Some other schools reported similarly low numbers of waiting list acceptances. Dartmouth College accepted 13 people from their wait-list, and in the last two years has accepted none. This year they were also to admit a smaller class of 1050 students, according to Dartmouth admissions officials, because of the large numbers that have accepted admissions in recent years.
Fitzsimmons said that at Harvard, unlike at Dartmouth, each waiting list case is reviewed individually during the final consideration period. Dartmouth, in contrast, typically asks each regional admissions officer to recommend three to five students to their joint committee.
In considering wait list applicants, Harvard also considers material sent to them by students in the second half of the year, such as second semester grades and other achievements.
Since the early 1970s, the University has also offered acceptances to between 20 and 30 students on the condition that they defer their admission for a year before enrolling.
"Every year, we identify an additional number of students whom we would love to have, and we simply don't have the room for them that year," Fitzsimmons said.