Application Toolkit: The Waitlist

• How should I format my letter of continued interest?

  This should be styled as a letter, addressed to our Admissions Committee, with the date included at the top.

  We highly encourage you to limit your letter to one page, double- or single-spaced, with a font size that is comfortable to read (no less than 11 point).

• How do I upload my letter of continued interest?

  You should upload your letter of continued interest directly through the Upload Materials section of your status checker. Please be sure to select “Letter of Continued Interest” from the dropdown options. Once you have uploaded your letter, it will automatically be added to your file.

  You should not email your letter of continued interest. As a matter of policy, all application updates must be submitted via the status checker.

• When should I submit my letter of continued interest?

  You should submit this letter once you have finalized your initial plans for the fall.

  Our expectations for waitlist movement come into focus as our spring progresses and we have a clearer sense of potential seats available. Therefore, it is best for waitlisted candidates to communicate their continued interest ahead of our May 1 decision deadline, as we may begin reviewing these letters in late April.

• May I submit subsequent letters of continued interest?

  Yes. If you remain under consideration and have additional updates to provide or would like to reiterate your interest in HLS, you are welcome to submit a subsequent letter.

  We ask that you communicate your interest by uploading an additional letter of continued interest via your status checker rather than sending us an email.

Waitlist FAQs

• If offered a space on the waitlist, what should I do?

  If you are offered a spot, please consider carefully whether to accept. Once you have made your decision, please complete the Waitlist Response Form on your status checker.

  You should maintain your spot on the waitlist if you are confident that you would accept an offer of admission to HLS. If you remain under consideration, but reach a point later in the summer when it is no longer possible for you to accept an offer of admission, please let us know as soon as possible by completing the Waitlist Withdrawal Form.

  We ask that you withdraw from the waitlist if you doubt that you would accept an offer of admission to HLS. Please do not remain on the waitlist if you know that you will not accept an offer of admission.

• What can I do to strengthen my application?

  If you believe additional information would strengthen your application, you are welcome to upload additional materials to your file through your status checker. Most commonly, waitlisted applicants submit updated resumes and/or spring term grades.

  We strongly suggest that you provide a letter of continued interest that outlines the motivation for your interest in Harvard Law School. Please refer to the “Letter of Continued Interest” section above for more information.

• May I visit campus?

  Yes, but please note that access to HLS buildings is limited to Harvard University ID holders. If you choose to visit campus in the coming months, you will be able to walk around the campus exterior, but the buildings will be closed to visitors. Relatedly, there is no option to sit in on a class. You might find our HLS Self-Guided Tour useful.

  Please note that visiting campus will have no impact on your waitlist candidacy.

• How can I learn more about HLS?

  We encourage applicants to explore our website to familiarize yourself with our community. In particular, check out this tour of the HLS campus and the Harvard Law School Library. The HLS YouTube channel offers a wide range of videos highlighting our clinical, faculty, and student communities. Additionally, a wide range of HLS affiliates host podcasts. Finally, you can read about current events at HLS on the Harvard Law Today website.

• What are the chances I’ll be admitted?

  We are unable to estimate your chance of admission off the waitlist. The number of candidates admitted from the waitlist varies from year to year.

  In most years, we have admitted some applicants from the waitlist—sometimes quite a few—but we have never been able to admit all applicants on the waitlist.

• Is the waitlist ranked?

  We do not rank the waitlist. We review all applicants remaining on the waitlist if a seat opens up.

• How big is the waitlist?

  We do not share the number of applicants on the waitlist at any time.

  We will release candidates from the waitlist over the course of the summer as we develop a better sense of the number of available spots in the incoming class.

• When am I likely to hear?

  We will begin to review the waitlist in late spring. We aim to fill available seats in the class promptly, should any become available after our May 1 decision deadline. The waitlist will remain active through the summer.

  Each Monday beginning in early May, we will send an update to all waitlisted candidates summarizing our expectations for waitlist movement in the coming week. We will cover the following topics: interviews, offers of admission, waitlist release decisions, and any miscellaneous information of note. We hope that these weekly emails will help you plan for the coming academic year.

• Are interviews offered to waitlist applicants?

  Yes. To be admitted to HLS, students must complete an interview. As is our standard practice, the interview is by invitation only. We will continue to interview students throughout the summer as needed as we finalize the class.

• If I am admitted, may I defer enrollment?

  Offers of admission from the waitlist are to fill spaces in this year’s entering class only.

  You will not be able to defer matriculation to a future year. The following circumstances constitute an exception to this policy: medical emergency, inability to secure a visa despite best efforts to do so, beginning an approved joint degree program at another school, involuntary extension of military service, or extenuating personal circumstances.

• If I am admitted, will I get financial aid or housing?

  Financial aid at Harvard Law School is based on demonstrated financial need. If admitted from the waitlist and applying for financial aid, students receive the same financial aid award that they would have received had they been admitted earlier in the cycle. Please note that candidates admitted off the waitlist will be required to respond to their offer of admission before receiving a financial aid package.

  Although we cannot guarantee housing in HLS Residence Halls for those admitted from the waitlist, it is sometimes possible for those students to obtain HLS housing. Students admitted off the waitlist usually find housing on or off campus without significant difficulty.