Dental School Waitlist: What to Do Right Now to Maximize Your Chances of Getting Off

A Waitlist Is Not a Rejection — But It Requires Action

You checked your application portal and saw the word you weren't hoping for: Waitlisted.

The first feeling is usually somewhere between disappointment and confusion. Not in. Not out. Suspended in a state where you can't move forward and can't let go.

Here is what you need to understand immediately: a dental school waitlist is a legitimate pathway to acceptance. It is not a soft rejection or a consolation message. At most programs, a meaningful percentage of final acceptances come from the waitlist every cycle — sometimes as late as July or August, weeks before the school year begins.

What separates students who get off the waitlist from those who don't is rarely GPA or DAT score — those got you on the list in the first place. It's almost always what they did between the waitlist notification and the final decision.

This guide tells you exactly what to do — step by step, starting today.

How Dental School Waitlists Actually Work

Before you can act strategically, you need to understand the mechanics of how waitlists move.

The Waitlist Timeline

Dental school waitlist movement follows a predictable pattern tied to the overall admissions calendar:

The most important date on this calendar: April 30. When accepted students release all but one acceptance, schools suddenly see how many seats are actually open. This is when the largest single wave of waitlist movement happens — and why staying actively engaged through April is critical.

Ranked vs. Unranked Waitlists

Some dental schools maintain a ranked waitlist — students are ordered by priority, and movement follows that order. Others maintain an unranked waitlist — all waitlisted students are considered equally, and decisions may depend on factors like geographic diversity, specialty interest, or mission fit.

Many schools don't disclose which type they use. Contact the admissions office to ask directly: "Is your waitlist ranked or unranked, and is there any information you can share about where I stand?" Some offices will tell you; others won't. Either answer is useful information.

How Many Students Actually Get Off the Waitlist?

This varies significantly by program and by year. Factors that affect waitlist movement include:

• How many students accepted from other programs declined for financial or geographic reasons
• Whether the incoming class is smaller or larger than projected
• How many students defer or withdraw after accepting

At most programs, 5–20% of the final entering class comes from the waitlist in a typical cycle. At some programs in high-waitlist years, that figure is higher. This is a meaningful number — not a lottery.

Step 1: Respond to the Waitlist Offer Immediately

This sounds obvious, but many students delay because they're not sure what to do.

Within 24 hours of receiving a waitlist notification, formally accept your position on the waitlist if the school gives you the option to do so. Some schools ask you to actively confirm your continued interest. Others automatically hold you on the list unless you withdraw.

Do not withdraw from a waitlist at a program you genuinely want to attend — even if you've already accepted elsewhere. You can hold a paid acceptance at another school and remain on multiple waitlists simultaneously. This is standard practice, expected by all parties, and explicitly allowed by AADSAS rules.

The only exception: if a program notifies you that they require you to withdraw from all other programs as a condition of your waitlist position, you'll need to evaluate that school's priority in your personal ranking before agreeing.

Step 2: Write a Letter of Continued Interest

This is the single most impactful action you can take as a waitlisted applicant — and the one most students handle poorly or skip entirely.

A Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI) is a professional written communication to the admissions committee that: 1. Confirms that you remain committed to attending if offered a seat 2. Updates them on meaningful developments since your application was submitted 3. Reinforces why this specific program is your top choice

What a Strong LOCI Does

A well-written letter of continued interest accomplishes something subtle but important: it keeps you alive as a person in the admissions file rather than a static profile. Admissions committees remember engaged, professional candidates — especially when they're deliberating over which waitlisted applicant to advance.

When to Send It

Send your LOCI within 2 weeks of receiving your waitlist notification — not immediately (too reactive), and not 2 months later (too late to matter in early deliberations).

What to Include

Opening — state your purpose clearly:

Do not bury the lead. Your first sentence should be direct: "I am writing to confirm my continued and enthusiastic interest in [School Name]'s Doctor of Dental Medicine program and to update you on recent developments since my application was submitted."

A genuine update since your application:

This is the most valuable part of the letter. What has changed or been accomplished since you submitted AADSAS? Strong updates include:

• Improved DAT score (if you retook the exam)
• Additional shadowing hours or a new clinical observation that reinforced your interest
• A completed research project, publication, or presentation
• New volunteer or community health experience
• Completion of additional coursework with strong grades (especially for borderline GPA applicants)
• A meaningful professional experience

If nothing significant has changed, don't invent an update — focus instead on reaffirming your specific fit with the program.

