If the college admissions process wasn’t stressful enough, being waitlisted can add extra tension for students anxious to get their results.
It is still important, however, to remember that there are important things to know about waitlists and follow-up strategies for families put in that position.
The college waitlist is a pool of applicants that are neither rejected nor accepted for admissions. Students’ applications are put on hold with an official confirmation set at a later date where the school may or may not accept them.
Colleges generally won’t start admitting applicants off of the waitlist until after the May 1 deadline, so waitlisted students should expect to not receive the decision until mid-May at the earliest.
A student’s likelihood of getting into a school they’re waitlisted for will vary based on how selective the school is. In 2022, around 20% of waitlisted students who chose to stay on the list were accepted, with 7% at selective schools. Each school has different standards and reasons for waitlisting students.
Waitlisted applicants have the option of either accepting or rejecting a school’s waitlist offer, and students and parents need to make that decision as soon as possible.
While being on a waitlist can be disheartening for students who were confident in their application, they still have ways to boost their likelihood of getting accepted into their school of choice.
It is also important for students to not let their grades suffer before the end of their senior year. Students who are put on a waitlist will be in fierce competition with each other, and a strong academic performance in their final days of high school could make a difference.