TL;DR: If you were waitlisted at a top college after Ivy Day 2026, you are not alone, and your odds are better than you think at some schools. This guide compares waitlist acceptance rates at every Top 25 university, from Harvard to Georgetown, using the most recent Common Data Set figures and historical trends. Some schools admit fewer than 1% of waitlisted students. Others pull 10% to 15% or more. The difference between those outcomes often comes down to knowing the numbers and having a plan. Below, you will find a complete school-by-school comparison table, individual breakdowns for all 25 schools, five-year trends, and an FAQ section covering everything waitlisted students need to know right now.
Table of Contents
- What Are College Waitlist Rates and Why Do They Matter?
- College Waitlist Rates 2026: Top 25 Schools Compared
- How to Read This Data: What the Numbers Actually Mean
- Ivy League Waitlist Rates: School-by-School Breakdown
- Top Private Universities (Non-Ivy) Waitlist Rates
- Which Schools Are Most Likely to Admit from the Waitlist?
- Waitlist Acceptance Rate Trends: Are Odds Getting Better or Worse?
- What Waitlisted Students Should Do Right Now
- How Early Decision Affects Waitlist Odds
- How the Class of 2030 Waitlist Cycle May Differ
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Are College Waitlist Rates and Why Do They Matter?
A waitlist acceptance rate measures the percentage of students who accept a spot on a college’s waitlist and are ultimately offered admission. This number is fundamentally different from a school’s overall acceptance rate and is often far more volatile. A school with a 4% overall acceptance rate might admit anywhere from 0% to 15% of its waitlisted students in a given year, depending entirely on yield, which is the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll.
Waitlist rates matter because they give you a realistic picture of your chances at each school. A student waitlisted at Columbia, which has historically been one of the more generous Ivy League schools with waitlist admissions, faces very different odds than a student waitlisted at Caltech, which has admitted zero students from its waitlist in multiple recent cycles. Understanding these numbers helps you decide where to focus your energy, which schools to write a Letter of Continued Interest for, and how to manage the emotional reality of the next two months.
For a complete action plan on what to do after being waitlisted, including LOCI templates and a day-by-day timeline, see our How to Get Off a College Waitlist in 2026 guide.
College Waitlist Rates 2026: Top 25 Schools Compared
The table below compiles waitlist data for the 25 most selective universities in the United States. Because Class of 2030 waitlist outcomes will not be fully known until summer 2026, the figures below draw on the most recent Common Data Set reports (2024-2025 cycle, Class of 2029) and historical ranges across the Classes of 2027 through 2029. Where schools have withheld data from the Common Data Set, we note this and provide the best available estimates from admissions data aggregators.
Data sources: Common Data Sets (2022-2023 through 2024-2025), NCES IPEDS, institutional press releases, and admissions data aggregators. Historical ranges reflect variation across the Classes of 2027 through 2029. Class of 2030 waitlist outcomes will be available in summer 2026.
For overall acceptance rate context at these schools, see our College Admissions Statistics Class of 2030: Every Top 25 School Compared.
How to Read This Data: What the Numbers Actually Mean
Waitlist data is inherently noisy. Unlike overall acceptance rates, which change gradually from year to year, waitlist acceptance rates can swing from 0% to 15% at the same school in consecutive years. This is because the waitlist is a pressure valve. When yield is high and a school fills its class from the admitted pool alone, the waitlist goes untouched. When yield drops even slightly, the school may pull dozens or hundreds of students from the waitlist to fill seats.
This volatility means you should not look at a single year’s data in isolation. Instead, pay attention to the historical range. A school like Columbia, which has consistently admitted between 6% and 17% of waitlisted students, is a genuinely different proposition from Yale, which has admitted zero students from its waitlist in multiple recent years. The range tells you whether a school typically uses its waitlist as a meaningful admissions tool or treats it primarily as a courtesy.
It is also important to understand that the “waitlist acceptance rate” in the table above is calculated as the number of students admitted from the waitlist divided by the number who accepted their spot on the waitlist, not the number who were originally offered a spot. This is the figure that matters for your individual odds.
