Your Odds of Getting Off the Waitlist at an Ivy League School

Receiving a waitlist notification from your dream school can feel defeating—for students who have waited months for an admissions decision, the prospect of remaining in admissions limbo is a frustrating one. However, it is important to remember that a waitlist notification is not a rejection, nor is it a sign that a student’s application was flawed in any way. Top schools that receive tens of thousands of applications each cycle, leaving hundreds of highly qualified students on the waitlist each year. On the bright side, being on the waitlist means that your application will be re-evaluated by admissions officers if a spot becomes available, and there are still steps you can take to boost your chances of admission slightly. That being said, depending on the competitiveness of the institution, your chances of getting off the waitlist can be slim. Having a keen awareness of your odds of acceptance can help you tailor your strategy—and your expectations—while you await a final decision.

What should I do if I am waitlisted?

Being placed on a waitlist isn’t the end of a student’s collegiate dreams; it’s an opportunity to further demonstrate their interest to the school they wish to attend—and that is exactly what applicants should do in the interim.

First and foremost, applicants should promptly follow the school’s instructions for responding to their waitlist offer.. Many institutions will request confirmation of applicants’ interest in remaining on the waitlist, and acknowledging that you indeed want to be placed on the list is a small step toward reaffirming your interest in the school.

Second, waitlisted students should write a letter of continued interest (also called a letter of desire). A letter of continued interest is a brief note sent to your regional admissions officer(s) expressing your strong desire to attend the school should you be admitted, offering updates relevant to your candidacy such as significant accomplishments or awards earned, and thanking them for their consideration of your materials. Ultimately, top colleges want to see that students are continuing to work hard, enrich their knowledge, and challenge themselves even after their applications have been submitted, so students should be sure to highlight such endeavors in their correspondence. Additionally, colleges want to be wanted—if admissions officers see that a student is dead set on attending and that a student will positively contribute to their yield rate, they are more likely to accept them over another, less committed applicant on the waitlist.

Applicants should aim to send letters of continued interest promptly—ideally in the week or so after they receive their waitlist notification. A strong letter of continued interest should be:

• Authentic: First and foremost, your letter should convey your genuine passion for the school—include reflections specific to the institution and offer reasons as to why you believe you would thrive there. Perhaps a particular moment on your campus visit, a conversation with a faculty member, or a program that you have dreamed of participating in has continued to compel your interest—such personal details make for perfect additions to your letter. Further, students should embrace their true voice in the letter, showing their quirks, personality, and spunk.
• Relevant: While it may be tempting to include every minor accomplishment or accolade you have received in the months since applying, it is important not to get lost in the weeds in your letter. Highlight the most important and significant additional information for your candidacy—such as an improved GPA, new standardized test scores, or a prestigious award or honor—rather than flooding the admissions office with unnecessary information that might distract from your core narrative.
• Considerate: A letter of continued interest is not a place to contest the admissions committee’s decision, express your frustration, or beg for an acceptance. Instead, show consideration for the admissions officers by expressing gratitude for the time they have spent evaluating your materials and keep your letter brief to demonstrate respect for their time.

As tempting as it may be to continue sending updates to the admissions office, students should only write one letter. As Yale’s admission blog notes, admissions committees generally have all of the information they need about your “on paper” candidacy. Unfortunately, a letter of continued interest does not guarantee admission, but it is a student’s best and last chance to share their unique voice with the admissions committee.

What are my odds of getting off the waitlist at an Ivy League or other top school?

Once you’ve accepted your place on the waitlist and sent your letter of continued interest, you are left to wait and wonder about your odds of acceptance. While there is no way to predict whether you will receive a coveted acceptance letter, data from previous years can help you set reasonable expectations as you await a decision. A few factors influence a school’s waitlist acceptance rate, and students should take note of these factors when evaluating a school’s waitlist numbers:

