What to Do Next If You Are on a College Waitlist?

Generally, students who have applied to colleges either receive a college acceptance letter or a rejection letter. In both cases, students have a clear idea of what they need to do further. However, there is one more category, 'the waitlist offer'. In this scenario, students are neither accepted nor rejected by the college they have applied to. In this article, we'll tell you what to do in this case.

First of all, you need not be disheartened as you are not the first one to be put on that list and certainly not the last one. Stay patient and calm and evaluate what all other opportunities you have in hand at that moment.

Generally, top colleges have high yield rate, i.e. the percentage of students who accept the admission offer made to them and enroll with the college. Like top colleges like Harvard acceptance rate and Upenn acceptance rate is low i.e. the number of students admitted in proportion to the total number of applicants. Based on these estimates, the college selects the number of students to be put on a waitlist. Also, if you wish to stay on the waitlist, you need to inform the university's admission office about it. You can email the university’s admission office through their admission portal and inform them that you will stay on the waitlist, so, they won't remove you from it and also reconsider your application for admission. Apart from this, many universities want students in the waitlist to fill an online form in order to stay in the waitlist.

Although universities often claim that they check the profile of the candidate holistically, however, there is no reason why they have put you on the waitlist. Having your name on the waitlist doesn't mean that you are not worthy. There may be any reason for putting students on a waitlist and also there are reasons for taking a certain type of students. Like if someone is good in basketball, and the school requires good basketball players, then even if you have an overall decent profile still you are kept under the waitlist.

What exactly is Waiting List?

Each year, colleges have a limited number of seats at the time of enrollment. This is done to maintain the physical-space requirements at a college or to maintain faculty-to-student ratios. So, in short, the college waitlist is a list of applicants to whom admission may or may not be given. Students must know that the university waiting lists are important tools used in admissions and do not justify a reflection of a prospective student’s applications.  

What does Waitlisted mean?

Being waitlisted means a student is competitive, but colleges try to make well-rounded classes and this may mean prioritizing students based on their major choices or what unique quality they bring to the college. The applicants who are on the waitlist are put on hold by a college and will be admitted only if a college needs to fill more spots.

What to do if you are on the University Waiting List?

In case, if you are on the university waiting list, the steps given below can be followed.

• Accept a spot on the waitlist: The waitlisted students are required to respond to this decision of being on the waitlist and let the college know whether they want to stay on the waiting list or not. Even if they have decided to remain on the university waiting list, it is advised to be prepared to attend another college. Students must choose the best fit from the colleges that have accepted them. Also, you need not pay anything to stay on the waitlist, so, if it is your dream college, then it's worth waiting and keeping your fingers crossed. But securing a seat is always a good idea as most of the universities or colleges will not take students off the waitlist until they heard back from all the accepted students till 1st May. Accepted applicants have the option to accept or reject the offer till the 1st May deadline. Also, if students do not send a reply till 1st May, then that offer stands rejected automatically.

• Know the chances of taking admission: It is advised to contact the admissions office to know if the college ranks waitlisted students or if it has any priority list. Students can also submit a letter of interest to the university and emphasize why this college is their dream college. It is advised to mention any additional academic or non-academic factors in the letter of interest. Students can also try to remain in contact with the university via email.
• Submit a deposit to another college: It does not matter whether a student is put on a waitlist. It is still wise to submit the deposit to enroll at another university before the deadline of the application. To make an informed decision about admission, students can do their own research for that college by checking their official websites, visiting the campus, or talking to senior students of the same university.
• Be prepared to make a decision if admitted: Generally, the timeline for being admitted varies, but many colleges try to let students know before June 30. So, if the admission offer does come, the prospective students must act fast in order to make a final college decision.
• Inform the university where a deposit has been submitted: Those students who get to hear back from the college about its waitlist decision could make another informed decision if they get selected. This is about whether to accept the offer of admission and withdraw your previous acceptance or reject this offer and go with another college that a student has agreed to attend.

Learn about college shortlisting process:

The Process of Identifying What You Want in a University or College	Understanding 'College Fit': How Universities Match your Student Profile
Study Abroad: 6 Essential Components of College Admission Forms	Study Abroad: How should students shortlist colleges & look beyond rankings

To pay a deposit or not while staying in a waitlist?

Many students go through this dilemma of whether to pay a deposit or not? Generally, some European universities ask students to pay a deposit in order to confirm their acceptance. However, universities located in US and Canada generally do not ask for a deposit for confirming the students' acceptance. So, if it is your dream university and you do not wish to miss the opportunity then you should go ahead and pay the deposit. However, it does not mean that you have secured admission, still, you have to wait to hear from the university to get admission.

What to do in case you qualified a fee waiver?

In case of those who have qualified for a fee waiver might get the option to accept the admission without paying any deposit. In this scenario, you can accept the admission without paying any deposit and also need to contact your college or admission department and ask them about their policy on it.

Do Waitlisted Students Get Accepted?

The odds of getting off the university waiting list depend on the following factors:

• Number of spots: If the spots for admission are fewer, then the chances to get off a waitlist are less. However, if there are more spots for admission, then there is quite a chance that a student may get admission.
• What majors or locations do the colleges want to represent: To understand this, let us go through an example. If a university did not admit enough engineering majors students, then it will admit students from the waiting list.
• Actively showed interest in order to take admission: If a student actively demonstrated their interest in attending a college, then there is a chance of getting admitted.
• How strong is your application: A student’s application is compared with the application of other applicants as well before taking the decision on the waitlist. Therefore, if a student has good academic scores or GPA, then that student will be a top applicant for admission.

Learn about the application process for studying abroad:

Complete Application Process for Universities Abroad	Difference between Undergraduate application process to US and UK universities
Application Process for USA	Application process for Canada