Ultimate Waitlist Strategies to Secure Your Spot (2026)

Waiting for your college results to roll out from your top college choices can be nerve-wracking. The college application process is long and taxing, and of course you want it all to pay off in the end. Which is why when you do finally receive your letter from a college, it can be very disheartening when it isn’t the response you were hoping for: like a waitlisted decision.

However, while anything other than “congratulations, you’ve been accepted!” may feel like the end of the world, we’re here to tell you it’s not. There are strategies and paths forward, even if you aren’t automatically accepted.

In today’s post, we’ll cover what exactly being waitlisted means for your application and how it differs from being deferred. We will also give you four steps to take if you do get waitlisted by one of your top schools.

Before all else, it’s important to recognize that being deferred or waitlisted is not a rejection. In fact, these decisions indicate that the admissions committee sees potential in your application and believes you could be a good fit for their institution—they just need more information.

Being placed on a college's waitlist means that you meet the qualifications for admission, but the college has already accepted their maximum number of applicants for the incoming class. Essentially, the admissions committee is saying, "We like you, but we don't have room for you yet." The college may decide to admit you later if spots open up due to other admitted students declining their offer.

Waitlists are unpredictable, because it all depends on how many of the already admitted applicants accept the offer. While being waitlisted means you are still in the running for a spot, the chances of admission can vary widely between schools. For example, in recent years, some Ivy League universities have admitted as few as 2% of waitlisted students, while other selective institutions accept closer to 20%. If you’d like to see the waitlist trends at your prospective school, you can visit Common Data Set reports or check each college’s admissions page for more details.

Colleges rarely rank their waitlists, and decisions often depend on institutional needs, such as balancing academic programs, geographic diversity, or extracurricular strengths. That’s why taking proactive steps can make a real difference in your chances.

Listen as this Empowerly student explains the difference between a waitlist and a rejection.

Unlike the waitlist, being deferred means that the college has decided to postpone making a final decision on your application until the regular decision period. In other words, your early application (ED or EA) will be re-evaluated alongside the regular decision applicants, and you'll receive a final decision in March or April.

Both a deferred decision and being added to the waitlist are uncertain outcomes, but a deferral gives you another chance to be considered with the regular pool, whereas waitlisting means you may only be admitted if spots open up.

In short, a deferral is a temporary delay in a decision, often with a second chance for admission, while a waitlist means you are on standby for a spot if it becomes available later.

When it comes to any admission decision coming from a college or university, it’s important to remember it is not all about your application. There are many factors, like admission trends and institutional priorities, that admission committees take into account. Don’t take your admission result as a direct reflection of the worthiness of your application!

So, you get a spot on the waitlist at one of your top choice colleges. Now what? There are a few things you can do in these cases in order to better your chances at getting one of the few remaining spots. 

The first thing you should do if you are waitlisted by a college you actually want to go to is respond that you want to accept your spot on the waitlist. Some colleges require you to reply and accept this offer before officially putting you on the waitlist, so you want to answer promptly.

If this is truly your top-choice school, say it outright! Admissions officers want to accept students who are most likely to enroll. It doesn’t help you to keep your cards close to your chest in this case. You don’t want to hold back any information or thoughts on your end that could show an admission committee that the school is your top choice; colleges want to admit students who are serious and passionate about attending their university.

Beyond responding to the waitlist offer, there are a few high-impact ways to demonstrate interest:

• Attend Virtual Events & Webinars – Many colleges host Q&A sessions, info sessions, and admitted student events that waitlisted students can join.
• Visit Campus (If Possible) – If you live nearby or can travel, showing up for a campus tour or admitted student event can reinforce your commitment.
• Engage with Admissions Representatives – Reach out to the admissions officer responsible for your region with a thoughtful question or update.
• Follow the College on Social Media – Engage with their posts, join school-affiliated groups, and stay connected with campus updates.

These steps reinforce to the admissions office that you’re invested in the school and ready to enroll if admitted.

There have probably been a few updates to your application since you submitted it the first time. To let the colleges know about these updates, you will need to send a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI). 

• research publications
• extracurricular developments (like new officer positions in clubs)
• competition awards
• outstanding scores or grades
• … as well as any other unique updates that would help the acceptance committee better understand your talents.

Be sure to be specific and reiterate how your life goals align with what you’ve seen from the university’s mission.

Remember, being waitlisted is still such a huge accomplishment. With more applicants in the pool every single year, it is becoming more common that colleges deny or waitlist students—and a waitlist is better than a rejection letter!

Be sure to know your status with other colleges on your list, and begin to envision what your life could look like at one of these other schools. There is no single school that will bring you success—you already have it in you.  

Here are a few words of advice from our Lead Empowerly Counselor, Connie. She was an Admissions Officer at Brown University, so she has an expert opinion on this topic.

Even if you don’t get off the waitlist, you will thrive wherever you go. Here’s how to take control of your future:

• Secure Your Backup School: Accept an offer from a school where you were admitted. Make your deposit before May 1st.
• Consider Transfer Options: If you’re dead set on your waitlist school, research their transfer admission rates and policies.
• Embrace the Opportunities Ahead: College is what you make of it. No school will define your success—you will.

Many students end up loving their second-choice school even more than they expected. Keep an open mind!

We hope this helps with the confusing college decision terminology. No matter what your admission letter says, you should be so proud of yourself for getting to this point! The college admissions process is very challenging.

If you are an underclassman on the early end of your college admissions journey, we have a few other resources that could help you prepare for this process.

• Sign up for one of our free upcoming webinars.
• Check out our other blog posts here.
• Book a free 30-minute call with our enrollment team to see how our counselors help students like you get into their dream schools.