Was your child recently waitlisted at Washington and Lee University? If so, all hope is not lost. Although being waitlisted can be frustrating and anxiety-producing, it doesn’t have to be cataclysmic. And, remember, it’s a heck of a lot better than being dealt a flat-out rejection. If you navigate Washington and Lee’s waitlist correctly, you can turn that waitlist letter into an acceptance letter. 

Washington and Lee University Waitlist Acceptance Rate (Classes of 2030 – 2026)

First, let’s look at Washington and Lee University’s waitlist admissions statistics from the last four years. The data in the table below is gathered directly from Washington and Lee University’s self-reporting to The Common Data Set. The Common Data Set Initiative is a voluntary effort among colleges to help all of those involved with a student’s transition into higher education. 

Washington and Lee University University Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to Washington and Lee University	Number of Students Who Chose to Join Washington and Lee University Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off Washington and Lee University Waitlist	Washington and Lee University Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Washington and Lee University Class of 2030	Not Yet Reported	TBD	TBD	TBD
Washington and Lee University Class of 2029	1,476	735	67	9%
Washington and Lee University Class of 2028	1,268	669	0	0%
Washington and Lee University Class of 2027	1,816	1,029	11	1%
Washington and Lee University Class of 2026	2,207	1,150	11	0.95%

Projections on Washington and Lee University’s Waitlist Activity for the Class of 2030 

Let’s zoom out and look at the big picture of those numbers. In the past four years, Washington and Lee’s waitlist acceptance rate has been as low as 0% and as high as 9%. 

You might be scratching your head and wondering why that is. How far an admissions committee will reach down its waitlist is determined by the school’s yield, or the percentage of admitted students who choose to enroll. The higher the school’s yield, the lower the waitlist acceptance rate. The thing about yield is that it is a highly unpredictable metric that not even Washington and Lee University’s admissions team can predict.

Unfortunately, you get no say in how high or low Washington and Lee’s yield is going to be this year. In the college admissions process, there are the knobs you can turn, and the knobs you can’t. The good news: there are knobs you can turn! If you approach Washington and Lee with the right touch, you can still be dropping your kid off in Lexington next year. 

How to Improve Your Child’s Chances of Admission Off the Washington and Lee Waitlist 

You have a few options. You could conduct a nationwide search and go door to door, begging everyone who was accepted to Washington and Lee to turn down their offer and bring that yield all the way down. But, we reckon that probably wouldn’t be a very cute look. You could engage in superstition: cross your fingers and toes, avoid stepping on cracks, toss some salt over your shoulder. But has that ever worked out for you in the past? 

Your best option is to write a Letter of Continued Interest. Most people know about these letters. But they usually get the completely wrong advice about what to include in them. As was just discovered with the latest release of the Epstein files, even Jeffrey’s friends in high places had no clue how to handle the waitlist. 

The Letter of Continued Interest of the daughter of Eric Roth, as revealed in the Epstein files, is a ridiculous and flat-footed misfire. We’d recommend you read it only so you can see exactly what not to do. 

“Since you last reviewed my application, I have been extremely busy, both within my school and within my community,” the young lady wrote to the University of Michigan. Nothing says fun, humble, likable addition to campus like someone who boasts about being “extremely busy.” She goes on: “I worked countless hours to achieve the A in AP Calculus!” Hmm, we’re getting the impression she must not be a math wiz if she has to work so hard merely to get a decent grade. 

The most glaring mistake though comes at the final line when Roth writes that she hopes the admissions committee will grant her admission because of her “new achievements.” If she really wanted to go to the University of Michigan, she should have had all those so-called “achievements” under her belt years before handing in her application in the first place. 

Instead of bragging in your Letter of Continued Interest and writing about your “strong marks” (what teenager uses that term, anyway?), you can send the right kind of letter, the kind that will convince a Washington and Lee University admissions officer to go to bat for you. 

Your Child’s Chances of Admission to Washington and Lee After Being Waitlisted with Ivy Coach’s Help 

Over the past 30 years, Ivy Coach has developed an excellent track record at getting our students off of elite universities’ waitlists. While only 10% of regular waitlisted applicants ultimately receive admission, about 40% of students who work with Ivy Coach after being waitlisted go on to receive admission. 

It all comes down to our tried and true method of optimizing a student’s chances of getting out of limbo and onto their dream campus. It’s a two-step process: 

1. Complete Ivy Coach’s Post-Mortem application review. We need to see what a student did successfully and what they did wrong in their Washington and Lee University application. The narrative we help craft can’t have fallen from the sky. Instead, it should be consistent with the story conveyed in the Washington and Lee University application — just told in a way that’s actually going to win over the admissions team this time around. 
2. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interest. We’re sure many people have already told you to write Washington and Lee University a letter, and we’re sure they’ve told you to be snappy with it. But we wonder: What have they told you to write in that letter? If they told you to fill it with brags and updates, definitely don’t do that. Ivy Coach’s letters to Washington and Lee University contain no shrill bragging. It’s a big reason why they’re so successful. 

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on the Washington and Lee University Waitlist

If you’re interested in optimizing your chance of admission off of Washington and Lee University ’s waitlist to the Class of 2029, complete Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form and indicate that Washington and Lee University has waitlisted you. We will then be in touch about Ivy Coach’s waitlist service. We understand how important it is to spring into action quickly and that your letter needs to be sent out to Washington and Lee University ASAP.