What does it mean to be waitlisted?

Applicants are offered our waitlist in the spring when, after several thorough reviews of their application, we aren’t able to offer them a place in the incoming class. Michigan is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world and, as such, admission is extremely competitive.

In the 2023-2024 admissions cycle, we received applications from more than 98,000 applicants for the enrolling first-year class of over 7,000 students. This was a 12% increase from the previous year. With a limited number of spaces in our first-year class, we are unable to admit all qualified applicants. However, some spaces become available after the May 1 enrollment deposit deadline. By agreeing to be placed on our waitlist, applicants may be offered admission when and if that happens.

What should I do next?

First, you need to decide whether you wish to accept the waitlist option or not. Please respond online through Enrollment Connect. Once on Enrollment Connect, click the "Reply to Waitlist Offer" button under the 'Action Items' section. Then complete the form, indicating your response to our waitlist offer.

Keep striving to do your best in school, and make sure to leave other college options open. It is neither illegal nor unethical to withdraw from a college after May 1 because you accepted a waitlist spot at another school (or if you change your mind for any reason). However, you should expect to forfeit your enrollment deposit, as they often are nonrefundable.

Keep in mind that if you’re not ultimately admitted to Michigan, you can always apply as a transfer student from another institution.

We will not accept any additional documents from you unless specifically requested, as they will not impact your final decision.

When will I know if I’ve been admitted?

In a typical year, waitlisted applicants are notified of their final admissions decision by the end of June.

How do you decide which waitlisted applicants you’ll admit?

The waitlist is not rank ordered. If space becomes available to admit students from the waitlist, we will consider our initial evaluations of your application as we select candidates for admission. Since we invited you to be on our waitlist, we strongly believe you have the capability to be successful in college and, if space were available, you could succeed at Michigan.

Once we get a clear picture of how many admitted students have not met the enrollment deposit deadline, we'll know how many waitlisted applicants to whom we'll offer admission.

How many applicants are offered admission from the waitlist?

Each year that number varies, based on the number of applications we receive and the individual credentials each applicant brings to the table. Our large waitlist allows us adequate opportunity to fill the variety of academic programs to which we admit, if needed. Here is our data for the past four years.

Applicants who accepted our waitlist offer:
Fall 2020: 48%, or 10,080 applicants
Fall 2021: 73%, or 13,149 applicants
Fall 2022: 72%, or 15,076 applicants
Fall 2023: 67%, or 18,575 applicants

Applicants who were admitted from the waitlist:
Fall 2020: 13%, or 1,289 applicants
Fall 2021: 0.5%, or 69 applicants
Fall 2022: 0.5%, or 77 applicants
Fall 2023: 5%, or 983 applicants

If I am admitted from the waitlist, can I choose to defer admission for a year?

Students who are admitted from the waitlist will not have the opportunity to delay their enrollment at U-M for personal or religious needs/interests outside of college. Waitlisted students who are admitted are expected to enroll at the university for the term in which they are admitted.