What Is Cornell's Waitlist Acceptance Rate?

The Ivy Coach Daily

March 3, 2024

What Is Cornell's Waitlist Acceptance Rate? | Ivy Coach (1)

Were you recently placed on Cornell University’s waitlist? If so, know a.) that you’re not alone and b.) that you have a genuine shot of earning admission to the Ivy League institution. Yet what are your chances? Let’s dive in!

Cornell Waitlist Acceptance Rates and Statistics

Below you’ll find Cornell’s waitlist admissions statistics from the Class of 2027 through the Class of 2003 as released to The Common Data Set:

Cornell University Class Year	Number of Students Waitlisted to Cornell	Number of Students Who Chose to Join Cornell Waitlist	Number of Students Accepted Off Cornell Waitlist	Cornell Waitlist Acceptance Rate
Cornell Class of 2028	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD
Cornell Class of 2027	8,282	6,166	362	5.87%
Cornell Class of 2026	7,729	5,531	260	4.7%
Cornell Class of 2025	7,746	5,800	24	0.41%
Cornell Class of 2024	6,750	4,791	190	3.97%
Cornell Class of 2023	4,948	3,362	147	4.37%
Cornell Class of 2022	6,683	4,546	164	3.61%
Cornell Class of 2021	5,714	3,723	75	2.01%
Cornell Class of 2020	4,571	2,874	61	2.12%
Cornell Class of 2019	3,583	2,231	81	3.63%
Cornell Class of 2018	3,143	2,026	96	4.74%
Cornell Class of 2017	3,144	1,966	168	8.55%
Cornell Class of 2016	3,098	1,941	139	7.16%
Cornell Class of 2015	2,982	1,846	0	0%
Cornell Class of 2014	2,551	1,483	0	0%
Cornell Class of 2013	3,308	1,949	0	0%
Cornell Class of 2012	3,444	2,163	44	2.03%
Cornell Class of 2011	3,213	1,976	279	14.12%
Cornell Class of 2010	2,713	1,746	18	1.03%
Cornell Class of 2009	2,643	1,544	209	13.54%
Cornell Class of 2008	2,411	1,988	171	8.6%
Cornell Class of 2007	1,983	1,682	4	0.24%
Cornell Class of 2006	2,373	1,942	124	6.39%
Cornell Class of 2005	2,131	2,116	55	2.6%
Cornell Class of 2004	2,131	2,116	55	2.6%
Cornell Class of 2003	2,730	1,481	3	0.2%

Your Chances of Admission to Cornell After Being Waitlisted

Cornell maintains more Common Data Sets online — a total of 25 — than its Ivy League peer institutions.

Over these 25 years, Cornell has turned to its waitlist 22 times, admitting highs of 362 students off the waitlist for the Class of 2027, 279 students for the Class of 2011, 260 students for the Class of 2026, 209 students for the Class of 2009, 190 students for the Class of 2024, and 168 students for the Class of 2017.

For the Classes of 2013, 2014, and 2015, Cornell did not turn to its waitlist — the only years over the last near-quarter of a century in which Cornell chose not to accept students out of limbo.

Over the last 25 years, Cornell admitted an average of 4.1% of waitlisted students. Over the last five years, that figure has stood at 3.86%, though it was 5.87% for the most recent Class of 2027 when 362 students earned admission out of limbo.

Your Chances of Admission to Cornell After Being Waitlisted with Ivy Coach’s Help

Over the last 30 years, 37% of students who first approach Ivy Coach after being waitlisted have earned admission to the Ithaca, New York-based institution. Our students who earn admission off the Cornell waitlist all complete Ivy Coach’s two-step process for waitlisted candidates, which includes:

A PostMortem in which we go review every component of a student’s Common Application and Cornell supplement. We first need to examine how students presented themselves to Cornell since how they present themselves after being waitlisted can’t be inconsistent with that narrative. It must be much more compelling but not inconsistent with the previous information.
Submit a wow Letter of Continued Interest. Most students are inclined to brag and update a school that has waitlisted them on all they’ve achieved in the few months since they applied. It’s an unlikely strategy to beat the waitlist. Ivy Coach’s students submit wonderfully weird letters based on our secret sauce recipes — which are delicious.

Getting Started with Ivy Coach on Cornell Waitlist

If you’re interested in giving yourself the best shot of earning admission to Cornell from the waitlist, fill out Ivy Coach’s consultation form, indicate that you’ve been placed on Cornell’s waitlist, and we’ll be in touch to go through our waitlist services.

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