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Is waitlisted considered accepted?

What Does It Mean To Be Waitlisted? If you've been waitlisted during the RD review process, this means that the college has completed reviewing your file and you have not been accepted. However, if enough students that were accepted choose not to attend, you could be considered.



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While many colleges will waitlist hundreds or even thousands of students, not all of those students will accept a spot on the waitlist, making the pool and the chances of getting in slightly better in some cases. According to NACAC, 20% of all students who chose to remain on waitlists were ultimately admitted.

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A college may put you on a waitlist. This can happen when you meet the admissions requirements, but the college has already accepted the number of applicants it has room for. If a spot becomes available later on, you may be offered a place.

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Being waitlisted isn't terrible if you can be patient and have a backup plan. Alternatively, you can choose to back out and move on. If you were waitlisted by one of your reach schools, you might have already been planning for the alternatives. So usually, being waitlisted isn't bad.

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As decisions keep rolling out, I know you might have some questions. First, a note: I know getting that waitlist decision can be painful. It is, in lots of ways, a soft rejection and that's by far the healthiest way to look at it, but that's also what makes it sting even more. So, be sure to take care of yourself.

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Waitlisted students can accept or reject the offer presented by the college. However, don't take up a spot on the list if you're not planning on attending the school anymore. You'd be taking the spot away from another student who may be more interested.

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A deferred applicant will be considered again before any reconsideration is provided to a waitlisted applicant. As such, being waitlisted at a school is worse than a deferral because the institution has decided not to admit you unless other applicants decline their admission offer and seats become available.

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You might find yourself wondering what this status really means. The truth is, the number of students who are waitlisted changes from year to year, so it's impossible to say how many people will get waitlisted at a certain school. The number can range anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred.

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Some estimates say that most colleges will accept at least 5-10% of deferred students in regular decision pools. Others estimate that the deferral acceptance rate is often approximately equal to the regular decision acceptance rate. However, these estimates are overarching and don't apply to all schools.

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