Wait Listed by One of These Colleges? You Have a Good Chance of Getting In

In general, the odds aren't great for the almost 400,000 high school seniors expected to find themselves in the continuing college application limbo known as the admissions "wait list" this spring. On average, less than a third of those who decide to remain on a college's wait list will eventually get accepted, recent surveys of colleges find.

But a Money analysis of colleges with large wait lists has identified several colleges where prospective students are likely to have a better-than-average shot at winning admission, especially if they follow these six steps, such as notifying the college if they do want to stay on the wait list and sending it an update on second semester grades or any other new accomplishments.

How can you tell if you will be one of the lucky ones? Many college admissions officials warn that it is impossible for them to even predict who will be chosen at this point. "Enrollment is a very inexact science," says Kent Rinehart, dean of undergraduate admission at Marist College. After his staff sees which of the regularly admitted students send in deposits, they look at the wait list and choose applicants who fill in that class's particular gaps: "There are a host of reasons," he says. "It could be gender balance, or a particular discipline. or it could geographic."

Another important factor: money. As you'll see in the chart, some colleges are more likely to reject wait-listed applicants who need lots of financial aid. And even if you are admitted, many schools will offer wait-listed applicants smaller-than-average aid packages.

So if you're hoping to get off of a large wait list but don't know if the school will meet your financial needs, be sure to send a deposit to an affordable backup college, the experts advise.

"Don't run the risk of losing a seat altogether," says Amy W. Jarich, director of admissions at the University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley expects to put more than 3,000 students on its wait list, and it has generally accepted only about 20% of those who agree to remain on the list. (Berkeley does not factor a student's ability to pay into its wait list admission process.) "Let yourself fall in love with another school who has accepted you," she says.

Here is the outlook for acceptance and financial aid at seven colleges that have historically put thousands of students on wait lists and accepted an unusually high number of them.

Sources: Peterson's, Money reporting