Ivy League Waitlist Rates: School-by-School Breakdown
The eight Ivy League schools generate the most waitlist-related search traffic every April, and for good reason: they are among the most selective institutions in the country, and thousands of highly qualified students are waitlisted each cycle. Here is what you need to know about each one. For a complete overview of this year’s Ivy League acceptance rates, see our Ivy Day 2026 Results page.
Harvard University Waitlist Rate
Harvard typically places approximately 2,000 students on its waitlist, of whom roughly 1,600 accept the spot. In recent years, the school has admitted between 50 and 150 students from the waitlist, translating to a waitlist acceptance rate of roughly 3% to 9%. Harvard withheld official admissions data for both the Class of 2029 and Class of 2030, making precise figures harder to confirm. However, the school has historically used its waitlist more actively than Yale or Princeton, particularly in years when political controversy or policy changes affect yield. For detailed admissions strategies, see our How to Get Into Harvard guide.
Princeton University Waitlist Rate
Princeton’s Common Data Set for the Class of 2029 revealed that the university offered 1,734 applicants a spot on the waitlist, 1,396 accepted, and only 40 were ultimately admitted, a waitlist acceptance rate of approximately 2.9%. This is on the low end of Princeton’s historical range of 0% to 8%. Princeton’s Restrictive Early Action program, which does not include binding Early Decision, tends to produce strong yield in the Regular Decision round, reducing the school’s need to draw from the waitlist. Read our How to Get Into Princeton guide for application strategies.
Yale University Waitlist Rate
Yale has one of the most unpredictable waitlist records in the Ivy League. The school typically offers waitlist spots to approximately 1,200 applicants, of whom about 1,000 accept. In some years, Yale has admitted zero students from the waitlist. In others, it has pulled up to 50. The historical waitlist acceptance rate ranges from 0% to 5%, making it one of the least favorable waitlists in the Top 25. Students waitlisted at Yale should write a strong LOCI but should be realistic about their odds.
Columbia University Waitlist Rate
Columbia stands out among the Ivies for its relatively generous use of the waitlist. The university typically places about 2,500 students on its waitlist, with roughly 1,800 accepting. In recent cycles, Columbia has admitted between 100 and 300 students from the waitlist, resulting in a waitlist acceptance rate of 6% to 17%. This makes Columbia one of the best bets among Ivy League waitlists. The school’s large applicant pool and location in New York City contribute to slightly lower yield compared to some peer institutions, which in turn creates more waitlist movement. See our How to Get Into Columbia guide.
University of Pennsylvania Waitlist Rate
Penn places approximately 2,800 students on its waitlist annually, with about 2,200 accepting the spot. The number admitted from the waitlist has ranged from as low as 50 to as many as 200 in recent cycles, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 2% to 9%. Penn’s Class of 2029 Common Data Set showed a waitlist acceptance rate of 2.89%, which is on the lower end. Penn’s heavy reliance on Early Decision, which fills roughly half of its incoming class, means the Regular Decision pool and waitlist tend to be squeezed. For Penn-specific admissions strategies, visit our How to Get Into Penn guide.
Brown University Waitlist Rate
Brown typically waitlists about 2,000 applicants, with roughly 1,600 accepting. The school has admitted between 50 and 150 students from the waitlist in recent years, resulting in a waitlist acceptance rate of 3% to 9%. Brown’s Open Curriculum and distinctive academic culture contribute to strong yield among admitted students, which limits waitlist movement in most years. However, Brown has been more willing than Yale or Princeton to go to its waitlist when needed.
Dartmouth College Waitlist Rate
Dartmouth places approximately 1,800 students on its waitlist, with about 1,400 accepting. The school’s waitlist acceptance rate has ranged from 0% to 7% in recent years. Notably, Dartmouth did not turn to its waitlist at all for the Class of 2027, demonstrating that even in a normal year, there is no guarantee that any waitlisted student will be admitted. When Dartmouth does use its waitlist, it tends to pull a modest number of students, typically fewer than 100. Our How to Get Into Dartmouth guide covers admissions strategies in depth.
