If you’re reading this now, you’re probably waitlisted at the University of Washington, Seattle. Although this isn’t the epic news you had hoped for, it’s still much better than being handed a rejection. Why? Because the University of Washington has a high acceptance rate for waitlists. Let’s take a closer look. 

Until the admissions cycle for the Class of 2024, UW did not have a policy of waitlisting applicants. There were acceptances and rejections and no waffling about it.

But, for the past five years, UW has caught up with other elite universities and started waitlisting applicants. The numbers in the table below are pulled directly from UW’s self-reporting to The Common Data Set.

UWashington Waitlist Acceptance Rates and Statistics

University of Washington Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to UW	Number of Students Who Chose to Join UW Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off UW Waitlist	UW Waitlist Acceptance Rate
UW Class of 2029	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
UW Class of 2028	7,915	4,122	2,985	72.60%
UW Class of 2027	9,450	5,453	127	2.30%
UW Class of 2026	10,239	4,565	775	17%
UW Class of 2025	9,726	4,712	1,870	39.70%
UW Class of 2024	7,775	3,040	2,394	78.80%

Your Chances of Admission to the University of Washington After Being Waitlisted

Let’s put a finer point on it. The University of Washington’s waitlist acceptance rate has averaged 42.08% for the past five years. This is pretty high for a waitlist acceptance rate. So, if you’d lost hope, these numbers should bring some of it back. 

You’ll have noticed that the waitlist acceptance rates vary a lot from year to year: for the Class of 2027, it was low at 2.3%, whereas in other years, it’s been over 70%. What’s the deal with that? 

The school’s yield is the biggest determinant of any school’s waitlist acceptance rate. Yield is admissions jargon for the percentage of admitted students who accept their offer and enroll. The higher the yield, the fewer names will be picked from the waitlist. 

No one has a crystal ball, so no one can tell what UW’s yields and consequent waitlist acceptance rates will be like. While you can’t control this year’s yield, you can control how adeptly you approach the University of Washington and make your final case for admission.  

Your Chances of Admission to the University of Washington After Being Waitlisted with Ivy Coach’s Help

Over the past 30 years, 40% of students who have turned to Ivy Coach after being placed on an elite university’s waitlist have received admission. That’s compared to only a 10% acceptance rate for the average waitlisted applicant. 

Our team of former elite admissions officers has developed a tried and true method for getting students out of the limbo caused by the waitlist. Here at Ivy Coach, we like to call that method the two-step: a comprehensive review of your application followed by a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. 

1. Complete Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. We need to see what a student did successfully and what they did wrong in their University of Washington application. The narrative we help craft can’t come from left field. Instead, it should be consistent with the story conveyed in the University of Washington application — just told much more convincingly and compellingly this time around. 
2. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. Most students know they must submit a letter after being waitlisted to ultimately receive admission. And most know they should do so quickly. But most students don’t know what to write in that letter — the most essential part. Ivy Coach’s letters to the University of Washington contain no brags or updates. It’s a big reason why they’re so successful. We inspire University of Washington admissions officers to go to bat for our students! 

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on the University of Washington Waitlist

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