In the spring of senior year, students and families invariably ask, “What are my chances of getting accepted from the wait list.” A recent article in the Wall Street Journal was titled, “The Only Thing Harder Than Getting Into College is Getting Off the Wait List.” The article goes on to say that wait lists have ballooned in recent years in order to give schools options. Colleges use waitlists for many reasons, such as placating alumni and rounding out their classes by filling areas of need once they know what the class looks like on May 1st. Do they need an oboe player for the orchestra? A quarterback? Another data science major? Or a full-pay student to make up for all of the scholarship students? Thus, at some schools, the wait list is often 3 to five times greater than the size of the freshman class and is far more selective than the college’s overall acceptance rate.
Colleges routinely place 5,000-10,000 students on the waitlist, and the number is growing. Last year, the University of Michigan placed 24,804 students on the waitlist, nearly 3 times the size of the entire freshman class. CASE offered 9,805 students a place on its waitlist – more than 5 times the size of its freshman class. And the chances of getting off the wait list are very low. In 2025, the University of California, Berkeley, placed 6,500 students on the wait list and admitted none of them – 0%. At Boston University in 2024, almost 9,000 students accepted a spot on the wait list, and 18 were eventually enrolled — .2%.
Obviously, chances of being admitted off the wait list are very low. The more selective a college, the fewer spots they fill from the wait list because everyone to whom they offered admission accepted their offer, resulting in the freshman class being practically filled by May 1st.
In this ultra-competitive environment, what should students do? First, only accept a spot on a wait list if the college was your top choice. Remaining on a wait list prolongs the anxiety of the admission process, sometimes until late August. Accept another college’s offer by May 1st and get excited about it because chances are high that will be your home for the next four years. Do not spend the summer dreaming about the wait listed college. Move on emotionally. If you receive an acceptance over the summer, you can get excited at that point.
What can students do to increase their chances of getting off the wait list?
1. Accept your place on the wait list immediately and follow directions. You need to respond. You won’t automatically remain on the list unless you confirm your intentions.
2. Send a letter of continued interest, informing the college that it is still your top choice and that you will come if they admit you. The letter should be brief – 1 to 2 paragraphs, not 1- 2 pages.
3. Include any new honors and accomplishments, if any.
4. Restate the reasons the college is a match for you. Is there a specific professor with whom you want to study, or a specific research program you would like to join?
5. Follow instructions. If allowed, you can submit additional recommendations, but only if the college says they will accept them.
It’s clear that wait lists benefit the colleges, not the students. The best thing a student can do is decide on another college, finalize your process, and end the anxiety. Remaining on hold throughout the summer extends the anxiety and in most cases, ends up without an acceptance anyway.
© Copyright April, 2026
Northcoast Educational Consulting
