<p>Hi! I've just been waitlisted at University of Chicago, my dream school. The UChi admissions team advises that we secure a spot at another school by May 1. However, a lot of my other schools have large deposits (around $500). If offered a spot off of UChi's waitlist, I definitely can't afford to lose $500... Help? Are lower income families kind of SOL as far as waitlisting goes?</p>
<p>You need to treat that waitlist as a rejection for all practical purposes. Last year I believe UChicago waitlisted nearly as many students as it accepted. (Not sure how many they ended up offering a place and I can’t find their Common Data Set either.) </p>
<p>Keep trying to get off the waitlist if you must, but don’t risk your other options by failing to make a deposit on time. </p>
<p>If you can’t afford to lose a $500 deposit, it’s pretty unlikely you can afford to go to the University of Chicago. What if the tuition at UChicago was not $60,000, but $60,500, would you still go?</p>
<p>I’m not discounting that $500 is a lot of money to just lose in a deposit, but in the grand scheme of spending money on college, it is nothing.</p>
<p>But if they have a very low EFC then $500 could be a significant portion of that they would have to pay. You need to compare the deposit to the EFC and not to the COA.</p>
<p>Schools can take students off their WL as late as Aug. You need to put a deposit down by May 1 at most schools. </p>
<p>^^^You can compare it all you want, and I would never argue that $500 is money to be thrown away (regardless of one’s financial situation), but the reality is, the OP has NOT been admitted to Chicago; Chicago itself recommends waitlisted students deposit at another school; and what alternative is there, really? </p>
<p>You can certainly request that the school you enroll in refund your deposit IF you’re able to get off the Chicago waitlist, but the alternative is to lose a spot in a school that has actually, you know, offered you a spot in their freshman class! </p>
<p>@twoinanddone Chicago is full-need, and my sister went to Colgate (which is also full-need). I’m expecting a similar package from Chicago, so tuition should be manageable</p>
<p>@LucieTheLakie would a school refund a “non-refundable deposit” if I were accepted off of the waitlist? I know people with genuine issues can easily be guaranteed a refund (e.g. recent medical issues cause them to attend a school that’s closer to home). Would a college be less likely to refund a deposit for waitlist reasons?</p>
<p>We lost the deposit when D1 decided to take her WL school’s offer. They just said, “Sorry, hope she likes her choice (life).” </p>
<p>As other posters have indicated, you have no choice except to put down a deposit at a school that has accepted you. </p>
<p>If you ultimately get of the UChicago waitlist and want to attend there, you will have to decide whether or not the $500 matters. (If Chicago gives you better financial aid, you may find that ‘wasting’ that $500 makes a lot of sense in the long run.) </p>
<p>@ocflav</p>
<p>I’m guessing it’s uncommon for a school to refund an enrollment deposit. After all, these schools need to make plans too, but if you’re very nice, explain your financial situation and that Chicago is just much more affordable for you (don’t mention that you like it better or that it’s a better school, LOL!) and/or it’s a school that has no trouble going to its own waitlist, it might be a possibility. Nonetheless, I would expect to lose that deposit. </p>
<p>If you’re truly ambivalent about your other options, maybe choose the school with the cheapest enrollment fee? I wouldn’t recommend that strategy normally because I’m a big believer in “dancing with the one that brung ya,” but if there truly is NO qualitative difference among the schools you’ve been admitted to, then maybe that’s the way to go. </p>
<p>What are the other schools? Maybe folks here have some history with them?</p>
<p>@LucieTheLakie I’ve been accepted to Rutgers’ Honors College and Brandeis so far. Waiting to hear from the rest. My next choices after UChi are Pomona, Amherst, and Middlebury (fingers crossed!!)</p>
<p>Wait until you hear from all these schools. If one of them accepts you, you’re likely to get 100% need met and you can’t really go wrong with such high-caliber schools. In the end, you may lose the $200-500 at the other school if you choose to enroll at UChicago, but odds aren’t high that you’ll get off the waiting list (if you were admitted to Chicago would you turn it down? Can you imagine students doing that in droves? … probably not: that explains why getting off the wait list is often near impossible at these schools). You don’t really have a choice: you have to deposit somewhere by May 1 and indeed it’s non refundable after May 1. Deposit at the school you like best among those that admitted you: that’s where you’re most likely to go. If you have an opportunity to work part time, perhaps work to earn that money so that it won’t “cost” your parents anything? </p>
<p>I absolutely agree with MYOS. Those schools you’re still waiting on are all outstanding colleges. Wait and see what your options are on April 1 and then put a deposit down on the school you’d be most happy to attend (after Chicago) and whichever is the most affordable. Good luck and please let us know how it turns out!</p>
<p>Will do—thanks for the insight, everyone!</p>
<p>@LucieTheLakie hey, just wanted to update you! I forgot about this thread from a while back. I decided on amherst and decided after all to stay on UChi’s waitlist (:</p>
<p>Don’t count on Chicago, Chicago is need aware and wait list, even they take students off, it will be awarded to those have no need.
In my DD’s class, she was one of the 14 who got off the waitlist. The numbers change every year, but just let you know the odds.</p>
<p>Great choice. No word that Chicago is going to the waitlist yet.</p>
<p>Chicago went to its WL long ago. They are taking more off now.</p>
<p>@artloversplus concerning Chicago, I’ve heard the same thing from past waitlisters. It seems they take ppl off who they know can pay full price or close to it-- bummer ): @BrownParent they’ve taken a few off already, not confirmed how many though</p>