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.

Yale is a dream school for millions of students, but less than two thousand undergraduates make it into each graduating class. Most get in a first years, straight out of high school. However, there is another way in. Yale “enrolls a small number of transfer students” annually, accepting new students from both two-year and four-year institutions. Successful Yale transfer applicants apply from community colleges, from the military, and from other well-respected universities.

Receiving an early rejection from Yale can feel like a punch in the gut. Even if you hadn’t thought that getting in would be smooth sailing, you hoped that the hard work you’ve put in through high school would be recognized and honored with an acceptance.