Waitlisted? Your Action Plan

Now that we have reached May 1 (National College Decision Day), colleges and universities are moving to their waitlists and accepting students who have been stuck in limbo. Are you still hoping for good news from your top choice school? You DO NOT need to remain idle and these next few weeks are crucial.

WAITLISTED? TAKE ACTION

Our top tips for getting off the waitlist don’t vary much year to year but the individualized strategy behind each student’s focused action plan is extremely personal.

The first step is to understand WHY you were waitlisted and then to implement your action plan to move forward… into your dream school!

This is where we come in.

1. Accept Your Position on the Waitlist (if you want it) and prep a strong waitlist response letter.
2. Secure Your Acceptance. By now, you should have made your final selection, and paid the deposit (if you get off a waitlist and accept, you’ll have to forfeit that deposit though).
3. Finish the School Year Strong. Plan a scholarly summer–one that’s worth relaying to colleges.
4. Demonstrated Interest. Ensure the college or university KNOWS you remain interested in them!

WAITLIST DATA

Though information on this year’s waitlist numbers is sparse, based on the college admissions trends we’ve seen so far this cycle, it’s safe to assume waitlists will be similar in size to last year’s.

What colleges are less likely to disclose? The number of students who are actually accepted off these waitlists. At Vanderbilt, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Doug Christiansen said, “around 8% of the Class of 2027 will come from the waitlist,” but Vanderbilt doesn’t plan on sharing the actual number of students waitlisted. What we know for sure? Last year, 221 students were accepted off the Vanderbilt waitlist for the Class of 2026.

According to The Williams Record, over the last five admissions cycles, Williams has accepted 35 total students off their waitlists. Last year, of the 2,241 students waitlisted, one student was admitted. For its Class of 2027, Williams waitlisted 1,970 students and we expect only a few to gain acceptance.  

School Name	# of Students on Waitlist (Class of 2026)	Students Accepting a Place on Waitlist	Accepted off Waitlist	Waitlist Acceptance Rate
American University	9,146	2,086	88	4.2%
Bates College	2,441	902	0	0.0%
College of William and Mary	4,004	2,042	4	.2%
Connecticut College	2,484	1,103	5	.5%
Dickinson College	974	313	18	5.8%
Georgia Tech	7,122	4,903	41	0.8%
Hamilton College	3,054	1,568	0	0.0%
Harvey Mudd College	612	419	17	4.1%
Johns Hopkins University	3,443	2,358	0	0.0%
Kenyon College	2,165	1172	23	2.0%
Macalester College	1,081	591	0	0.0%
Pomona College	866	614	13	2.1%
Providence College	3,005	1,058	3	.3%
Stanford University	553	457	8	1.8%
Tulane University	6,232	2,271	3	0.1%
UNC Chapel Hill	7,258	5,392	383	7.1%
University of California, Berkeley	8,456	4,655	44	0.9%
University of California, LA	16,979	11,169	367	3.3%
University of Georgia	3,022	1,543	34	2.2%
University of Massachusetts – Amherst	8,531	3,681	74	2.0%
University of Miami	20,206	8,545	115	1.3%
University of Michigan Ann Arbor	21,078	15,076	77	.5%
Wellesley College	2,578	1,304	44	3.4%
Wesleyan University	2,754	1,557	81	5.2%
Williams College	2,241	850	0	0.0%