Throughout March, US university admissions decisions arrived in your inbox. Though being accepted and denied are very clear—many students also received “waitlist” offers. UK universities do not have a waitlist! So, this offer can be a tad confusing.

However, being offered a place on the waitlist is good news! At Vela Education, we know this is not the acceptance you hoped for, but a place on the waitlist means the school liked your application, believes you are qualified to attend, and would be an asset to the community. Because most US universities have residential campuses, the waitlist allows schools to manage the exact number of students who will live in the dorms. Thus, a school does want to offer some students on their waitlist! This means, you may have a chance to get accepted and attend your first-choice school if you take the following steps:

Write a letter of continued interest: most schools will have specific steps for accepting a spot on their waitlist—checking a box on the admissions portal etc. However, Vela Education also recommends that you write a letter explaining why the school remains your first choice and highlight any academic and extracurricular achievements since you applied. This is an important step! This letter should be sent as soon as possible after receiving the waitlist offer.

Put a deposit on another school: you are not likely to hear about your status on the waitlist till after it is time to accept a spot and place a deposit. If you decide to attend another school after being removed from the waitlist, you will lose this deposit.

Be patient: managing university enrolment is complicated! And as some students throughout the globe are still struggling with pandemic conditions which schools are trying to accommodate. Thus, it may be late into the summer before you find out you are removed from the waitlist.

How to Write Your Waitlist Letter

Specifics: this letter must include a specific reason you are a good fit for the school that was not on the previous application This means doing additional research beyond what you did for the supplemental essays.

Update: this letter must also contain an update regarding your academic and extracurricular progress since submitting the application.

Declaration of Intent: though you may be considering attending other schools, it is extremely important that you declare you will accept an offer from the school! This is an important component of the letter and cannot be left out.

Logistics: this letter should have your application ID number after your name. Also, this letter should be submitted to your student portal and emailed directly to the admissions department. The subject line of the email should have your full name and your student ID number.

If you have any questions about waitlists for US unis or any other aspect of the US university admissions process, please reach out to us. We are here to help.