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Many students mistakenly think a waitlist decision is essentially a rejection, but that’s not true. Waitlists are never an end-all, be-all. You absolutely can get off a waitlist and into medical school, but you need to be strategic about your next steps.
I spoke with several former med school admissions committee members on my team who have helped decide which waitlisted applicants to accept, and their biggest piece of advice was to fight for that acceptance by making your interest in the school clear and updating the admissions committee with meaningful changes in your application.
They also emphasized that waitlist decisions can come at any time in the process. They’ve even heard of students getting off of the waitlist as late as the day before the white coat ceremony, so it really does take 365 days of the year.
In this guide, I'll explain how to do that, your real chances of getting off the waitlist, when schools typically extend offers, and other tips to help you improve your chances of acceptance.
The experts on my team agreed that a safe bet is that 20% to 30% of medical school applicants receive at least one waitlist decision during an admissions cycle, and only 5% to 30% of those waitlisted actually receive an acceptance offer.
However, there's no single, reliable statistic on how many waitlisted applicants gain admission. One school might accept a dozen waitlisted applicants one year and zero the next.
It all depends on the waitlist size, the number of available seats, and how many admitted students decline their offers or withdraw.
The AAMC's 2026 MSAR Waitlist report provides these examples:
As you can see, your chances of getting off the waitlist vary by school. And these stats only capture the 2026 waitlist movement. It can be completely different in the next cycle.
A school's yield rate also plays a role in waitlist movement. This measures the percentage of accepted applicants who ultimately enroll. For example, if a medical school extends 300 acceptance offers and 150 students enroll, it has a yield rate of 50%.
Yield rates also vary by institution and year, but most schools have a rough rate of about 40% to 50%.
Schools with lower yields generally need to extend more acceptance offers to fill their classes. Schools with higher yields may have less room for waitlist movement because more admitted applicants choose to attend.
However, a lower yield doesn't automatically mean you’ll have a higher chance of getting into that school. It still depends on the waitlist size and the school’s enrollment goals.
You can also watch this video to learn more about waitlists and what to do if you’re waitlisted:
A letter of intent tells a medical school that it's your first choice and that you intend to attend if accepted. It gives you an opportunity to reinforce your interest and explain why the school is the right fit.
In our webinar on what to do after your medical school interview, Dr. Chiamaka Okorie, a former admissions officer at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and experienced Inspira Advantage counselor, recommends sending a letter of intent after receiving a waitlist decision, provided the school accepts additional correspondence.
"If you get put on a waitlist, I would actually go ahead and send that letter of intent immediately, because a waitlist means that they’re going to come back [to your application]. We already have that waitlist pool when deciding which applicants to accept, so we review who’s on the waitlist. The waitlist is never set in stone."
Your letter should accomplish two things:
Avoid vague statements about a school's reputation or excellent curriculum. Instead, reference something specific, such as:
The strongest letters also explain what you'll contribute to the school, not just what you hope to gain from attending.
For example, if you grew up in a rural community and hope to practice rural medicine, explain how the school's rural healthcare initiatives align with your experiences and long-term goals.
An update letter gives you the opportunity to share meaningful achievements or experiences that weren't included in your original application.
In our medical school admissions process webinar, Dr. Joonhyuk Lee, a diagnostic radiology resident at the University of Cincinnati and experienced Inspira Advantage counselor, recommends sharing substantial accomplishments.
These could include:
Dr. Lee emphasizes that updates should give admissions committees meaningful new information to consider.
Keep your letter focused on one to three experiences or achievements. For each one, explain what you accomplished, what you learned, and how the experience strengthened your preparation for medical school. Keep it brief. Your entire letter should be one page maximum.
You should always connect your updates to your fit with the institution and end by reinforcing why the school is still a strong match for you.
You should send updates to every med school that allows you to. Some programs welcome updates throughout the admissions cycle, while others limit them or don't accept them at all.
Before sending anything:
You can share the same significant achievement with multiple schools, but don't send identical letters without considering each program's priorities.
To make sure you have the best possible chance of getting off the waitlist, consider working with an admissions expert who can help you write letters of intent and updates that land with admissions committees and give you school-specific advice on how to get off the waitlist.
At Inspira Advantage, our medical school admissions experts include former admissions committee members who understand how schools evaluate waitlisted applicants.
Our advisors provide medical school application help based on their firsthand experience helping students in your exact position, including students who have successfully gotten off the waitlist at the very schools you're hoping to attend.
Medical school admissions committees reconsider waitlisted applicants as seats become available. They review each candidate's application, interview performance, demonstrated interest, and fit with the incoming class.
Although every school uses its own process, committees commonly consider the following:
You can't control which qualities a school prioritizes when a seat opens. However, you can make sure your application and updates communicate what makes you a strong candidate.
Medical schools use waitlists to fill open seats when accepted students decline their offers or withdraw. Some schools use a ranked waitlist, meaning admissions officers place applicants in a predetermined order, usually from strongest to weakest.
Others use an unranked waitlist. They don’t have top contenders in mind; they reconsider all waitlisted applicants as seats become available. Most medical school waitlist movement happens between late April and June, with May being the most active month for acceptances or rejections.
Here's a full timeline of what to expect:
Getting accepted from a waitlist can feel exciting, especially after months of uncertainty. However, you should still make sure the school is the right choice.
Use Inspira Advantage's READY Framework to choose a medical school after receiving an offer.
Having these priorities established before an offer arrives can help you make a confident decision under a tight deadline.
If you don't receive any acceptances, even from schools you were waitlisted at, focus on strengthening your application before reapplying to medical school.
Here's what to do:
You may also want to consider taking an additional gap year if you need more time to strengthen your candidacy. You need to be able to show admissions committees why you're a stronger applicant than you were during your previous cycle.
Medical schools often place anywhere from fewer than 30 to several hundred applicants on their waitlists, depending on the institution. It changes from year to year. Approximately 20% to 30% of all medical school applicants are put on at least one waitlist.
Some common reasons med school applicants get waitlisted include:
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