Stanford University isn’t just one of the best schools in the world, it’s also one of the hardest schools on planet earth to get into. The acceptance rate is minuscule, and applicants are competing against the best students in the world. With an acceptance rate of only 3.68%, Harvard is the only US undergraduate college with a lower acceptance rate.
If you’re reading this post, you’re probably feeling the brunt of this truth or anticipating that you may soon. Being waitlisted by Stanford is even less likely than getting in. Only about 1% of applicants are offered a space on the waitlist each year, or between 600 and 1200 students depending on application numbers. The waitlist is not ranked, and the Stanford admissions team does not publish statistics for how many students are eventually offered a spot at Stanford off of the waitlist, but available data from past years suggests that many years the number is in the single digits — even zero.
How could this be, you ask? Blame it on something called “yield rate.” Colleges are judged heavily on having a high yield rate, or the rate of admitted applicants who choose to go to a given college. To keep the yield rate high, a university like Stanford will accept only as many students as they feel they need to in order to fill their class. Then, if they were off a little, they can dip into the waitlist if they need to. The waitlist is the back-up pool so that if they let in too few in the first go-around, they can adjust. A very good yield rate is somewhere around 65-75%. The Stanford yield rate is an astronomical 84%, so there are rarely open spots that need to be filled from the waitlist.
If you’re vying to be one of the very (very) few accepted off of the Stanford waitlist, send us an email. We specialize in helping exceptional students get into their dream schools, even when the odds are against them.
The Waitlist Response Form
When you are waitlisted by Stanford, you will have the opportunity to submit an update for the admissions office to consider through the online application portal. This is the way that they want to hear from you. They do not want you to email them. They do not want you to call them asking about if you will get in or what chance there is of you getting in, or when you’ll hear if you’ve gotten in. Please, don’t call. They also don’t want additional letters of recommendation, writing samples, images, papers, or certificates.
Now that that’s out of the way, back to the update.
What Stanford does want is a single, brief update, so you better make it count — and we can help with that.
Your Update
For your brief update to Stanford, you’ll need to do three things:
1. Confirm your continued interest (say you will attend if admitted—yield rate!)
2. Update them
3. Contextualize yourself
Confirming Your Interest: Yes, agreeing to be put on the waitlist did confirm that you are still interested in Stanford, but this is a place to go a bit further. You need to write a simple sentence or two stating that Stanford remains your first choice, and that if accepted you will absolutely attend.
Update Them: This is the meat of the meal. In your update, you need to write up to three paragraphs (but less is often better) focused on personal and academic achievements that have occurred since you submitted your application, as well as evidence of leadership and commitment milestones related to things you emphasized on your application. For example, winning a regional science fair, or being elected the captain of a team. Remember, this is not just about data points and activities lists — it’s really about who you are, and reminding the admissions committee why you’re a standout.
Contextualize Yourself: Stanford looks “for students who will make a strong contribution to the Stanford community by demonstrating intellectual vitality and academic leadership.” As part of this letter, it’s important that you set yourself within the context of Stanford. Everyone who applies to Stanford is a stand-out. Simply emphasizing how exceptional you are doesn’t tell them the most important thing: how will you apply your exceptionalism at Stanford to benefit and improve the campus community.
Signing Off
At the end of the letter, you need to sign off respectfully. Then re-read. Edit. Edit again. And then send and give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve made it to a point that so few people get to, and that is enormous. Now it’s time for a super-sized dessert.
When it comes to dealing with waitlists, we’re pros. We guide students towards an outstanding future.