Colorado College is a unique school located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That’s a lot of Colorado. We don’t even think Colorado sounds like a word anymore. Anyways, you’re here because you got waitlisted by Colorado College (CC for short), and you want to know your odds of getting off the waitlist and how to get off the waitlist.
We know that CC’s overall acceptance rate in 2022-2023 was 16%, but the vast majority of those come from ED I, ED II, and EA. The ED I + II acceptance rate is 39%, and the EA rate is 22%. Regular Decision acceptance rate? 8%. This is important context for the waitlist because the waitlist is designed to fill spots when not enough accepted students enroll to fill out a class. And when you have that many ED I, ED II, and EA applicants, those are students who are, generally, much more committed to CC and want to go there, which translates to fewer spots for waitlist students.
In 2022-2023, 823 students were offered a spot on the waitlist. 193 of those students elected to remain on the waitlist. 2 of those students were accepted. That’s about a 1% success rate. In past years they’ve accepted up to 25, others 0. If you want the best shot of getting off the waitlist, we have some steps of things you can do to give yourself the best chance possible.
Step 1: Accept Your Place on the Waitlist
CC doesn’t give us a ton of info on their waitlist on their website, but we do know that if you were deferred, you might have selected the “I’m interested in being placed on the waitlist if not accepted RD” option on your deferral form, which is interesting! CC will send you information on how to accept your spot on the waitlist, which is generally through a portal or form they will send you directly.
Step 2: Secure Other Plans
With the waitlist stats they’ve got, you absolutely need to secure a spot at another college. Pick a school you were accepted to and would be happy to attend, and lock down a spot there. We know hoping and praying you get off a waitlist seems more romantic, but you will be going to college no matter what. Onwards to step 3.
Step 3: Update Colorado College
Of course, CC has, like, no info on their website about the waitlist, but we do know what you need to do next to get off the waitlist. You need to write a letter. And if you don’t write the letter, your chances of getting off the waitlist go from very small to absolutely zero. So, let’s talk about how to write a waitlist letter to reaffirm your interest in the school and give them updates about what you’ve been up to since applying.
Remember, this is your final opportunity to communicate with admissions, so it's crucial to make it impactful, professional, and confident. No begging or desperation!!!
Opening: This is a professional letter, so you should open with a formal greeting. Something like “Dear Admissions Committee” or “Dear (admissions counselor’s name)” will work. This is not an email to your friends or family (are y’all even sending emails to friends and family?); you should be writing this like it’s to a prospective boss or some international dignitary.
Reinforce Interest: Colorado College knows you like Colorado College – we mean, you did apply there. However!! You need to state, very plainly, that if you’re accepted, you will 100% attend. You need CC to walk away with the impression that they are your first choice and the only place you can pursue your studies and fulfill your potential, so give them a specific reason. They love the Block Plan, so maybe throw that in there.
Update: Next, you need to provide a very brief update on what you’ve been up to since you applied in the fall. Give them a highlight of the best things you’ve done, and keep it brief (a short paragraph, no more than 3 things should be on this list). You can include if you’re now the top-ranked student at your school, new leadership positions, new awards/recognition, new internships, or completed research. Bonus points for connecting what you’ve done to opportunities at CC that you want to do.
Closing: Wrap it up with the same professional tone you started with, yet again reaffirming your interest and stating the specific academic reasons you want to go to Colorado College. This should be about a sentence. End with a professional, formal ending like “respectfully” or “sincerely.”
This should be no more than 300-400 words. Colorado College will either let you email this or upload it to the admissions portal. If you don’t send in a letter of continued interest, you have no shot of getting off the waitlist, period. That means you must write this letter, and it needs to be perfect. Yes, we’re saying it twice. It’s that important!!!! If that feels daunting, we can help.
Step 4: The Waiting
Prepare to submit your update in early spring, likely around April. Make sure Colorado College receives your latest grades from your school—just check in with your school counselor for that. If you retook the SAT or ACT and improved your score, you can send that in too.
Now, the main part of this, and the one you can’t control: waiting. You may not hear back from Colorado College until late July, but you may hear back as early as May. Resist the temptation to repeatedly contact the admissions committee—let your letter do the talking. We don’t want to annoy them. Best of luck!
If you’re on a waitlist and feeling anxious, we can help! Please reach out to us today if you need help with your waitlist letter.