Starting a Barnard waitlist thread because last year’s thread had a lot of useful info. I have no illusions that my kid will get in off the waitlist, especially because we need financial aid, but good to be able to keep up with any news.
Based on the record in the past, does anyone know when Barnard will release the admission decision from the waitlist? End of May/ early June? Thanks
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In prior years, the class was filled within the first two weeks of May; after that, odds are diminishing.
Two (?) years ago they formally closed the list by June. They would only go back to the waitlist if someone still withdrew in the Summer (presumedly because she might have gotten off a waitlist elsewhere).
More likely it will be an intense period of in-person contacts, offering admission one-by-one, with a fairly short window to accept immediately.
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Could you please advise what should be done in the waiting period ? Besides a letter to the admission office to demonstrate the strong interest and the update if any post submission of the application . Barnard is my D’s favorite school among all waitlisted schools . Thank you so much for your advice in advance.
I know of people on Barnard’s waitlist for this year that were accepted and will enroll at another Ivy. So there definitely will be a certain number of people dropping off the waitlist (for one reason or the other).
Also, I already know of Barnard admits that were also admitted to another Ivy which had been their first-choice option - so there will be a (very) few spots becoming available.
Consequently, using any excuse to putting your name in front of Admissions and giving them the confidence that placing “that” call to your house would be worth their time, might help.
So yes, I personally would follow up with a letter reiterating how you appreciate still being kept in consideration and why you remain committed to Barnard.
And, in 4 weeks, maybe something minor transpired (whether academically, or even EC wise) that gives you another “reason” to send them a “I realize you’ll soon be looking to fill your class, so I thought I would mention that…” letter.
My personal opinion is: Being recognized as “Oh, that young lady, again…” might be a desirable reaction at this stage?
Having said all that - please do realize that the most recent numbers from (two?) years ago show that admission rate from waitlist is at least as low as the RD rate.
So, after giving things a rest for a week, please do take the remainder of April to slowly get your daughter excited for one of the admits she “bagged”, maybe by looking at videos of dorms at that other college, brainstorm with her how one could be decorated, discover some of the other college’s quirky customs, clubs, etc. Reality is, there is a >90% chance this other college will be her eventual home!
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Thank you very much for your reply. Very helpful! We surely will try our best and not give up the hope at this point. Thank you！
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Any insights into how this year’s waitlist is prioritized? Will an email be sent or a call?
What do I do if my LOCI is longer than 500 words? I realize I can submit the form multiple times but would it look bad? Should I cut it down? The words I’ve written are super necessary.
Do you think that sending an additional letter of recommendation is possible?
Keep in mind (if the numbers are similar to the figures from the most recent available year), they could be reading nearly 2,000 LoCI’s. I can’t help but wonder if beyond the first page, something important pushed off to page 2 or further will still have the same impact.
Maybe you can ask an English teacher, or family member who is good at “editing”, help you extract the essence of what you’re trying to express. Sometimes concise statements can be more impactful than those that are watered down by elaborating?
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Barnard just sent an email that waitlist decisions will likely be starting in May, but in the 2026 CC thread and on Tik Tok/Reddit, people have said they got off mid-end April in past years. Is it going to change this year?
Probably a question how soon in April how many other students have notified of their intention not to enroll. Once that number moves past approx. 70 (this year) they could possibly want to reach out to individual students on the waitlist.
Naturally, the “big” activity has to wait until after the enrollment deadline, when they have a more complete picture.
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In the Barnard Waitlist letter, it says to fill out the waitlist reply form as soon as possible for priority consideration. I replied to this form about 30 mins after getting my decision on March 29th. Does this have any impact on my chances of getting off the waitlist?
I think it’s best to assume that there is going to be waitlist activity from mid-end April itself. But since May 1st is the deadline to enroll, there is probably going to be significant activity during that period as well.
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I wouldn’t assume it will be a time-ranked list. But, if later in April, they should already need to access the waitlist, you’ll be among those they can reach out to.
should my counselor send in an updated transcript? or are they only accepting updates through the portal?
Thanks @ DigitalDad!
I think the counselor sends the transcript directly to admissions; you don’t send an update through the portal. If you want to make sure, have your counselor call in the admissions office.
Do you think I would still be in the running for getting of the waitlist if I responded the following day instead? I’ve been calling and emailing the admissions office with questions about being the waitlist and I decided to submit an additional Letter of Recommendation and some additional supplemental materials to try and put my name out there. I even went to a Barnard event with BSARs and one of them gave me advice on being on the waitlist.
Again, I have never heard that Barnard’s waitlist is “first-come, first served”. E.g., if they are trying to shape a certain class-of, then there might be case-by-case target criteria they are looking for, to replace individual students who decided not to enroll.
If you’re on the waitlist by the time they might have to dip into that list later this month, then your odds are as good as anyone else’s who happened to send their LoCI hours/days earlier.