Navigating the Law School Waitlist
In our previous blog, What to Do After Applying to Law School, we talked about how to stay grounded after submitting your applications—confirming your application status, planning for financial aid, sharing meaningful updates, and preparing for interviews while decisions are pending.
For some applicants, that waiting period ends with a clear answer. For others, it comes with something more uncertain: a place on the waitlist.
Being waitlisted can feel confusing. You didn’t receive an offer, but you weren’t turned away either. And because schools don’t always explain what’s happening behind the scenes, it’s easy to read more into it than you should.
In reality, a waitlist usually means the school considers you admissible and is managing uncertainty around seats and enrollment.
What the Waitlist Really Is
Law school waitlists exist because enrollment isn’t perfectly predictable. Schools can estimate how many admitted students will accept their offers, but they don’t know for sure until deposit deadlines pass and decisions settle. As a result, waitlist movement often happens in waves, sometimes weeks or even months after initial decisions.
This is also why waitlists often include strong candidates. In competitive cycles, there may simply be more qualified applicants than available seats, and admissions offices use the waitlist to keep options open while shaping the incoming class.
How to Think About Your Chances
It can be helpful to look at past waitlist movement, but those numbers change from year to year. A more useful question is a practical one: if a spot opens, would you be ready to move quickly—and would you take it?
If the answer is yes, it makes sense to stay engaged thoughtfully. If the answer is no, it may be better to focus on schools where you can move forward with confidence.
Communicating with Admissions
When it comes to communication, less is usually more. Admissions offices value professional, well-timed outreach.
If you do reach out, make sure it adds value. For many applicants, that means submitting a Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI), if the school allows one. A strong LOCI clearly reaffirms your interest and includes any substantive updates since you applied.
The Role of a LOCI (and How It’s Different from College Admissions)
For applicants who are familiar with the college admissions process, it’s worth noting that a law school LOCI is typically more formal and restrained than a college LOCI. Law school admissions offices expect communication to be professional, concise, and focused on substance.
A strong law school LOCI isn’t emotional or repetitive. Instead, it clearly confirms continued interest in the program, briefly explains why the school remains a strong fit, and highlights any meaningful developments since the application was submitted.
A Real Example: Harvard Law School
For example, Harvard Law School provides clear guidance for waitlisted applicants. Harvard asks candidates who wish to remain under consideration to submit a Waitlist Response Form through the status checker and strongly encourages uploading an updated LOCI with substantive updates. Materials must be submitted through the status checker, and applicants admitted from the waitlist are typically given a short window to accept an offer.
Not every school follows the same process, but the takeaway is consistent: follow instructions carefully, communicate professionally, and be prepared to act quickly if an opportunity arises.
When to Stay On—and When to Step Back
It’s also reasonable to decide not to remain on a waitlist if you know you wouldn’t attend. Many applicants place a seat deposit at another school while staying on one or two waitlists, understanding that a later change may mean forfeiting that deposit.
That decision is personal, but clarity matters. Staying on every waitlist “just in case” can keep you in limbo longer than necessary.
The waitlist phase tends to reward patience and professionalism. If you stay organized, communicate thoughtfully, and remain prepared for late movement, you give yourself the best chance if a spot opens.
And if you’re thinking through next steps—whether that’s waitlist strategy, application refinement, or preparing for a future cycle through LSAT or GRE support—Ivy Link works with applicants throughout this stage, helping them make informed, well-timed decisions as the admissions cycle unfolds.
