How Long Should I Stay on a Waitlist?

Selene Steelman

Now that the first deposit date has passed, you may find yourself sitting on a waitlist. How long do you have to wait? How long does a school maintain its waitlist? This will depend on the school. Some schools will notify and release candidates from their waitlist after a certain point. This would provide some closure for you as an applicant. Other schools may maintain their waitlist up through orientation in case of any “melt” throughout the summer. If deposited candidates withdraw because they get admitted off waitlists elsewhere, the school will turn to their waitlist to maintain their class size or their medians. A school may turn to the waitlist all the way up through orientation in some cases.

So how long should you stay on a waitlist? This depends on how badly you want to attend the target school. Preparing to attend law school, perhaps in a new city or state, can be a complicated process. Students have ended up sleeping on a couch or living out of a hotel room for a few weeks having accepted a last minute offer of admission from a school. They might start the beginning of law school orientation at one school and finish orientation at another school. If it’s August 1st, you probably will have deposited elsewhere, and you may decide it is better just to prepare for school with the concrete offer you have. At that point, if you haven't been released from the waitlist yet, you may decide to withdraw from the waitlist. Or, you may decide that you are only as committed as your options. If so, you should be aware of and be ready to meet these potential challenges of relocating in a hurry.

If no obstacle is too great between you and your target school, then what should you do right now as you sit on the waitlist? Well, you shouldn’t just “wait” quietly. There is no way to know what a target school is going to do with their waitlist, how big or small it is, or if they will pull 5 or 50 people from it. Nevertheless, if a school turns to the waitlist, and your application meet their requirements, you want your file to be one of the notable ones with current activity. Keep your file up to date by letting the school know that you are ready, willing, and able to commit to the school immediately should you be selected. Connect with the admissions office periodically by phone or by email (once every 3 weeks or as directed by the admissions officer) and say, “I know I am on the waitlist but I wanted to let you know that School X is still my top choice and if admitted, I would definitely enroll.” Be aware of the tone of your conversations, be professional, and take direction from the admissions officer with whom you are communicating.