If I have to submit a statement of intent to register by May 1 in order to keep my admission for riverside but I got wait listed by basically every other UC (they release final wait list admissions on May 15) can I submit a statement of intent to register for riverside but go to another school if I get accepted for final decisions?
Yes you MUST submit an SIR to one college. You will lose your deposit if you don’t end up going to UCR, but if another UC accepts you, you can easily switch.
yes, OP. That’s how it’s done. You accept one college’s offer, fully intent on attending in Sept. If another school that previously waitlisted you makes an offer later, you can then choose to accept or not. If you accept the offer from the 2nd, you withdraw from the first. All colleges know this is what happens. It’s called the "summer melt’
Frankly, it’s even possible that a third offer comes in. And again, you’re free to weigh it and accept it, withdrawing from your 2nd school.
But like post 2 says, you’ll likely lose your deposit. GL to you