1. Yield Rate: The yield rate, also called the matriculation rate, is the number or percentage of admitted students who ultimately choose to enroll at a particular institution after they are accepted. Generally, the higher the yield rate, the less likely a student is to get off the waitlist, as this indicates that the majority of students offered a spot chose to enroll.
2. The Size of the Waitlist: The percentage of students admitted off the waitlist—and therefore your likelihood of admission—has much to do with how selective a university chooses to be with their waitlist. For instance, both the University of Pennsylvania and MIT accepted a similar number of students off their waitlist in the 2023-2024 admissions cycle (40 and 32, respectively), but UPenn extended waitlist spots to 3,010 students, while MIT offered spots to only 619.
3. Institutional Priorities and Incoming Class Profile: Many top schools do not rank waitlisted students, so every applicant on the waitlist is re-evaluated holistically. In this process, admissions officers consider the overall class profile, including incoming students’ interests, backgrounds, institutional connections, and intended majors, and admit a balanced class of diverse students.Below is data about the number of students waitlisted and subsequently accepted off the waitlist at Ivy League and other top schools, listed in descending order of their waitlist acceptance rates:

• University of California, Berkeley
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 7,001
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 4,820
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 1,191
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 24.7%
• Stanford University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 607
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 506
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 76
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 15%
• UCLA
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 18,329
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 11,725
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 1,400
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 11.9%
• MIT
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 619
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 558
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 32
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 5.7%
• Georgetown University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 2,274
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 1,611
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 93
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 5.7%
• University of Michigan
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 26,898
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 18,321
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 955
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 5%
• University of Notre Dame
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 2,784
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 1,811
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 90
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 4.96%
• Cornell University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 7,729
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 5,531
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 260
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 4.7%
• Emory University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 5,875
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 3,372
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 123
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 3.6%
• UPenn
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 3,010
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 2,288
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 40
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 1.7%
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 6,154
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 4,633
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 36
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0.77%
• Rice University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 3,935
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 2,802
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 7
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0.25%
• Yale University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 1,145
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 899
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 0
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0%
• Princeton University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 1,710
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 1,348
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 0
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0%
• Dartmouth College
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 2,352
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 1606
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 0
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0%
• Cal Tech
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 213
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 199
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 0
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 0%
• UPenn
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: N/A
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: N/A
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 73
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: N/A
• Brown University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 3,010
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 2,288
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 40
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 1.7%
• Brown University
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: 3,010
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: 2,288
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 40
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: 1.7%
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: N/A

• Vanderbilt
  • Number of Students Waitlisted: N/A
  • Number of Students Who Accepted Waitlist Spots: N/A
  • Number of Students Accepted off the Waitlist: 140
  • Waitlist Acceptance Rate: N/A
• Harvard University: No information given
• Columbia: No information given

Given that numerous Ivy League schools on the above list did not accept a single student off their waitlist in the last cycle, students who receive a waitlist notification from one of the most competitive schools should likely prepare themselves for a rejection. Rather than keeping your heart set on an Ivy League or other ultra-reach school, revisit your college list and notes from your college visits to remind yourself what excited you about the other schools on your list. If you approach a waitlist acceptance as a bonus, rather than a likelihood, you will be able to set yourself up for success at another school on your list that will fulfill your educational and personal goals.

Do top colleges rank their waitlist?

A ranked waitlist is one in which students on the list are ranked by the order in which they would be accepted should spots become available. A school with an unranked waitlist, meanwhile, does not place students in any particular order and instead re-evaluates every student on the waitlist as a part of their final round of admissions. Most top colleges—including the Ivy League colleges—do not rank their waitlist. Instead, they use a more flexible and strategic approach to admitting students from the waitlist based on institutional needs.

Should I enroll in a school by the May 1 deadline if I am on the waitlist at another school?

Students who are awaiting an admissions decision at their dream school should still commit and submit a deposit to one of the schools to which they were accepted before the May 1 (or indicated) deadline. If you are ultimately accepted off of the waitlist at the school you wish to attend, you will forfeit your deposit at the other school and enroll in your waitlist school. However, you do not want to miss out on the response date and lose your chance of attending any school because you are dead set on your dream school. As MIT’s admissions office notes, “Students who accept this offer [from the school they were waitlisted at] will unenroll at the first college and enroll at the second… All of this is a standard part of the admissions process. We colleges recognize and accept this.”

Originally published on Forbes