When applying to colleges, most students will have mentally prepared themselves for one of two decisions from their school of choice: the good news of an acceptance, or the disappointment of a rejection. But there’s a third possibility that’s often overlooked: you may be waitlisted. What does it mean to be waitlisted? And how will it impact your college plans? While being waitlisted can put students in a stressful situation, knowing what this means can help you navigate it with ease. Here are the essentials you need to know about being waitlisted:

What does being waitlisted mean?

When colleges send out their offers of admission, they know that not all the students who receive an offer will accept it, and that of those who accept, some may defer for a semester or even a year. In fact, they often aren’t sure if enough of the offers they sent out will be accepted to fill the incoming freshman class. Because of this uncertainty, many schools use a waitlist, where students have not been accepted yet, but may be in the coming months if spaces in the incoming class become available. If you’ve been waitlisted, that means you may get an offer from this school in the late spring or summer—or you may not. If you have been placed on a waitlist, you’ll have to decide whether or not to accept a place on the list—if you’re not particularly sold on attending that college, agreeing to be placed on a waitlist may not be worth the trouble.

When will I know if I’m accepted off the waitlist?

Unfortunately, no one knows for sure. Typically, you won’t hear anything before May 1—Decision Day for incoming students. Even after then, some students are admitted off the waitlists weeks before the start of fall semester. Until the fall term has started, there’s no way of knowing for sure if you’ll hear back from the school that waitlisted you.

Can anything boost my chances of being accepted off a waitlist?

Well, accept your place on it, for starters! Once you’ve agreed to a place on the waitlist, there’s no “official” way to improve your odds of being accepted off it—particularly since many relevant factors, such as how many waitlisted students the college accepts, are out of your control. However, contacting the school admissions officers, preferably with an email, to reiterate your interest in attending is a good idea—that builds what the school calls “demonstrated interest,” and can help make you a stronger waitlist admissions candidate.

“My top-choice college waitlisted me. How will this impact Decision Day for me?”

This can feel like a pickle for many students. If you’ve been waitlisted at your top-choice college, it can feel like being caught in limbo. The most important thing to do in this scenario is to manage your expectations. Say this school was your “reach”—it’s time to choose between your other offers of admissions, and accept one for the time being. When you put down a deposit, remember that you will likely lose this money if you accept a waitlist offer. While you can accept the waitlist offer, and continue to express your interest, it’s also important to get used to the idea of attending the school you were already accepted into—and that’s no bad thing! After all, every school on your college list was there for a reason. Even as you hope to get off the waitlist, and be aware that your plans can change quickly and suddenly if you do, it’s time to start prepping for an incredible college experience—wherever you attend.

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