If you have been waitlisted and then admitted by one if the top LAC in the recent years, when did it happen? (Early May, mid-May, end of May, early June, etc.?).
Numbers of students admitted from waitlist can vary wildly from year to year and college to college. There’s no way to predict when a student will get called from a waitlist. FWIW, my D was called off the WL at a well-known LAC in May 3rd, and called off another top 25 college WL at the very end of June. She attends the second college now. That particular year, quite a few kids were offered a place from WL, but the year before, it was a tiny number, less than 15 I think.
Summer melt is a thing, and I think the best chances of getting off WL at any school are probably right after May 1, or well into summer, as the melt starts kicking in. Don’t count on it happening, though. My D was the exception and not the rule.
My S was the same year as @Lindagaf’s D. Stayed on 2 WL and got off both the first week of May. Both schools saw a lot of WL activity that year. The one he chose had none the next year. Every year is different.
A friend’s S got off the WL mid-August at a different school.
Which is all to say it could happen at any point. It is not uncommon, though, for a school to let you know that there will be no further WL activity. Some will ask if you wish to stay on the WL later in the summer while others just assume you will.
Wow, mid-August- this is really late!
My D was on a third WL at a highly ranked college and they did notify at the very start of July that no students would be accepted off WL. And like @gardenstategal , the college D attends hardly took anyone the following year. It’s unpredictable.
My D was admitted off a highly ranked LAC’s waitlist in early June.