Each year, there are many talented and special students who find themselves on the waiting list – students whom we’d very much like to offer admission if spaces become available in the entering class. This year the University received over 56,000 completed applications and offered admission to approximately 9,150 applicants; we expect about 3,800 to accept our offer and enroll. If fewer than 3,800 students accept our offer, we will offer admission to some of the students who accepted a place on the waiting list.

Because there are so many talented students who apply to UVA each year, admission is extremely competitive, and we must offer strong, interesting students – who we know would be successful here – a place on the waiting list. We promise to let students on the waiting list know if we’ll be able to offer them admission as soon as possible after May 1.

Each year, the number of students admitted from the waiting list can be quite different. We know it can be hard to wait, but we promise to let you know a final admission decision as soon as possible after May 1.

We will know how many spaces in the class are available after May 1, the deposit deadline for students to whom we have offered admission. If all spaces in the class are filled, we will not be able to offer admission to anyone on the waiting list. If spaces do become available, we will spend about two weeks determining how many additional offers of admission we can make. It’s very important that you opt-into the waiting list through your student portal by April 15 if you would like to be considered. Because most colleges require a deposit by May 1, we strongly encourage you to pay a deposit at another school, even if UVA is your first choice.

We’ll be in touch with students who have accepted their place on the waiting list between the second week of May and the end of June. After we reach out to students by phone and email, they’ll have 48 hours to accept or decline our offer of admission on their student portal. 

While we’re happy to answer your questions, calling, writing, or visiting won’t have any impact on your admission decision. We hope that you feel proud of all the information you’ve already shared with us.

If the waiting list is still active at the end of your school year, please ask your counselor to send us a final transcript. In the meantime, feel free to use the upload function in your student portal to submit any updates you'd like to share. Although you are welcome to send additional letters of recommendation via your portal or the general admission email account, they should only be sent if they tell us something new that we haven’t learned about you yet.

The waiting list opt-in submitted through the portal by April 15th takes the place of a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI).

We do not rank the waiting list. We will re-evaluate a student’s application and consider any new information submitted to make our decisions.

If we are able to take students off the waiting list, we’ll determine which schools or programs – the College of Arts and Sciences, Architecture, Engineering, Nursing, and Kinesiology – have spaces available. Because we need to achieve the proper ratio between in- and out-of-state students, we’ll also see how many spaces we have available for Virginians and for non-Virginians. We’ll review the applications of students on the waiting list and consider our original evaluation along with any new information we have received.

Because we never know how many students we’ll be able to offer admission from the waiting list, you’ll want to commit to another university and follow the instructions on becoming a part of that student body. Please know that we’ll review your application with care and consideration.

If you’re a Virginia resident who applied to the College of Arts and Sciences and is on the waiting list, you have the opportunity to enroll at the UVA College at Wise, located in southwest Virginia, for one year before automatically enrolling at UVA in Charlottesville. Students in this program must complete 30 hours of transferrable credit during their first year at UVA Wise and earn a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better. You may accept this option and continue to remain on the waiting list for first year admission to UVA.