Vanderbilt has soared in popularity in recent years, and the acceptance rate has plummeted in response. For the Class of 2029, they logged a record-low acceptance rate of . They attribute this to both a surge in applications and a rise in their yield rate. With more accepted students committing to Vanderbilt, they don’t need to accept as many students to fill the first-year class. If you are a waitlisted applicant, that isn’t the best news — but there are also actions you can take to make your chances of an eventual admission much stronger. First, though, let’s talk numbers.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by New York University 2026
New York University, or NYU, has become one of the most popular universities in the world, receiving over 120,000 applications and accepting of applicants for the Class of 2029. The admissions team loves finding outstanding students within that massive application pool — and they don’t only define “outstanding” as academic. But most of even the exceptional applicants to NYU don’t get in. So, what makes the difference if you’ve been put on the waitlist?
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Middlebury 2026
Middlebury is a highly-selective and equally highly-regarded liberal arts program with a low acceptance rate: for the Class of 2029 and 2029.5, which includes students who start in the second semester. The waitlist numbers for that class have not been released yet, but recent historical data does help us decode the situation with the Middlebury waitlist.
Northwestern Admissions Statistics 2025
During the 2024–2025 admissions cycle, Northwestern University accepted only a sliver of the students who applied – 7.69%, landing firmly in the single-digit acceptance rate range. This number is often shocking to parents, who remember the ~40% acceptance rates in the 90s. But that top-line statistic doesn’t actually explain very much on its own, or how Northwestern became so competitive. While Northwestern does make some admissions information public, getting a meaningful understanding of what’s going on requires a more careful, layered analysis (and some math!). Thankfully, every year, we dig into the data to help our students see the bigger picture and approach the process with a clearer strategy and expectations.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by the University of Chicago 2026
The University of Chicago is cut-throat, and not just as an academic environment. They hold their statistics close to the chest, and, as of this writing, have not released the acceptance rate for the Class of 2029. The Acceptance rate for the Class of 2028, however, was a measly . The university also offers nearly no visibility into the University of Chicago waitlist, as they don’t share the waitlist length, number of students accepted, or overall statistics in the Common Data Set, the report most universities use to share their waitlist outcomes.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Barnard 2026
Over a little more than a decade, Barnard has transformed from a lesser-known all-women’s backdoor into a Columbia University degree into a prestigious college in its own right with the low acceptance rate to match (). Throughout this transformation, the college has always offered an outstanding education and community steps from the Columbia gates — it’s just super competitive now.
University of Virginia (UVA) Admissions Statistics 2025
During the 2024–2025 admissions cycle, the University of Virginia admitted only a relatively small share of its applicant pool, with an overall acceptance rate of 16.81%. That headline number, on its own, doesn’t actually tell you very much. How is it calculated? What pressures are shaping it year over year? UVA does make portions of its admissions data public, but getting real clarity requires a closer look beneath the surface. That kind of deeper analysis is exactly what we do each year to help students approach selective admissions with clear eyes and a smart, intentional strategy.
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What to do if You’re Waitlisted by Dartmouth 2026
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What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Stanford 2026
Stanford University is exceptionally difficult to get into, even for truly outstanding applicants. There is no number of awards, GPA, test scores, or exceptional extracurriculars that make an applicant a shoo-in for Stanford. It’s a stretch for everyone. They delay the release of the most recent admissions statistics, but we do have numbers from 2024. For the Class of 2028, the acceptance rate was .
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by MIT 2026
MIT Admissions Statistics 2025
In the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, MIT’s acceptance rate dipped to 4.55%. While not their lowest ever, it reflects a growing trend of this prestigious school’s acceptance rate trending ever downwards. But what does a 4.55% acceptance rate actually mean? MIT, like many schools, publishes raw admissions data in the Common Data Set (CDS), which is used by publishers such as U.S. News & World Report, the College Board, and Peterson’s to compile their rankings. Fortunately, it also provides us with a wealth of knowledge we can draw on to help our clients develop a data-driven strategy.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Cornell 2026
Cornell is the technical Ivy. Yes, you can study literature at Cornell, but what draws people to the university is more often how they can combine a liberal arts-y education with the best education in the business in fields like mechanical engineering, hard sciences, and arenas no other Ivy League schools touch, like hospitality, labor organizing, and agriculture. The research opportunities at Cornell are exceptional, and the acceptance rate is tiny. Overall, the Cornell acceptance rate is . This is skewed, though, as some programs are more competitive to get into and others give preference to New York State applicants, pulling the acceptance rate upwards.
New York University (NYU) Admissions Statistics 2025
During the 2024–2025 admissions cycle, New York University had a 9.23% acceptance rate – its lowest ever. However, this one data point doesn’t tell the whole story. How is that figure calculated? What’s actually driving it lower? And, importantly, what does this mean for YOU? While NYU releases some headline admissions data, understanding what’s really going on requires a closer look. We break down this kind of data every year to help our students approach competitive admissions with clarity and strategy.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Princeton 2026
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by the University of Pennsylvania 2026
The University of Pennsylvania is a prestigious Ivy League university in Philadelphia with more than a few claims to fame. Penn received over 72,000 applications for the Class of 2029, and it was the hardest year ever to get into the university. The acceptance rate was only . We expect the statistics to shake out about the same for the Class of 2030.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Yale 2026
Yale is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and one of the hardest to get into. If you recently received a waitlist decision, you know this personally. If we look at the past three years of historical data for the Yale waitlist, it shows us that the Yale waitlist pool is generally smaller than comparable schools. However, the number of students offered a spot off of the waitlist is also smaller — much smaller.
What to Do if You’re Waitlisted by Brown 2026
Brown is the “creative Ivy.” The other Ivy League schools might protest that label, but Brown’s open curriculum, location in Providence, Rhode Island, and interest in nurturing the creative sides of their students has made it a top choice for exceptional students who see the world through an artistic (although not necessarily artsy) lens. The overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was .
Dartmouth Admissions Statistics 2025
In the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, Dartmouth boasted an acceptance rate of 5.4%, their lowest ever. But how did their acceptance rate get so low? Why did it get so low? And what makes a student a competitive (or not competitive) applicant? Thankfully, we dig into the data to give you a data-driven strategic approach to help you put your best foot forward.