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The Ivy Coach Daily

March 26, 2023

How to Write a Waitlist Appeal Letter

A panoramic of Harvard University's campus on a sunny day.
Historically, about 40% of students who first come to Ivy Coach for help getting off the Harvard waitlist ultimately earn admission.

Some call it a Letter of Continued Interest. Others call it a Letter of Enthusiasm. And still others call it a Waitlist Appeal Letter. Whatever you choose to call it, if a highly selective university has waitlisted you and you want to get off that waitlist, you have to submit a powerful letter that sways admissions officers to root for you. So what exactly is this Waitlist Appeal Letter, and how should you approach it?

What Is a Waitlist Appeal Letter?

It’s a note to express your continued interest in attending. It’s a — hopefully compelling — letter designed to inspire an admissions officer to want to pluck you from the waitlist and offer you a spot in the incoming class.

How to Approach Writing an Appeal Letter for a Waitlist

So how should you craft the letter to give yourself the best chance of admission?

What Should Be Included in a Waitlist Appeal Letter

A Waitlist Appeal Letter should be between 500-650 words (the length of a Personal Statement) and include the following:

What Should Not Be Included in a Waitlist Appeal Letter

A Waitlist Appeal Letter should not include the following:

The Distinction Between Waitlist Appeal Letters and Appeal Letters

Even though we’ve coined it a Waitlist Appeal Letter in this post (since some folks call this letter by this name), it should not be confused with an Appeal Letter.

Most highly selective universities do not accept Appeal Letters (or letters written after a rejection hoping to overturn the verdict). The University of Southern California, the University of California schools, and the University of Texas at Austin are the top schools that allow the submission of an Appeal Letter after a denial.

Your Chances of Admission Off a Highly Selective College’s Waitlist

Below are the waitlist acceptance rates for the Class of 2025 for America’s top national universities of 2023. If a college is not listed, like Harvard University, it didn’t report waitlist data to The Common Data Set.

College/University2023 US News & World Report Best National Universities RankingClass of 2025 Waitlist Acceptance RateNumber of Students Waitlisted to the Class of 2025Number of Students Who Accepted a Place on Waitlist to Class of 2025Number of Students Admitted Off Waitlist to Class of 2025
Princeton University#115%1,2651,000150
Stanford University#313.8%7505808
University of Pennsylvania#74.4%3,9332,753121
California Institute of Technology#94.3%31223510
Duke University#10


381
Dartmouth College#12
2,6692,1200
Washington University in St. Louis#1533.9%
2,696915
Cornell University#170.4%7,7465,80024
University of California, Los Angeles#203.3%16,97911,169367
Carnegie Mellon University#220.7%8,7925,31935
Georgetown University#221.1%3,2772,54329
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor#250.5%17,80513,06368

Below are the waitlist acceptance rates for schools that reported the data to The Common Data Set for the Class of 2025 and Ivy Coach‘s corresponding waitlist acceptance rates for the Class of 2025.

College/UniversityUS News Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2023 RankClass of 2025 Waitlist Acceptance RateNumber of Students Waitlisted to the Class of 2025Number of Students Who Accepted a Place on Waitlist to Class of 2025Number of Students Admitted Off Waitlist to Class of 2025
Williams College#10.1%2,3719291
Swarthmore College#4

0
Wellesley College#5
2,5781,30444
Bowdoin College#6


10
Carleton College#6
1,36758011
Claremont McKenna College#9
85053811
Washington and Lee University#11
2,2071,15011
Vassar College#13
1,52663496
Barnard College#18
2,096
258
Haverford College#18
1,33174121
University of Richmond#18
3,8918869
Wesleyan University#18
3,5852,03110
Bates College#25
2,4731,2452

Your Chances of Admission Off a Highly Selective College’s Waitlist with Ivy Coach’s Assistance

Below are the waitlist acceptance rates for schools that reported the data to The Common Data Set for the Class of 2025 and Ivy Coach‘s corresponding waitlist acceptance rates for the Class of 2025.

Top National Universities

College/University2023 US News & World Report Best National Universities RankingClass of 2025 Waitlist Acceptance RateClass of 2025 Ivy Coach Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Princeton University#115%66.7%
Stanford University#313.8%100%
University of Pennsylvania#74.4%75%
California Institute of Technology#94.3%N/A
Duke University#10
100%
Dartmouth College#12
Did Not Go to Waitlist
Washington University in St. Louis#1533.9%33.3%
Cornell University#170.4%33.3%
University of California, Los Angeles#203.3%100%
Carnegie Mellon University#220.7%33.3%
Georgetown University#221.1%100%
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor#250.5%0%

Top Liberal Arts Colleges

College/University2023 US News & World Report Best National Universities RankingClass of 2025 Waitlist Acceptance RateClass of 2025 Ivy Coach Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Princeton University#115%66.7%
Stanford University#313.8%100%
University of Pennsylvania#74.4%75%
California Institute of Technology#94.3%N/A
Duke University#10
100%
Dartmouth College#12
Did Not Go to Waitlist
Washington University in St. Louis#1533.9%33.3%
Cornell University#170.4%33.3%
University of California, Los Angeles#203.3%100%
Carnegie Mellon University#220.7%33.3%
Georgetown University#221.1%100%
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor#250.5%0%

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on Waitlist Appeal Letters

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s assistance in crafting a compelling Waitlist Appeal Letter, fill out our free consultation form, and we’ll get back to you quickly.

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