Why this school specifically:

Generic flattery is useless. Specific reasons are valuable. Reference something concrete: a particular faculty member's research, a curriculum feature (problem-based learning, specific clinical rotations), a community partnership, or a program mission that genuinely aligns with your career goals. If you visited the campus or attended a virtual information session, mention it and what you took away.

A clear statement of commitment:

End by stating directly that if offered a seat, you would enroll. Admissions committees want to admit people who will actually show up. "If offered admission from the waitlist, [School Name] is where I would choose to attend" — or a similar unambiguous statement — removes any uncertainty about your intent.

What to Avoid in a LOCI

• Desperation or emotional appeals (*"This has been my dream since I was 5 years old..."*) — these don't help and often hurt
• Generic language that could apply to any dental school
• Listing your original application stats as if they're new information
• Letters longer than one page — focused and professional is always better than exhaustive
• Sending a follow-up LOCI every two weeks — one strong letter is better than multiple mediocre ones

Step 3: Send Any Meaningful Updates Promptly

Beyond the initial LOCI, contact the admissions office whenever you have a genuinely significant update to share. Not every minor event warrants communication — but these do:

Improved DAT score: If you retake the DAT after being waitlisted and improve your score — particularly if a low DAT was likely a weak point in your original application — notify the admissions office immediately. Send an update email with your new score report attached. An improvement of 2–3+ points is a meaningful development that changes your competitiveness.

Strong end-of-semester grades: If your most recent semester produced a GPA significantly higher than your application average — particularly in science courses — send an official transcript with a brief note. An upward trend in grades addresses one of the most common concerns about borderline applicants.

New shadowing or clinical experience: A substantial new shadowing engagement (especially in a specialty area relevant to the school's mission) is worth mentioning. Brief it specifically: "Since submitting my application, I completed 60 hours of oral surgery shadowing at [Institution], which deepened my understanding of complex extractions and the surgical decision-making process."

A new letter of recommendation: If you have cultivated a new professional relationship — a dentist you've shadowed extensively, a clinical supervisor, a faculty member — and they can write you a strong, specific letter, some schools accept additional letters after the initial application. Email the admissions office first to ask if they'll accept supplementary letters for waitlisted applicants.

Step 4: Protect Yourself With an Acceptance Elsewhere

This is non-negotiable: you should have at least one paid acceptance in hand before April 30.

Being waitlisted at your top-choice program while holding no other acceptance puts you in an extremely vulnerable position. If you're released from the waitlist in July or August with no acceptance, you face the prospect of another full application cycle — another year, another AADSAS submission, another set of secondary fees.

If you haven't been accepted anywhere yet and you're waitlisted at multiple schools, consider the following:

Contact other programs where your application is under review. A brief, professional email to programs that haven't yet issued a decision — expressing continued interest and asking whether a decision has been made — is appropriate. This keeps your file active and sometimes prompts a decision that might otherwise have been delayed.

Evaluate whether to apply to additional schools. If it is still within the application cycle and you have no acceptance in hand, adding programs to your AADSAS application (if the cycle is still open) may be worth the additional fees. Prioritize programs with acceptance rates above 20% where your stats are at or above their median.

Consider the backup plan. If the current cycle ends without an acceptance, start planning your reapplication now. Identify the specific weaknesses in your application, build a plan to address them, and target an earlier submission in the next cycle. Students who reapply with a meaningfully stronger application and submit in the first week of AADSAS opening have strong reapplication success rates.

Step 5: Know When to Move On

There is a point at which continued waiting stops being a strategy and starts being a cost — emotional, professional, and financial.

If you haven't heard from a waitlisted program by late July, the realistic probability of being admitted from that waitlist in the current cycle drops significantly. Orientation typically begins in mid-to-late August, and schools need enough time to process new acceptances and give admitted students time to prepare.

At this point, ask yourself:

• Do I have an acceptance elsewhere that I can commit to?
• If not, is reapplication a stronger path than continuing to wait?

