S24 has been waitlisted. For those interested, statistics on Michigan waitlists can be found in their Common Data Set reports here: Common Data Set – Office of Budget and Planning
Last year, as someone pointed out earlier in this thread, UMich accepted 955 off the waitlist:
But year before, it was far fewer, just 77:
Seems to go up and down somewhat randomly. There were two fallow years in 2021 and 2022, but in 2020 they let in 1,248:
WL again 
D24 Waitlisted. I think WL is the new deferral.
So, it’s either one of two unis in England, or Honors Colleges at Arizona, Kansas, or WVU.
Enroll at a different school. Waitlist offers could start any time from now through summer, but she should focus on another school and get excited about it. She can withdraw elsewhere if she receives an offer of acceptance from Michigan.
Does anyone know if the waitlist means anything? Like should I take this as a sign I was somewhat competitive or is it like their deferrals and pretty much everyone gets waitlisted?
They tend to come in waves after decision day. Students will be offered a spot with a few days to decide. After that offer expires, the next wave is sent out. Last year, the final wave of waitlist offers came out in early July.
I don’t want to be cruel or harsh, but the waitlist is the new denial, not the new deferral.
In recent years, about 1% to 5% of students actually get off the waitlist. Only in 2020 (after covid shutdown started and a lot of things changed) have we seen big movements at Michigan. I’m not saying it’s impossible but students waitlisted anywhere need to get excited about a school where they have been admitted.
If you want to remain on Michigan’s waitlist, follow any instructions they send. It’s totally fine to remain on it and it will work out for an extremely small number of waitlisted students. But waitlisted students will need to research, possibly visit, and definitely respond to other schools before they are likely to hear anything from Michigan.
It means the they felt that you are qualified to attend, but for other reasons – which we will never know – they chose to extend offers of admission to other qualified students instead.
As you can see from the numbers posted from the Common Data Set, they waitlist a very large number of students who they also felt were qualified to attend. As is the case at any highly selective school, there are simply far more qualified candidates applying than is possible to extend offers.
One perspective on lingering Wait List movement: Movement on the WL can happen a couple of times: after the May 1 acceptance date when students choose another school and decline UMich. OR after June / July when a student needs to sign a housing contract (large money cost of pulling out). Sadly, some people accept on May 1 to more than one school, then decide later in the summer. I know a kid who was accepted at UIUC for CS, then in July was accepted off WL to Carnegie Mellon and had 72 hrs to decide. She freaked out and ended up stay with UIUC simply b/c she had envisioned living at UIUC for months at that point.
Curious, did anybody get in who attempted and was not able to schedule an admitted student tour this afternoon?
Ah okay this is nice then. It’s good to know I was competitive but I totally understand that there are too many seats to let every “talented” applicant in. It’s at least nice to hear that I wasn’t flat out rejected…this whole application season has been an emotional nightmare for me lol. Going strong 6 waitlists 
It is (or should be) based on trailing enrollment patterns. If they over enroll and/or fewer kids drop out than usual, then they should take more off the WL than they would otherwise. And of course the opposite is also true.
I wouldn’t waste the money if your not local or within a few hours drive and just want to go to lunch and walk around. I would assume getting off the wait list would be much less students. Get excited for your next adventure. They could wait till mid June to make a decision. May 1st will be telling how many people accepted and where they are at.
WL for kinesiology as OOS. With the quality of the kinesiology college, this was a reach for my kid. They aren’t disappointed. Good luck and congratulations to all the admits!
I would be curious to know their yield from certain states that have their own very good public schools (CA,NC,VA)
You make a great point!
I’m curious what the benefit is to the university for such a large waitlist?
EA Deferred
RD waitlist
S24 Engineering OOS
waitlisted RD 
for College of Literature, Science, and the Arts for clinical research major with 3.7 GPA and six extracurriculars from NJ. i should keep options open right? what if i get accepted but I’ve already committed somewhere?
I would think the dorms are filled by then? As I recall my older daughter who is at umich had to have her housing in prior to that and anyone after that had no guarantees of on campus housing.
Those are some good choices already!