Wait List Information
Each year the Office of Admissions at the University of Rochester is tasked with enrolling a specific number of overall students for the entering first-year class. To hit this enrolling number target, we typically use a wait list to manage enrollment. An offer to be on our wait list signifies that you fit the academic profile of a student who could be successful here and would positively contribute to our greater campus community, but due to limited space we cannot make a final decision at this time.
If you wish to remain on our wait list, we strongly encourage you to submit an enrollment deposit at another institution to secure a spot for yourself for the fall semester, as there is no guarantee that a spot will become available at Rochester through the wait list. Any offer of admission to Rochester from our wait list will most likely not come until after this year’s national deposit deadline of May 1.
Typical wait list acceptance numbers
Traditionally, 15 percent of our total applicant pool is offered a spot on our wait list, and the percent of those students choose to stay on the wait list varies from year to year. Historically, an average of 100 students have been admitted from our wait list, although some years that number has been much lower.
Next steps
After being offered a spot on our waitlist, you should:
- Determine if you still want to attend Rochester.
- If you do, please submit your Wait List Reply Form (available through MyROC) before May 1. Submitting it after May 1 may jeopardize your chances of being admitted as a part of the University’s fall or spring enrolling class.
- Decide if you want to be considered for fall 2025 or spring 2026 admission.
- The Wait List Reply Form gives you the opportunity to choose an entrance term. Each year we admit a few students for a January start (spring semester) as a first-year student if their university enrollment is flexible. However, the majority of our admits from the wait list are for the fall semester.
- If you are no longer interested in being considered for admission to Rochester, you can simply indicate that through the Wait List Reply Form.
Waitlist timeline
- May 1—Wait List Reply Form due date
- May 1—Financial aid documents due*
- Shortly after May 1—Wait list offers begin as we confirm our enrollment numbers
- August 1—All wait list decisions are released
*Financial aid documents must be submitted as soon as possible if you are interested in receiving a need-based financial aid package. An enrollment deposit extension will not be granted for those admitted students whose financial aid documents were received after the deadline.