Updated: March 26th, 2024.
Yale is one of the most prestigious colleges in the world, and a member of the Ivy League. It’s also one of the hardest colleges to get into in the United States. It is known as a place where people who are going to go on to do big things in the humanities and sciences get their start. So, it’s nearly as valuable as a networking hub as it is as a degree-granting institution. Surrounded by people who are excelling in their chosen fields, students at Yale have the ability to be proximate to (and in the mix of) greatness.
Unsurprisingly, all this makes Yale extremely popular, and over 50,000 students each year apply for the chance to be part of the first-year class. The most recent acceptance rate was a measly 4.6%. If you’re reading this post, chances are you’ve already learned that you’re not part of that group. Yet, at least. In the 2022-23 application cycle, Yale waitlisted 1,000 applicants. 780 accepted a spot on the waitlist. 9 were eventually admitted — a 1.15% success rate.
Below, we’re going to break down what you need to do to increase your chances of being among the tiny cohort of students who find their way off the waitlist and into the first-year class at Yale. If at any point you feel overwhelmed or confused, send us an email. We help exceptional students make the best of frustrating admissions decisions.
Get on the Waitlist
This one should be obvious, but it’s not really that simple. You should only claim your spot on the Yale waitlist if you really want to have to wait. There may be another college you got into that you’re quite excited about, so don’t assume sitting on the waitlist for Yale is what you have to do. Only do it if it’s right for you.
If you do really want to see how Yale plays out, and would go if admitted off the waitlist, tell them you want that spot. Then, keep your head in the game. Waiting sounds passive, but it’s really not. There’s stuff to do — but it’s not just work for Yale. You need to plan for an alternative, and the Yale Admissions Podcast even did an episode that touches on what to do if you are waitlisted, and why it may have happened (episode 15). They reiterate everything we advocate for: “act like it’s not going to happen.”
Line up a Backup
Acting like it’s not going to happen means lining up a backup. Accept a spot at a school you were accepted to and that you would be happy to attend, and then plan as if that is where you’ll be showing up for orientation. Getting off of a waitlist is difficult to do, and really has very little to do with you, so you need to have a plan for if that doesn’t work out.
Reinforce Your Interest
Once you’ve accepted a spot at a school and you’ve accepted the spot on the waitlist, there’s one more active thing to do other than, well, wait.
Yale waitlisted you for a reason, and it’s not that you aren’t qualified to go to Yale. The most likely scenario is that they need to see how the first-year class shapes up as far as filling up all the spots (accepted students confirming) and distribution across interests (someone does need to major in mathematics and philosophy, after all). This means you’re now in a waiting game as students who were offered a spot decide where to go, and that can be frustrating. But there’s one way you can fill some time — write a letter of continued interest.
We encourage students to write a letter of continued interest that reinforces your interest in Yale. This letter needs to be short, and should only include relevant information and updates. Most of all, it needs to be formal, professional, and perfectly edited. If this is already making you nervous, we can help. Before you start drafting, brainstorm notable accomplishments since you submitted your initial application. Grades do not count, and neither do test scores. Awards, recognitions, and election to or selection for leadership positions do. Once you have your shortlist (ideally 1-3 things), it’s time to start drafting. But there’s one way you can fill some time — write an update letter.
Yale has specifically told applicants previously (albeit not on their website, so this is backchannel dialog) that they do not want you to send a letter just to send a letter. If you join the waitlist, they know you want them — and they don’t need you to reiterate that in long-form. However, you can send an update if there is something genuinely important that should be added to your application file. Given that you’re an amazing and impressive person applying to Yale, we’re going to assume that you’ve done something amazing and impressive since hitting submit on your application. So, it’s time to write that update letter.
We encourage students to write an updated letter that doesn’t double-duty as a letter of continued interest, reinforcing your interest in Yale through your continued excellence. You are so interested in Yale, this update will show, that you’ve continued to push to be a strong candidate even beyond submitting your application. Your update letter needs to be short, and should only include relevant information and updates. Most of all, it needs to be formal, professional, and perfectly edited. If this is already making you nervous, we can help. Before you start drafting, brainstorm notable accomplishments since you submitted your initial application. Grades do not count, and neither do test scores. Awards, recognitions, and election to or selection for leadership positions do. Once you have your shortlist (ideally 1-3 things), it’s time to start drafting.
Formal Greeting
Since Yale does not publicize individual contacts for members of the admissions team and requests any updates be sent through the applicant portal, you’ll be addressing this as a general letter as opposed to angling it towards a particular admissions official. So, start the letter formally. This should be a “Dear Yale Admissions,” type of situation. It doesn’t matter if you’re used to calling teachers by their first names. This is a professional environment, and you need to approach the letter as formally as you can.
Reinforce Interest
Start the letter with 1-2 sentences reinforcing your interest in Yale, specifying what you want to study and a reason or two why you believe Yale is the best place for you to pursue that subject. This should be short, and not be more than 50 words.
Brief Update
This will be the ‘meat’ of your letter. Following the opening sentences reinforcing your interest in Yale, you need to provide a short update that includes those accomplishments you brainstormed earlier. This should be no more than 200 words — likely, significantly shorter — and focus on facts, not emotions. Don’t try to litigate your case for getting into Yale, and don’t beg. Simply update and then move on.
Conclusion
Speaking of moving on, the letter should close with one sentence thanking the admissions team for their time and consideration and once again reinforcing that Yale is your first choice. Finally, close with a “Sincerely,” or “Respectfully,” or something else similarly professional.
Above all else, this letter needs to be short, and it must be polite.
Even though these letters are short, they can be intimidating. So, if you are feeling like you need assistance, send us an email. We guide dozens of students each year off the waitlist and into their dream college.
Follow Instructions
Once you’ve drafted, edited, spellchecked, and edited some more, you need to submit the letter through the applicant portal and step away from your computer. Do not call, do not pester, and do not risk making yourself known to Yale in a bad way. The waitlist is not ranked, so they can’t even answer the question “is there any chance?” or tell you how you measure up against others.
Remember, you are not the exception to the rule. Love bombing the admissions office with glitter balloons will not be received well. “There’s a reason we call it the waitlist,” they say, “You’re just going to have to wait.”
Be Patient
It’s definitely going to be after May 1, and possibly well into summer, before you hear back about whether there’s a spot for you at Yale. You need to keep your cool, but plan as if you won’t get in. Sometimes, no one gets in off the waitlist at all — that isn’t because the waitlist was weak that year. So, accept your place on the waitlist and do the work to reinforce your interest, but move forward mentally like you won’t get in.
This is tough, we know. You’ve probably been dreaming about Yale for a long time, and now it’s like a big question mark. But you’ve gotten this far, and you can do it.
If you want an extra boost in the final step of your college admissions journey, let us know.