash elements of your candidacy in the letter or object to the admissions committee’s decision to defer you, but these objections have no place in the letter of continued interest. Remember that top schools are teeming with applications from highly qualified students. Rather than focusing on the disappointment of deferral, be encouraged that you have another shot at acceptance.
Outline of a Letter of Continued Interest
Think about your letter of continued interest as broken into four segments: your introduction, the college-specific portion, a personal update and a conclusion.
Introduction
College-Specific Portion
Personal Update
Conclusion
Example Letters of Continued Interest
To help you get started, here are some examples / samples of a composite letter of many letters we’ve seen: (Disclaimer: do not copy and paste this letter into an email. You’ve made it this far doing your own work—we hope—so you can use this as a guide but not a template.)
My name is Sabrine Cross and I recently applied for admission to Emory University through the Regular Decision application cycle.
First, please accept my sincere thanks for considering my candidacy at your university. As a student with multiple interests and a passion for public health education, I know that Emory is the ideal school for me to lay an interdisciplinary foundation before I go on to pursue a graduate degree. I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to attend this coming fall.
Since I submitted my application, I have been recognized as a regional finalist by the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation for my work leading Food for Thought, my non-profit which has brought a nutrition education program to over one hundred elementary schools in southern Indiana. I would look forward to continuing my work as a member of Emory’s Healthy Eating Partners organization on campus.
Outside of this work, I have recently completed my IB extended essay about the intersection of public health education and socioeconomic status. Writing the essay has allowed me to further refine my interests in public health and nutrition, and I would love to take advantage of the opportunities offered by Emory’s Human Health major, Predictive Health minor, and then by the joint Health Innovation concentration as a junior and senior. I would be particularly interested in joining Professor Rachel Hall-Clifford on her research concerning oral rehydration therapies in Guatemala for children younger than five years old.
I am confident that Emory’s opportunities and resources would afford me the unique opportunity to grow as both an individual and an intellectual. Thank you again for taking the time to review my application.
All the best,
Sabrine Cross
My name is Julia Ilin and I recently applied for early action admission to Yale University. Thank you so much for taking the time to consider my candidacy for Yale. As a prospective political science major fascinated by international relations, I am confident that Yale would be the perfect school for me to pursue my undergraduate studies.
Since submitting my application, I have ranked 3rd in the NYC District Qualifier for the 2022 National Debate Tournament, and will be attending Nationals this June. As founder of my organization, Debaters, I have devoted much of my time to teaching middle school students speech and debate practices. I trained nine of my high school’s Speech and Debate members in how to use the debate curriculum I developed to teach middle school students, and we welcomed sixty seventh graders to our 2nd Annual Christmas Debate this past December.
As a service-oriented, intellectually curious student, I have felt that Yale is unique among its peers, particularly for a student with the intention to study political science. I would be particularly keen to work with Professor Sarah Bush on her research concerning policing boundaries in human rights and democracy promotion. The research opportunities available for a student like me, who hopes to gain hands-on experience in the field, would allow me not only to learn from eminent professors within the field, but also to see the real-world applications of what I’m studying for myself.
Thank you again for your thoughtful and comprehensive consideration.
Best,
Julia Ilin
Personalized Guidance For a Standout Letter
The letter of continued interest is the last action step that students can take to secure their spot at their dream school, which means that every word counts. With stakes this high, expert guidance can make all the difference in a student’s odds of acceptance. Every admissions cycle, Command Education Senior Mentors work one-on-one with students to craft eye-catching and dynamic letters after deferral and create a tactical plan for their regular decision applications.
If your student is navigating the uncertainty of waitlists and deferrals, give them the personalized support they need to make their next move count.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are letters of continued interest due?
Letters of continued interest have no due date, but you should plan to compose and send them promptly after receiving the notice of your waitlisted status. The earlier, the better!
How long are letters of continued interest?
Letters of continued interest should be brief—roughly one page, single spaced. While you want to include the information that is relevant and meaningful, it is also important to remember that admissions officers have limited time. As you craft your letter, make sure that it is concise and the updates you want to highlight are clear.
How much do letters of continued interest help?
There is no definitive metric for how much letters of continued interest may boost your chances of admission. However, if an applicant takes the time and effort to write something memorable and unique, they can certainly increase your chances of standing out to admissions officers.
How many letters of continued interest should you send?
Applicants should send one letter of continued interest to each school to which they have been deferred or waitlisted. As Yale’s blog notes, it is usually the materials that students have already submitted that will get them into a school. Because of this, it is important for applicants to make an impact with the one letter they send. If you are waitlisted after you are deferred, you should only send a second letter if you have a meaningful update to share with the school.
Do all schools accept a letter of continued interest?
While most schools accept letters of continued interest, if a school does not wish to receive them, they will typically state this on their website. Before sending a letter, students should check the admissions website for this information and call the admissions office if they are still unsure of the school’s policy.
How should a letter of continued interest be formatted?
A letter of continued interest should follow the format of a standard, official letter, with an introduction, the date, and a cordial sign off. You should include your address at the top right and the recipient's address at the left, above the letter’s date, greeting, and body content.
Should I send a second letter of continued interest if I am waitlisted after I was deferred?
Generally speaking, no. You should only send a second letter of continued interest if it includes a pressing, meaningful update that could help you to get off of the waitlist. Sending a second letter won’t necessarily hurt, but it will have a negligible effect if you are just restating your interest.
Is there a difference between a letter of continued interest sent after a deferral and one sent after a waitlist?
Both letters should include the same information—just make sure to use the correct term, “deferral” or “waitlist” depending on your status.
Can I send a letter of continued interest after being rejected from a college or university?
No, you can not send a letter of continued interest after being rejected from a college or university.
How is a letter of continued interest different from a letter of intent?
A letter of intent is a letter signed by a high school athlete who is committing to attending a university and playing on the sports team to which they have been recruited for at least one year, if not longer. It is typically signed in the fall of senior year. A letter of intent is a binding document signed in exchange for a specific scholarship amount, while a letter of continued interest is not.
Is a letter of continued interest binding?
No, a letter of continued interest is not binding, but you should only use language stating that you would definitely attend a school should you get off of the waitlist if that is the truth.
What makes for a good letter of continued interest?
The best letters are those that are hyper specific and make a strong case for why a candidate should be admitted, both based on new updates about a candidate's progress and the candidate’s authentic interest in a school.
What should I use as the subject for my letter of continued interest email?
You can keep it straightforward and write your First and Last Name followed by “Letter of Continued Interest.” If you have an applicant ID number, you can also add it after your name. For example: “Jane Doe, #12842, Letter of Continued Interest
How should I write a waitlist letter?
Writing a letter of continued interest can feel daunting, especially after receiving the disappointing news that you have been deferred or waitlisted. Take a moment to process the news. Then, write from a place of genuine interest and follow the steps in our guide, outlined above!
Will a LOCI guarantee admission?
No, but a well-crafted LOCI can enhance your candidacy by demonstrating your growth, continued enthusiasm for the institution, and alignment with the university’s values.
Can I include additional materials with my LOCI?
Only include supplementary materials if explicitly requested by the admissions office. Unsolicited materials will likely not be reviewed.