Cornell University Waitlist Rate
Cornell has the largest waitlist of any Ivy League school, reflecting its status as the largest Ivy with seven undergraduate colleges. The university typically offers waitlist spots to about 5,000 applicants, with roughly 3,500 accepting. The number admitted from the waitlist has ranged from 50 to 400, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 1% to 11%. Cornell’s waitlist outcomes vary significantly by college: the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering tend to have less waitlist movement than the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.
Top Private Universities (Non-Ivy) Waitlist Rates
Stanford University Waitlist Rate
Stanford waitlists approximately 1,700 students, with about 1,200 accepting the spot. The school has admitted between 0 and 100 students from its waitlist in recent years, producing a historical range of 0% to 8%. Stanford’s exceptionally high yield means the university rarely needs to dip into its waitlist, and in several recent years, waitlist admissions have been close to zero. For admissions strategies, see our How to Get Into Stanford guide.
MIT Waitlist Rate
MIT maintains a smaller waitlist than most schools on this list, typically offering spots to about 600 applicants. Approximately 450 accept, and the school has admitted between 20 and 80 students from the waitlist in recent cycles, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 4% to 14%. MIT’s STEM-focused applicant pool and strong yield make waitlist movement modest but not negligible. When MIT does go to its waitlist, it tends to look for students who fill specific academic or demographic needs. See our How to Get Into MIT guide.
University of Chicago Waitlist Rate
UChicago is one of the most waitlist-friendly schools in the Top 25. The university typically places about 3,000 students on its waitlist, with roughly 2,200 accepting. The school has admitted between 100 and 400 students from the waitlist in recent years, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 5% to 15%. UChicago’s aggressive admissions marketing and large applicant pool contribute to yield that is somewhat less predictable than at peer institutions, which creates more waitlist movement. For application strategies, visit our How to Get Into UChicago guide.
Duke University Waitlist Rate
Duke places approximately 3,000 students on its waitlist, with about 2,200 accepting. The school has admitted between 0 and 200 students from the waitlist, producing a historical range of 0% to 9%. Duke’s strong Early Decision program fills a large portion of its class, which can reduce or eliminate the need for waitlist admissions in some years. For more on Duke’s admissions trends, read our Duke Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 analysis.
Caltech Waitlist Rate
Caltech has one of the smallest and least active waitlists among elite schools. The school offers waitlist spots to approximately 500 applicants, with about 350 accepting. In multiple recent years, Caltech has admitted zero students from its waitlist. When it does admit from the waitlist, the number is typically fewer than 20, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 0% to 5%. Caltech’s tiny class size (roughly 235 students) and highly specialized STEM focus leave very little room for waitlist movement. See our How to Get Into Caltech guide.
Northwestern University Waitlist Rate
Northwestern waitlists roughly 2,500 students, with about 1,800 accepting. The school has admitted between 0 and 150 from the waitlist in recent years, producing a waitlist acceptance rate of 0% to 7%. Northwestern’s strong Early Decision program fills approximately 50% of its incoming class, which limits the school’s need for waitlist admissions. For admissions trends, see our Northwestern Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 analysis.
Vanderbilt University Waitlist Rate
Vanderbilt places about 4,000 students on its waitlist, one of the larger waitlists on this list relative to class size. Approximately 3,000 accept the spot, and the school has admitted between 50 and 300 from the waitlist, producing a rate of 2% to 10%. Vanderbilt’s rapid rise in selectivity over the past decade means the school is still calibrating its yield models, which can create more waitlist movement than at established peers. Visit our How to Get Into Vanderbilt guide.
Rice University Waitlist Rate
Rice waitlists approximately 2,500 students, with about 1,800 accepting. The school has admitted between 0 and 150 from the waitlist, producing a rate of 0% to 8%. Rice’s Class of 2029 CDS showed a waitlist acceptance rate of 4.37%. The school’s residential college system and smaller class size mean that waitlist movement depends heavily on how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Johns Hopkins University Waitlist Rate
Johns Hopkins places roughly 2,500 students on its waitlist, with about 1,800 accepting. The school’s waitlist acceptance rate has ranged from 0% to 10%. The Class of 2029 CDS reported a rate of 1.86%, which is on the lower end. Hopkins’ increasingly selective admissions and growing Early Decision program have reduced waitlist movement in recent years.
