If you are reading this, you were probably waitlisted by Brown. Receiving a waitlist decision is a bummer, but it’s also a situation you can make the most off. Whereas a rejection is a closed door, being offered a spot on a waiting list is more like being stopped right before the threshold. You aren’t through, and you may never get through, but the chance is still there. The key, of course, is to not leave it up to chance.
The acceptance rate to Brown for the class of 2028 was , which is low. Very low. But this was a slight rise over the acceptance rate for the fall of 2023, which was only . That year, Brown did not release how many students were offered a spot on the waitlist, nor how many accepted that offer and decided to wait it out, but 73 were eventually accepted.
73 doesn’t sound too bad. However, based on the waitlist trends at comparable universities, it could be 73 out of a few hundred or 73 out of more than 1,000. their exact waitlist numbers for the fall of 2022, either. All we know is that 15 were accepted. For the fall of 2021, were accepted off of the waitlist.
While Brown didn’t release the waitlist numbers (apart from acceptances) in the Common Data Set in recent years, that the length of the waitlist is historically been between 1,000 and 1,500 students. This number is, mostly, in the university’s control. They extend a waitlist offer to a given number of people, and expect most to accept a spot on the waitlist list. However, the number offered a spot at Brown off the waitlist is actually determined by previously accepted students.
In the traditional admissions rounds, Brown accepts a group that is designed to fill out their class. It’s more than they need, and they expect the class to be fully, or very nearly, fully filled by that pool. This, the rate of accepted students who ultimately pick Brown, is called the Yield Rate.
But they also know to expect the unexpected. So, they keep a deep list of students to pull from if the class isn’t completely filled by students accepted in the regular decision round. That’s where the waiting list comes in. For example, it came in handy in 2024 with the class of 2028. The yield rate was 65%, slightly higher than 2023 but lower than 2024-2026, and they accepted applicants off the waitlist to fill the class. This was uncharacteristic of the Brown waitlist, but only goes to show that you have to do your best because you can’t control the other circumstances that influence what happens with the waiting list.
In this post, we’ll break down the four steps you absolutely must take to make sure that you have a successful college application experience, and have a campus to call home come fall. Over the years, we’ve helped scores of students get off of waitlists, so this advice isn’t just something we made up — it works.
If you are a driven student seeking to secure a spot off a waiting list, we can help. Learn More.
Waitlists aren’t complicated, you’re waiting, but finding your way through the waitlist experience can appear daunting. We break it down to four simple steps to make making the most of a waitlist easy.
Step 1: Accept Your Spot on the Waitlist
Accepting your spot on the waitlist should be obvious, but it’s not. You are not — we repeat, not — automatically placed on the waitlist. If you do not accept your spot, you will not be put on the waitlist and will not be considered for admission should a spot open up. This would be bad if you still want any chance of going to Brown, so don’t do it.
Remember, though, that the waitlist is d. Claiming your spot isn’t literally claiming a spot on a list with a top and a bottom. It’s more like jumping in a pool. So don’t freak out if it takes you a few days to respond. You will not be penalized for taking your time, as long as you respond by the deadline Brown gave you when they extended the waiting list offer.
Step 2: Commit to a College
There are likely more than 1,000 students waiting for a spot at Brown to hopefully open up. Only a few dozen will get in — if that. So, you need a Plan B that can become a Plan A if needed. This means accepting a spot at a college that you were accepted by and continuing forward as if that is the campus you’ll be showing up at when it’s time for first-year orientation.
Hopefully, the waitlist will work out in your favor, and you can withdraw from your Plan B (and relinquish the deposit). But, of course, it may not.
If you don’t have a college to commit to that you’re psyched about, that’s a bummer but it isn’t an excuse not to pick a school. Transferring will be an option, but we highly recommend not considering simply not committing an option. At this moment, you are the most attractive first-year applicant you will be. Waiting to reapply threatens going stale. Instead, pick a school and plan for a transfer in a year or two if it feels necessary to reach your dreams.
Step 3: Update Brown
Brown does not require any new materials or information from candidates on the waitlist, but that doesn’t mean that you should simply sit around and wait. Let’s look closely at : “Additional materials or new recommendation letters are not necessary unless you or your recommenders are providing information that was not available to us during our original deliberations.” Key here is the phrase: “that was not available to us…” Let’s use that as our jumping off point.
You’ve been doing a lot since you submitted your Brown application. You’ve been pursuing, striving, and achieving, and Brown wants to know about it. How you update them, though, matters. First, you can “upload new information through your Brown Applicant Portal.” This shouldn’t be a packet of certificates and pages of information, though. It should be short, no more than 400 words, and focused.
We work with our students to write strong Letters of Continued Interest that focus on no more than four key updates that are new, important, and clear, while also confirming that you will attend Brown if accepted.
Start your letter with a formal opening, like “Dear Brown Admissions,” and a few sentences (1-3) stating your name, where you are in high school, your prospective major, and that you will absolutely attend Brown if accepted.
Next, for the body of your letter, you need to write your update. This should, again, be no more than four things, all of which are new information that the Brown admissions officials have not seen because it hadn’t happened yet when you submitted your application. These can be updates to things they know about, like an activity you highlighted in your application and that you have since received an away in, but the award must be dated post submitting your Brown application. We’re saying this a few times, and in a few different ways, because it is so important. Brown does not want to see things they already know about. In the update, they need new.
Finally, you need to close your letter with another sentence saying that you are excited about Brown, giving a specific reason why that is related to your prospective area of focus, and that you will attend if accepted.
As you work on this letter, you need to try to find a supplemental recommendation. This should be from a mentor, coach, or other adult who knows you well and can speak to your character and drive. The recommendation should be no more than one page, and be sent via email directly to Brown admissions.
Step 4: Enjoy Senior Year
Step four is the longest and, for some, that hardest. You need to move on and enjoy life. If Brown has a spot for you, from them sometime between mid-May and early summer. Until then, keep your grades up, stay committed to the activities you love, and have fun.
If all this feels overwhelming, we get it — and we can help. Every year we work with waitlisted students to get into their dream schools. It is possible, but remember that it also isn’t entirely in your hands, or even in Brown’s. Having a plan B can be your best way forward towards an exceptional college experience.
If you want a personal waitlist strategy designed around your applicant profile, contact us.