Decisions, Decisions: 2020 Regular Decision Waitlist Edition

We Admit It! We wish we could send good news to all of our wonderfully talented applicants. Unfortunately, the small class sizes that make William & Mary so appealing also force us to make tough decisions when considering qualified applicants. As a result, we are not able to admit all of the students who are competitive for admission. While it may not feel like it, a waitlist decision is a positive one. If we had any more space, we would have offered one of those positions to you.

It’s tough being on a waitlist, mainly because you are being asked to continue to wait. While this can be both confusing and frustrating, we hope this decision leaves the door open for you to continue considering W&M. That being said, we encourage you to fully explore the other universities that have offered you admission, and to submit an enrollment deposit by the May 1 deadline.

If you remain sincerely interested in W&M, you can accept your spot on our waitlist by completing the online form linked in your decision email.

What happens next? As stated above, we encourage you to focus your immediate attention on exploring those schools that have offered you admission. Knowing how impressive your application was, we have no doubt that you have many great options. If, after doing that, you still remain interested in W&M, you are welcome to email your regional dean with any updates, as well as a note of continued interest, starting in early-to-mid April. This note of continued interest does not have to be an extensive essay (you’ve already written enough of those for your actual applications), but should convey why you are interested in W&M and why you see yourself thriving as a member of our community.

Should we determine that we are able to admit additional students from the waitlist, we will consider any new information that you have sent us since your waitlist decision, along with your original application materials. If you are no longer interested in W&M, you can simply complete the online form linked to your decision email in order to withdraw your name from our waitlist.

Generally, we are able to determine whether or not we will be admitting students from the waitlist by early May. If we are able to admit additional students, we will automatically consider those students who elected to remain on the waitlist. Should we get to that point, we will provide updates via this blog. All students remaining on the waitlist will get an update from us via email by mid-June. Our Waitlist FAQ page is also a great source of information.

While we do wish that we could have sent you more positive news, please know that we think incredibly highly of you. Your many accomplishments will, without question, provide you with great options for next year. Should you remain interested in W&M, we encourage you to accept your spot on the waitlist, keep in touch, and stay tuned. Whether the conclusion of your college search lands you in Williamsburg or elsewhere, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

JonDavid Nichols
Assistant Dean of Admission