Georgetown University Waitlist Rate
Georgetown waitlists approximately 2,500 students, with about 1,800 accepting. The school typically admits between 50 and 200 from the waitlist, producing a rate of 3% to 10%. Georgetown’s unique application process (it does not use the Common App) and strong alumni yield make waitlist admissions relatively consistent from year to year.
Emory University Waitlist Rate
Emory is one of the more waitlist-active schools in the Top 25. The university places about 4,500 students on its waitlist, with roughly 3,200 accepting. Emory has admitted between 100 and 400 from the waitlist in recent cycles, producing a rate of 3% to 12%. The school’s two-campus structure (Emory College and Oxford College) gives it more flexibility to manage enrollment through the waitlist. For more on Emory’s admissions trends, see our Emory Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 analysis.
Carnegie Mellon University Waitlist Rate
Carnegie Mellon has one of the tightest waitlists in the Top 25. The school waitlists about 3,000 students, with roughly 2,200 accepting, but typically admits very few from the waitlist. The Class of 2029 CDS showed a waitlist acceptance rate of just 0.73%. CMU’s highly specialized programs (especially in computer science and engineering) and strong yield make the school’s waitlist among the least likely to produce movement.
University of Notre Dame Waitlist Rate
Notre Dame waitlists about 2,500 students, with roughly 1,800 accepting. The school has admitted between 50 and 150 from the waitlist in recent cycles, producing a rate of 3% to 8%. The Class of 2029 CDS showed a rate of 3.66%. Notre Dame’s strong Catholic identity and loyal alumni base contribute to high yield, which limits but does not eliminate waitlist activity.
NYU Waitlist Rate
NYU has one of the largest waitlists of any university in the country, reflecting its massive applicant pool of over 120,000. The school typically waitlists about 6,000 students, with roughly 4,500 accepting. NYU has admitted between 200 and 600 from the waitlist in recent years, producing a rate of 4% to 12%. NYU’s three campuses (New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai) give the university more enrollment flexibility than most schools on this list. For NYU’s admissions trends, see our NYU Acceptance Rate: Class of 2030 analysis.
WashU (St. Louis) Waitlist Rate
WashU places about 3,500 students on its waitlist, with roughly 2,500 accepting. The school has admitted between 50 and 300 from the waitlist, producing a rate of 2% to 11%. WashU’s aggressive financial aid packages and growing national profile have improved its yield in recent years, which has tended to reduce waitlist movement compared to earlier cycles.
UC Berkeley Waitlist Rate
UC Berkeley has one of the most unpredictable waitlists in the Top 25. The school offers spots to approximately 7,000 applicants, with about 5,000 accepting. In some years, Berkeley admits over 1,000 students from the waitlist, producing rates as high as 18% to 20%. In other years, the number is zero. This extreme volatility reflects the complexity of managing enrollment across the entire University of California system, where students may be choosing between multiple UC campuses. Berkeley’s out-of-state and international waitlist dynamics add additional unpredictability.
UCLA Waitlist Rate
UCLA mirrors Berkeley’s pattern of high volatility. The school waitlists about 6,000 students, with roughly 4,500 accepting. The number admitted from the waitlist has ranged from 0 to 800, producing rates of 0% to 16%. Like Berkeley, UCLA’s waitlist outcomes are heavily influenced by system-wide enrollment dynamics within the UC system.
Which Schools Are Most Likely to Admit from the Waitlist?
Based on historical data, the schools on this list that most consistently admit meaningful numbers of students from the waitlist are Columbia, UChicago, Emory, NYU, Tulane (historically), and the UC schools (Berkeley and UCLA) in years when they use the waitlist at all. These institutions tend to have at least some waitlist movement in most years, and their waitlist acceptance rates have frequently reached double digits.
