Information about the Waitlist

We write today to share some information to those who recently received an admissions decision of “waitlist.” 

First, please save the date for Thursday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m. We will host a webinar to discuss the details of our waitlist process and our approach to offering admission. (Registration is required for this webinar; please check your email inbox in the coming days for further details.) If you are unable to join us, we’d encourage you to review the information below. 

It’s important to note that our Admissions Committee will only consider for admission those applicants who join the Active Waitlist. Please be aware that your admissions decision is not the same as your being on our active waitlist. To join the active waitlist, simply log in to your Admissions status portal. There, you will find the “Decision Reply Form.” Please complete that form, indicating the last date that you would like to be considered for admission; then, submit it. 

After submitting that form, you should email your admissions representative. If you are not sure who that is, be sure to visit our staff page for more information. (Please write to the person who reviews applications from the state where your high school is located, not where you live. This includes international applicants who attend schools in the United States.) While we are happy to hear about your successes in your community and any developments since your application submission, the Admissions Committee is particularly interested in receiving updates about your academic work. Feel free to email your admissions representative again closer to May 1. If you are applying for financial aid and have not yet submitted the necessary documents, please do that at your earliest convenience. And that’s all you need to do! 

We will monitor enrollment carefully over the next few months, and, in late April, the Admissions Committee will gather to discuss how many additional students we will have the opportunity to admit. The number of students admitted from the waitlist varies from year to year, and it’s too early at this point to say how many students we will need. We would encourage you to visit our blog in late April and early May for updates.

As you continue your college search, keep in mind enrollment deadlines at the other institutions to which you’ve applied and been admitted; don’t risk losing your seat in those incoming classes in hopes of receiving an admissions offer from us. 

We’d like to offer one final note. While being offered an opportunity to join the waitlist may not have been the ideal outcome, that decision reflects our belief that you can successfully navigate the challenges of our classrooms, engage our dynamic community, and live in the spirit of Pro Humanitate. With high interest in attending Wake Forest and a moderately sized first-year class, we cannot admit all the students that we’d like, but, if your interest remains, we look forward to engaging with you further. No matter where your search takes you from here – whether to another campus or to ours here in Winston-Salem – we know that you will enrich that campus community in meaningful ways. 

With kindest regards, 
Wake Forest University Office of Undergraduate Admissions

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