How to Get Admitted Off a College Waitlist

The coronavirus pandemic disrupted countless facets of daily life, economic activity, and educational pursuits for most of 2020 and into 2021. Add the already complicated college admission process – including whether students are ultimately accepted, rejected, or placed on a college wait-list – to the list of things made more difficult due to COVID-19.

Given the number of applications that schools received this cycle, we predicted that a much higher number of students would receive news that they have been wait-listed, This year has been an incredibly competitive and unprecedented cycle, and colleges generally have the same number of spots (or even fewer) for freshmen, so the wait-list reflects that.

Universities usually offer applicants wait-list spots during the regular decision round of admission. Wait-listed applicants generally won't hear back about a decision on their admission until after the national May 1 deadline for high school seniors to submit their deposit and secure their spot at a college. Sometimes, they don't find out until soon before the fall semester.

Applicants should also know that college wait-lists are important tools for schools to use in admissions and not necessarily a reflection of the prospective student's application. Being put on the wait-list means a student is a competitive candidate, but colleges are trying to admit well-rounded classes and predict who will ultimately enroll, which may mean prioritizing students based on major choices or a desirable quality they bring to the college.

6 Steps to Get Off a College Waitlist

• Accept a spot on the wait-list.
• Express interest again in the school.
• Submit a deposit to another university.
• Manage expectations in the admissions process.
• Be ready to make a decision if admitted.
• Inform the school where you submitted a deposit.