Many students believe that being waitlisted is akin to being rejected. But they’re wrong — because if students approach the waitlist process correctly, they have a genuine shot of earning admission. To concede defeat after being waitlisted is tantamount to taking a knee at the one-yard line. Who does that?

Why Do Colleges Waitlist Students?

America’s elite colleges waitlist students to play it safe. After all, while a school’s yield in prior years is a solid predictor of the school’s yield for this year, admissions officers can never predict with certainty the percentage of admitted students who will choose to attend. They thus place a group of students in limbo to meet their institutional needs by filling the remaining seats if the school’s yield falls short of expectations.

How Hard Is It to Get Off the College Waitlist?

As a rule of thumb, around 10% of students who are waitlisted at an elite universities will ultimately earn admission. This, of course, can vary from year to year.

There are years when some colleges, like Dartmouth College for the Class of 2027, don’t turn to their waitlists because they don’t need to fill seats. And there are other years when colleges go deep down their waitlists to complete their incoming classes — as schools did for the Class of 2024 after so many students chose to take gap years due to the pandemic. The schools needed to fill the vacant seats of the students who deferred their admission.

College Waitlist Acceptance Rates

Among the top 25-ranked national universities and top 25-ranked liberal arts colleges in the 2025 US News & World Report rankings, the following are the overall waitlist figures and the waitlist acceptance rates for Ivy Coach’s students.

The overall waitlist figures stem from the data these schools have individually reported to the 2024-2025 Common Data Set.

If “Not Yet Released” is indicated, the school has not published its waitlist data in The Common Data Set for the 2023-2024 cycle (more of the top liberal arts colleges have thus far reported compared to the top national universities). If only some numbers are reported, those are the only figures the school chose to include. Some institutions, like West Point, Annapolis, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, do not have waitlists.

Top National Universities

College / University	2025 US News Rank (“Best National Universities”)	Class of 2028 Waitlist Acceptance Rate	Ivy Coach’s 30+ Year Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Princeton University	1	2.87%	40%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	2	Not Yet Released	40%
Harvard University	3	Not Yet Released	39%
Stanford University	4	6.04%	38%
Yale University	5	Not Yet Released	40%
California Institute of Technology	6	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
Duke University	6	Not Yet Released	43%
Johns Hopkins University	6	Not Yet Released	50%
Northwestern University	6	Not Yet Released	42%
University of Pennsylvania	10	Not Yet Released	50%
Cornell University	11	6.27%	40%
University of Chicago	11	Not Yet Released	57%
Brown University	13	Not Yet Released	40%
Columbia University	13	Not Yet Released	41%
Dartmouth College	15	1.32%	50%
University of California, Los Angeles	15	13.17%	Insufficient Data
University of California, Berkeley	17	0.33%	Insufficient Data
Notre Dame	18	Not Yet Released	44%
Rice University	18	Not Yet Released	33%
Vanderbilt University	18	Not Yet Released	25%
Carnegie Mellon University	21	0.32%	33%
University of Michigan	21	5.18%	46%
Washington University in St. Louis	21	Not Yet Released	33%
Emory University	24	Not Yet Released	40%
Georgetown University	24	Not Yet Released	37%
University of Virginia	24	6.26%	Insufficient Data

Top Liberal Arts Colleges

College / University	2025 US News Rank (“Best Liberal Arts Colleges”)	Class of 2028 Waitlist Acceptance Rate	Ivy Coach’s 30+ Year Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Williams College	1	Not Yet Released	25%
Amherst College	2	1.28%	20%
Swarthmore College	3	0.00%	100%
United States Naval Academy	4	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)
Bowdoin College	5	Not Yet Released	100%
Pomona College	5	8.53%	100%
Wellesley College	7	2.62%	Insufficient Data
United States Air Force Academy	8	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)
Carleton College	8	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
Claremont McKenna College	8	5.31%	Insufficient Data
United States Military Academy at West Point	8	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)	Not Applicable (No Waitlist)
Harvey Mudd College	12	13.15%	Insufficient Data
Vassar College	12	32.70%	Insufficient Data
Barnard College	14	Not Yet Released	62%
Davidson College	14	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
Hamilton College	14	3.28%	Insufficient Data
Smith College	14	5.35%	Insufficient Data
Wesleyan University	14	0.29%	Insufficient Data
Grinnell College	19	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
Middlebury College	19	Not Yet Released	47%
Washington and Lee University	19	9.12%	Insufficient Data
Colgate University	22	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
University of Richmond	22	Not Yet Released	Insufficient Data
Haverford College	24	0.42%	Insufficient Data
Colby College	25	Not Published	Insufficient Data

A Prediction for Class of 2029 Waitlists

At Ivy Coach, we’ve got a highly accurate crystal ball. And our crystal ball hereby forecasts shorter waitlists for the Class of 2029. Unlike over the last few years under the halo of the pandemic, there’s less uncertainty this year.

Colleges will not need to place so many students in limbo when there’s less uncertainty. As such, a place on an expectedly shorter waitlist is more meaningful than in years past.

What to Do If You’ve Been Waitlisted

So what’s Ivy Coach’s game plan for waitlisted students? It’s a two-step process that goes as follows:

1. PostMortem application review. We need to identify how a student presented their case for admission to the school or schools that placed them in limbo so their story remains consistent — albeit more powerful.
2. Letter of Continued Interest. We brainstorm and revise a compelling letter to the institution, one filled with no brags or updates.

College Waitlist FAQ

Should I call the admissions office to express my continued interest in attending?

No, admissions officers don’t wish to speak with you over the phone. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest and then ask your school counselor to make an advocacy call, armed with how you positioned yourself in your letter.

Any other contact with the admissions office will risk rendering you a gadfly. Don’t annoy them! It will only undercut your case for admission off the waitlist.

If I’ve been waitlisted to several schools, should I submit the same letter to all of them?

No, each letter must be tailored to the respective institution. If you submit a generic letter to each school that waitlisted you, you’re unlikely to earn admission off any of these waitlists.

In our experience, students who are waitlisted at multiple schools have an excellent shot of earning admission off one or more waitlists — but only if they play their cards right.

Should I do something off the wall after being waitlisted, like pitching a tent outside the admissions office?

No, these sorts of ideas backfire. No bus ads. No tents. No phone calls from politicians. Just submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest.

Do colleges ever admit students off their waitlists after they say their incoming classes are closed?

Yes, we’ve had students earn admission off waitlists months after they’ve already notified students their incoming classes are closed. One of our students once moved out of their Duke dorm room when they learned they got off the Harvard waitlist. It’s why we always encourage waitlisted students to answer their phones!

Getting Started with Ivy Coach for Waitlist Assistance

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s assistance with optimizing your case for admission after being placed in waitlist limbo, fill out our complimentary consultation form and indicate that you’ve been waitlisted. We’ll then be in touch to outline Ivy Coach’s services.