Harvard Waitlist Question

Hey guys! I've heard that Harvard waitlists almost everyone at some point, but I'm not sure if this is true. Does anyone have any credible information on if Harvard actually waitlists most of the applicants?

Hey there! While it might seem like Harvard waitlists a lot of people, it's actually not true that they waitlist "almost everyone." In reality, their waitlist numbers are relatively consistent with those of other highly-selective universities.

The number of students placed on the waitlist varies from year to year based on the overall applicant pool and the number of students accepting their offers of admission. Generally, only a fraction of applicants are waitlisted—it's definitely not the majority. In recent years, the number of students waitlisted has been around 1,000 to 2,000, which is a small percentage compared to the total number of applicants (over 57,000 for the class of 2026, for example).

Keep in mind that getting waitlisted at any highly-selective school is still an accomplishment, as it means a candidate was considered very competitive but there simply wasn't enough space in the incoming class. If you are waitlisted, it's a good idea to follow the school's guidelines for submitting additional information and demonstrating your interest in attending. That said, it's also important to prepare for the possibility of not getting off the waitlist, and to commit to a different school or have alternate plans in place.

In short, Harvard does not waitlist most of the applicants, but rather only a select few who were deemed competitive but couldn't be accommodated in the initial round of acceptances.