If you have an acceptance at a program you're genuinely excited about, commit fully and release your other waitlist positions. Continuing to hold a waitlist position at another school while deferring full commitment to your acceptance is a legitimate choice — but it's only worth doing if the waitlisted school meaningfully changes your outcome.

If you have no acceptance and late July arrives with no waitlist movement: shift your energy to reapplication planning. The worst outcome is spending the fall in limbo rather than actively building a stronger application for the next cycle.

How to Write a Letter of Continued Interest: Template Framework

Here is a structural framework you can adapt. Do not copy this verbatim — personalize every section.

[Date]

To the Admissions Committee, [School Name] School of Dentistry:

I am writing to reaffirm my sincere and continued interest in [School Name]'s DMD program following my recent waitlist notification. [School Name] remains my first choice for dental school, and I would be honored to join the Class of [Year] if given the opportunity.

Since submitting my AADSAS application, I have [brief description of meaningful update: retaken the DAT / completed additional shadowing / finished a relevant course / published research / etc.]. [One to two sentences elaborating on the specific experience and what you gained from it.]

My commitment to [School Name] specifically stems from [one or two genuinely specific reasons: a curriculum feature, a mission element, a faculty member's work, a community partnership]. I [attended/watched/researched] [specific event or initiative] and [brief specific takeaway].

I remain fully committed to attending [School Name] if offered a seat. I would bring [one sentence on a quality or perspective you'd contribute to the class] — and I look forward to the possibility of contributing to your program.

Thank you for your continued consideration.

Sincerely, [Your full name] [AADSAS ID] [Email address] [Phone number]

Length: One page maximum. This framework fits comfortably in 4–5 tight paragraphs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does calling the admissions office help your waitlist chances?

A brief, professional phone call to ask about the status of the waitlist or confirm that your materials are complete is acceptable. Calling repeatedly or using the call to lobby for your application is not. If you call, be courteous, brief, and ask a specific question — not an open-ended plea.

Should I visit the campus while waitlisted?

If the school is within reasonable distance and you can arrange a brief campus visit during the waitlist period, it demonstrates genuine interest and commitment. Contact the admissions office to ask if visits during the waitlist period are appropriate and whether a brief meeting with an admissions counselor would be possible.

Can I send multiple letters of continued interest?

Send one strong LOCI, then follow up only when you have a meaningful update — a new score, new grades, or significant new experience. Two to three thoughtful communications over the waitlist period (February through July) is reasonable. More than that becomes noise.

What if I'm on the waitlist at my top choice but accepted at my second choice, and the deposit deadline is approaching?

Pay the deposit at your second choice and remain on the waitlist at your first choice. You will forfeit the deposit if your first choice admits you, but that is a known and acceptable cost. Never forfeit an acceptance without a confirmed acceptance elsewhere.

Is it appropriate to ask for feedback on my application while waitlisted?

Some schools will provide feedback to waitlisted applicants; many won't. It's worth asking professionally — "I would greatly appreciate any feedback on my application that might help me strengthen my candidacy" — but accept gracefully if they decline. Never argue with feedback you receive.

What does being waitlisted mean for a reapplication?

Being waitlisted — as opposed to rejected — is generally a positive signal for reapplication. It means the school considered you seriously. If you reapply with a demonstrably stronger application (improved DAT, additional clinical experience, stronger personal statement), programs where you were previously waitlisted are often among your strongest prospects in the next cycle.

The Mindset That Separates Students Who Get Off the Waitlist

There's a temptation, after receiving a waitlist notification, to either catastrophize (treat it as a rejection) or passively hope (assume the school will figure it out on their own).

Neither serves you.

The students who get off waitlists are the ones who stay engaged, stay professional, and stay prepared. They send a strong LOCI within two weeks. They have a meaningful update ready. They contact the school when something genuinely changes. They hold an acceptance elsewhere so they're never negotiating from desperation. And they have a clear plan if the waitlist doesn't move.

Being waitlisted is uncomfortable. But it is absolutely a position from which you can — and many students do — earn a dental school acceptance.

If you want personalized support navigating your waitlist strategy — including a review of your letter of continued interest before you send it — schedule a free call with our team. We've helped many students turn waitlist positions into acceptances, and we know exactly what moves the needle.