Were you recently waitlisted to Wesleyan University? If so, you’re probably feeling a little bummed, a little anxious, and a little uncertain about what this means for your chance at admission. We get how you feel. It stinks when an admissions committee kicks the can down the road on you. But we also know that being waitlisted does not at all add up to a “no.” In fact, if you navigate the waitlist correctly, that waitlist letter can become an acceptance letter!

First, let’s look at Wesleyan’s waitlist admissions statistics over the last 18 years. The data in the table below is gathered directly from Wesleyan’s self-reporting to The Common Data Set.

Wesleyan University Waitlist Acceptance Rates and Statistics

Wesleyan University Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to Wesleyan	Number of Students Who Chose to Join Wesleyan Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off Wesleyan Waitlist	Wesleyan Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Wesleyan Class of 2029	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Wesleyan Class of 2028	2,532	1,359	201	14.80%
Wesleyan Class of 2027	2,754	1,557	81	5.20%
Wesleyan Class of 2026	3,585	2,031	10	0.50%
Wesleyan Class of 2025	2,302	1,370	133	9.70%
Wesleyan Class of 2024	1,945	1,076	94	8.70%
Wesleyan Class of 2023	1,965	1,098	0	0%
Wesleyan Class of 2022	2,267	1,233	108	8.75%
Wesleyan Class of 2021	2,262	1,134	55	4.85%
Wesleyan Class of 2020	1,877	884	12	1.35%
Wesleyan Class of 2019	1,955	893	70	7.80%
Wesleyan Class of 2018	2,144	779	77	9.90%
Wesleyan Class of 2017	2,234	954	48	5%
Wesleyan Class of 2016	1,866	843	0	0%
Wesleyan Class of 2015	1,859	645	88	13.60%
Wesleyan Class of 2014	1,838	688	40	5.80%
Wesleyan Class of 2013	1,500	700	21	3%
Wesleyan Class of 2012	1,236	441	97	22%
Wesleyan Class of 2011	1,108	418	50	12%
Wesleyan Class of 2010	1,200	600	90	15%

How Hard Is It to Get Off of Wesleyan’s Waitlist?

Alright, you’ve seen the numbers for yourself. To break them down for you a little bit more: over the past 18 years, Wesleyan’s waitlist admissions rate has hovered around 7.8%. 

While perusing the numbers, you probably noticed a lot of variation in the waitlist acceptance rate — one year was 0% and another year was 22%. What’s up with that? The school’s yield, or the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll, determines how far an admissions committee will reach down its waitlist. The higher the school’s yield, the lower the waitlist acceptance rate. 

Now, you could go full Jason Bourne on this, track down everyone accepted to Wesleyan, and beg them not to matriculate. Not only would that be impossible, but it would also be super crazy! In truth, you don’t get any control over a school’s yield. 

But you do get control over how you approach Wesleyan after being waitlisted. You can do nothing, cross your fingers, and hope for the best. You can write a letter bragging about what an amazing person you’ve become in the few months since you applied to Wesleyan. Or you can send the right kind of letter that will convince a Wesleyan admissions officer to go to bat for you. 

Your Chances of Admission to Wesleyan  After Being Waitlisted with Ivy Coach’s Help 

Over the past 30 years, Ivy Coach has developed an excellent track record of getting students who first come to us after receiving waitlist notifications off those dreaded lists. While only around 10% of regular waitlisted applicants ultimately receive admission, around 40% of students who work with Ivy Coach after being waitlisted go on to receive admission. 

It all comes down to our tried and true method of optimizing a student’s chances of getting out of limbo and onto their dream campus. It’s a two-step process: 

1. Complete Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. We need to see what students did successfully and what they did wrong in their Wesleyan application. The narrative we help craft can’t have fallen from the sky. Instead, it should be consistent with the story conveyed in the Wesleyan application — just told in a way that will win over the admissions team this time. 
2. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. We’re sure many people have already told you to write Wesleyan a letter, and we’re sure they’ve told you to be snappy with it. But we wonder: What have they told you to write in said letter? Don’t do that if they told you to fill it with brags and updates. Ivy Coach’s letters to Wesleyan contain no shrill bragging. It’s a big reason why they’re so successful. 

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on Wesleyan University Waitlist

If you’re interested in optimizing your chance of admission off of Wesleyan’s waitlist to the Class of 2029, complete Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate that Wesleyan has waitlisted you. We will then be in touch about our services. We understand how important it is to spring into action quickly and that your letter must be sent to Wesleyan ASAP.