What to Do Next If You Are on a College Waitlist?

Generally, students who have applied to colleges either receive a college acceptance letter or a rejection letter. In both cases, students have a clear idea of what they need to do further. However, there is one more category, 'the waitlist offer'. In this scenario, students are neither accepted nor rejected by the college they have applied to. In this article, we'll tell you what to do in this case.

First of all, you need not be disheartened, as you are not the first one to be put on that list and certainly not the last one. Stay patient and calm, and evaluate what other opportunities you have in hand at that moment.

Colleges use waitlists to manage their enrollment numbers. Admissions offices can never perfectly predict how many accepted students will actually choose to attend. To protect themselves from ending up with empty seats in the freshman class, all the top universities abroad place qualified applicants on a waitlist.

If you want to keep your name on this list, action is required. You must log into the university’s admission portal and fill out their waitlist reply form before the deadline, or you will automatically lose your spot. You can also email the university’s admissions office through their admissions portal and inform them that you will stay on the waitlist, so they won't remove you from it and can reconsider your application for admission. Apart from this, many universities want students on the waitlist to fill out an online form in order to stay on the waitlist. Read this article to know "What to Do Next If You Are on a College Waitlist?"

What exactly is a College Waiting List?

Each year, colleges have a limited number of seats at the time of enrollment. This is done to maintain the physical space requirements at a college or to maintain faculty-to-student ratios. So, in short, the college waitlist is a list of applicants to whom admission may or may not be given. Students must know that university waiting lists are important tools used in admissions and do not reflect a prospective student’s application.  

Although universities often claim that they check the profile of the candidate holistically, there is no single reason why they have put you on the waitlist. Having your name on the waitlist doesn't mean that you are not worthy. There may be many reasons for putting students on a waitlist, and there are also reasons for taking a certain type of student. Like if someone is good at basketball and the school requires good basketball players, then even if you have an overall decent profile, you are still kept on the waitlist.

What does being Waitlisted by a College Mean?

Being waitlisted means a student is competitive, but colleges try to make well-rounded classes and this may mean prioritising students based on their major choices or what unique quality they bring to the college. The applicants who are on the waitlist are put on hold by a college and will be admitted only if a college needs to fill more spots.

What to do if you are on the University Waiting List?

If you are on the university waiting list, the steps given below can be followed.

• Accept a spot on the waitlist: The waitlisted students are required to respond to this decision of being on the waitlist and let the college know whether they want to stay on the waiting list or not. Even if they have decided to remain on the university waiting list, it is advised to be prepared to attend another college. Students must choose the best fit from the colleges that have accepted them. Also, you need not pay anything to stay on the waitlist, so if it is your dream college, then it's worth waiting and keeping your fingers crossed. But securing a seat is always a good idea, as most of the universities or colleges will not take students off the waitlist until they hear back from all the accepted students by 1st May. Accepted applicants have the option to accept or reject the offer till the 1st May deadline. Also, if students do not send a reply by 1st May, then that offer stands rejected automatically.

• Know the chances of taking admission: It is advised to contact the admissions office to know if the college ranks waitlisted students or if it has any priority list. Students can also submit a letter of interest to the university and emphasise why this college is their dream college. It is advised to mention any additional academic or non-academic factors in the letter of interest. Students can also try to remain in contact with the university via email.
• Submit a deposit to another college: It does not matter whether a student is put on a waitlist. It is still wise to submit the deposit to enrol at another university before the deadline of the application. To make an informed decision about admission, students can do their own research for that college by checking their official websites, visiting the campus, or talking to senior students of the same university.
• Be prepared to make a decision if admitted: Generally, the timeline for being admitted varies, but many colleges try to let students know before June 30. So, if the admission offer does come, the prospective students must act fast in order to make a final college decision.
• Inform the university where a deposit has been submitted: Those students who get to hear back from the college about its waitlist decision could make another informed decision if they get selected. This is about whether to accept the offer of admission and withdraw your previous acceptance or reject this offer and go with another college that a student has agreed to attend.

Should You Pay a Deposit or not While You're on the College's Waitlist?

Many students go through this dilemma of whether to pay a deposit or not. Generally, some European universities ask students to pay a deposit in order to confirm their acceptance. However, universities located in the US and Canada generally do not ask for a deposit to confirm the students' acceptance. So, if it is your dream university and you do not wish to miss the opportunity, then you should go ahead and pay the deposit. However, it does not mean that you have secured admission; still, you have to wait to hear from the university to get admission.

What to do in case you qualify for a fee waiver?

In case of those who have qualified for a fee waiver might get the option to accept the admission without paying any deposit. In this scenario, you can accept the admission without paying any deposit, and you also need to contact your college or admissions department and ask them about their policy on it.

Do Waitlisted Students Get Accepted?

The odds of getting off the university waiting list depend on the following factors:

• Number of spots: If the spots for admission are fewer, then the chances of getting off a waitlist are less. However, if there are more spots for admission, then there is quite a chance that a student may get admission.
• What majors or locations do the colleges want to represent? To understand this, let us go through an example. If a university did not admit enough engineering major students, then it will admit students from the waiting list.
• Actively showed interest in order to take admission: If a student actively demonstrated their interest in attending a college, then there is a chance of getting admitted.
• How strong is your application: A student’s application is compared with the applications of other applicants as well before taking the decision on the waitlist. Therefore, if a student has good academic scores or GPA, then that student will be a top applicant for admission.

This was all about "What to Do Next If You Are on a College Waitlist?". If you wish to study abroad without any hassle, reach out to Shiksha's Counselling Services for free. 

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