On the other end, Yale, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford are the least favorable waitlists. These schools have admitted zero students from their waitlists in multiple recent years, and even in active years, the numbers tend to be very small.
For students waitlisted at multiple schools, this data should inform where you invest your energy. A compelling LOCI letter to Columbia or UChicago, where waitlist movement is historically significant, may be a better use of your time than a letter to Stanford, where the odds are structurally low in most years.
Waitlist Acceptance Rate Trends: Are Odds Getting Better or Worse?
The short answer is that waitlist odds have remained roughly stable over the past five years for most elite schools, despite the continued decline in overall acceptance rates. This may seem counterintuitive, but it makes sense when you consider the mechanics.
As application volumes rise, schools admit roughly the same number of students to their incoming classes. More applicants means more rejections and more waitlist placements, but the number of available seats remains constant. What determines waitlist movement is yield, not selectivity. And yield at the most elite institutions has actually become harder to predict in recent years due to several factors: the politicization of higher education, shifting student preferences around campus culture and location, and the financial aid arms race that has made attending a top school more affordable for more families.
The result is that waitlists remain an active and important part of the admissions landscape. Schools that were generous with waitlist admissions five years ago tend to still be generous today. Schools that rarely used their waitlists still rarely do.
For a broader look at how application volumes and acceptance rates have evolved across the Top 25, see our College Admissions Statistics Class of 2030 comparison.
What Waitlisted Students Should Do Right Now
If you were waitlisted at one or more Top 25 schools after Ivy Day 2026, the next four to six weeks are the most important window for action. Here is what we recommend.
First, accept your place on every waitlist where you would genuinely enroll if admitted. This is free, nonbinding, and takes only a few minutes through each school’s portal. Do this within 48 hours of receiving your decision.
Second, send a Letter of Continued Interest to your top-choice waitlisted school. Your LOCI should be under 400 words, should clearly state the school is your first choice, and should include specific, school-relevant reasons why you belong there, along with any meaningful updates since you applied. For a detailed LOCI writing framework, see our complete waitlist strategy guide.
Third, commit to your best admitted school and pay the enrollment deposit by May 1. This is nonnegotiable. You can withdraw later if a waitlisted school admits you. You will lose the deposit (typically $200 to $500), but that is a small price.
Fourth, ask your school counselor to make an advocacy call to the admissions office at your top-choice waitlisted school. Counselor advocacy is one of the most underused and effective tools in the waitlist process.
Fifth, keep your grades up. A drop in second-semester performance can result in a waitlist offer being rescinded.
For a day-by-day timeline and additional strategies, read our How to Get Off a College Waitlist in 2026 guide.
How Early Decision Affects Waitlist Odds
One of the most important structural factors influencing waitlist rates is how much of a school’s class is filled through Early Decision. Schools with large ED programs, such as Penn, Columbia, Duke, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt, fill 40% to 55% of their incoming classes before Regular Decision even begins. This means fewer seats are available in the Regular Decision round, which in turn means fewer seats might need to be filled from the waitlist.
However, the relationship is not straightforward. Schools with large ED classes sometimes experience lower-than-expected yield in the RD round (because the remaining RD admits may be splitting their attention across many schools), which can actually increase waitlist activity. This is one reason Columbia, despite a massive ED class, remains one of the more generous Ivy League waitlist schools.
For a data-driven breakdown of how ED acceptance rates compare to RD rates at every top school, see our Early Decision vs. Regular Decision acceptance rates analysis.
How the Class of 2030 Waitlist Cycle May Differ
Several factors may influence the Class of 2030 waitlist cycle in ways that differ from recent years. The ongoing political dynamics surrounding federal funding for universities, particularly at Harvard and Columbia, could affect yield at these schools if some admitted students choose to enroll elsewhere. Lower-than-expected yield at any school translates directly into more waitlist movement.
Additionally, the continued growth in application volumes means more students are being waitlisted in absolute numbers, even as the percentage remains roughly stable. This creates larger waitlist pools, which can either increase or decrease your individual odds depending on how many of those students accept the spot.
