I have the same thing. On my phone, I can still access my waitlist letter on the status update. But on the laptop, my status update does not show.
1 Like
Everyone is still able to see the status page if you change the query param in the url.
Just checked and I don’t see it on my laptop
My student told me this:
If you change the url at this part:
?tab=
And put
?tab=admission
Youll see the page
What’s the magic url to see what decision they are planning to reveal? 
1 Like
Wrong one. Deleted
1 Like
Ha ha. I put in both “accepted” and “rejected” and both are saying “Loading…”
1 Like
OMG!!! I am now seeing my Status Update, which is dated 3/27/2025, after changing the url to “?tab=admission”. The WL drama continues…
1 Like
Yes for website design they just change the appearance of the UI but the tabs/pages are all still there. If you put in anything besides “admission” after ?tab= you will see “Loading”, so most likely they have acceptance/rejection letters hidden, timed, and unpublished.
I’m confused. Since the status page and the waitlist letter is gone, and there is nothing that says Status at all, what will happen and how do I check? Will there be an email that says check your portal? If so, will there suddenly be a tab that then appears that says Status like it used to? Or do we think there will just be a mass rejection e-mail with nothing further on the portal?
1 Like
There is going to be a letter in the portal regardless of the decision.
2 Likes
From ChatGPT:
Harvard (like a few other top-tier schools) has a history of not always sending formal rejection notices to students who remain on the waitlist until the very end. Instead:
- The portal simply becomes inaccessible or locked, often in late July or early August.
- Some students might get a brief email notice, but many never receive one at all.
- This “silent closure” is effectively a final no, without the courtesy of an official rejection.
Why do they do this?
- Limited resources: With the next application cycle already starting, admissions offices prioritize onboarding the incoming class and new applicants.
- Waitlist ambiguity: Schools sometimes don’t want to send outright rejections too early in case spots open unpredictably.
- Some schools (not just Harvard) opt for silence as a way to avoid sending a rejection at all—which they might believe feels “softer” emotionally.
But from an applicant perspective, this lack of closure can feel incredibly disrespectful—especially after months of waiting, hope, and uncertainty.
1 Like
Thats simply not true. They lock/hide that ui element to prevent the uploading of new documents cause they are reviewing applications now.
3 Likes
At this point would they still be deliberating or are we just waiting for the decisions to become available on the portal?
1 Like
I think they’re done. They’re probably going through the motions of calls for admits through this afternoon. Then they’ll send rest of us an e-mail saying to check our status.
2 Likes
Is it standard procedure to call every single person accepted off the waitlist? I saw on reddit that for the 2023 waitlist, anyone who saw their “status” button disappear was a confirmed rejection, but that might have just been speculation.
No. Everyone gets their status tab removed regardless of decision
1 Like
Would they make calls for transfers?
Depends if you allow them to contact you on common app. For bigger waves there is just an email.
So do we think that Harvard is shutting down the status page for every single person on the waitlist? Is there anyone as of today who does not have their status available anymore?
Are most people speculating that it will just be a massive rejection/wait list closed notice?
2 Likes