UC Waitlist Notifications 2016

First off, congratulations to all transfers admitted to a UC!  You deserve your success and should be feeling super-proud. To those not admitted, don’t give up. It’s just a bump in the road. Take some time and you will discover a new perspective and game plan.

For those of you in that dreaded limbo category — meaning you are on a WAITLIST, here is the lowdown:

• Transfers will receive notification if they are on a waitlist by the end of April, with the opt-in deadline May 15.
• Transfers will be notified if they got in during early summer, although sometimes not until the start of July.
• Santa Cruz and Merced are not offering waitlists to transfers.
• There is nothing you can do to increase your chances unless the campus asks you for additional information (such as a letter). Factors affecting admittance include the number of students who accept the initial offer of enrollment, the number of students within your major, department enrollment goals, or any other arbitrary goals that might be established by the campus.
• You can accept more than one waitlist offer.
• If you are accepted to another UC, you should SIR to that UC by June 1 even if you are on a waitlist somewhere else. If you get in via the waitlist you can then SIR to that campus. You will, however, forfeit the $100 deposit from the first UC to which you SIR, as SIR deposits are non-refundable. The one thing you do not want is to lose out on the waitlist and not have SIR’d elsewhere.
• While you can look at past years to gauge admit results by campus off a waitlist (which traditionally have been low), it isn’t accurate due to varying annual goals, and what I personally feel is an ever-increasing waitlist pool to positively affect the yield of that particular campus. (See this article on yield.) In other words, I believe waitlists are getting larger — UCLA broke protocol and admitted a lot off the waitlist last year — so stats from years past probably aren’t too helpful. 
• If you are waitlisted to a campus and receive no other offers of admission, you will be offered enrollment at UC Merced, and will be admitted, assuming you follow the guidelines set out by Merced.
• Transfers on a waitlist may not appeal their admission decision. Students not offered admission may not appeal to get on a waitlist.
• Assuming you SIR by the stated public deadline you should be fine regarding housing. If you SIR after the official deadline, the UC will work with you to try to get it sorted out (it usually works out).
• If admitted off a waitlist your financial aid will not be affected, assuming you completed FAFSA and other financial documents by the stated deadlines.

If you are put on a waitlist and the UC requests a letter, I offer affordable guidance, if necessary.