The reinstatement of standardized testing requirements at most elite schools has not significantly altered waitlist dynamics, since the students who make it to the waitlist stage have already cleared the academic bar. Waitlist decisions are more often driven by institutional priorities like geographic diversity, intended major balance, and demographic goals.
For more on how the return of testing requirements affects admissions, see our Which Top Colleges Require SAT/ACT in 2026-2027 guide.
Navigating Waitlist Season? Get Expert Guidance.
The waitlist window is short, and every action you take between now and mid-June matters. At Oriel Admissions, our counselors, former admissions officers from Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, and other top institutions, help waitlisted students craft compelling LOCI letters, coordinate counselor advocacy calls, navigate the May 1 deposit deadline, and build parallel strategies for transfer applications when needed. Over 90% of Oriel families earn admission to a top-15 university.
Schedule a Free Waitlist Strategy Session
Across all eight Ivy League schools, waitlist acceptance rates have historically ranged from 0% to 17%, with most schools falling between 2% and 9% in a typical year. Columbia tends to be the most generous, while Yale and Princeton are among the least active. The average across all Ivies in a typical cycle is roughly 5% to 8% of students who accepted their waitlist spot, though this varies significantly by school and year. For complete Ivy League admissions data, see our <a href=”https://orieladmissions.com/ivy-day-2026-results-ivy-league-acceptance-rates-class-of-2030/”>Ivy Day 2026 Results</a>.
Among the Top 25 schools on this list, UC Berkeley and UCLA have the highest potential waitlist acceptance rates, reaching 16% to 20% in years when they actively use the waitlist. Among private universities, UChicago (5% to 15%), Columbia (6% to 17%), Emory (3% to 12%), and NYU (4% to 12%) have the most consistently active waitlists. However, UC waitlist outcomes are highly volatile and can be zero in some years.
Yale, Caltech, Carnegie Mellon, and Stanford have the least active waitlists among the Top 25. Each of these schools has admitted zero students from its waitlist in at least one recent cycle. Caltech and CMU have particularly tight waitlists, with rates often below 1% even in active years.
Most waitlist movement begins in the first two weeks of May, after the May 1 National College Decision Day deposit deadline. Schools assess their enrolled class and determine whether they need to fill additional seats. Waitlist offers continue through June and occasionally into July. When you receive a waitlist offer, you typically have 24 to 72 hours to respond. Keep your phone and email closely monitored during this entire period.
You should send a LOCI to every waitlisted school where you would genuinely enroll if admitted. Each letter must be individually tailored to that specific school. Sending a generic letter to multiple schools is a common mistake that admissions officers can easily identify. Focus your most detailed letter on your top-choice school. For a proven LOCI writing framework, see our <a href=”https://orieladmissions.com/how-to-get-off-college-waitlist-2026/”>waitlist strategy guide</a>.
Yes. You must commit to and deposit at one admitted school by May 1, but you can remain on as many waitlists as you choose. If a waitlisted school later admits you, you can withdraw from your deposited school and forfeit the deposit (typically $200 to $500). This is the standard process and is explicitly supported by <a href=”https://www.nacacnet.org/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>NACAC</a> guidelines. Do not deposit at two schools simultaneously, as this is considered double-depositing and can jeopardize both offers.
Yes, at universities with multiple undergraduate colleges (like Cornell, Penn, and Carnegie Mellon), waitlist movement varies by school. A student waitlisted at Cornell’s College of Engineering faces different odds than one waitlisted at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Similarly, Penn’s Wharton School has different waitlist dynamics than the College of Arts and Sciences. Unfortunately, most schools do not publish waitlist data broken down by college or major.
Potentially. The current political climate around federal funding and admissions transparency has created uncertainty at some schools, particularly Harvard and Columbia. If political pressure leads to lower-than-expected yield at these institutions, the result would be more waitlist movement, not less. Students waitlisted at politically embattled schools may see slightly better odds than historical averages would suggest, though this is speculative and should not be the primary basis for your strategy.
