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Medical School Waitlist: How It Works and What to Do
How the medical school waitlist works: the AAMC dates that move it, how six schools run their lists, and what to do while you wait, from updates to practice.
A medical school waitlist is a list of interviewed applicants a school may still admit. Seats open as admitted students pick one school and drop the rest, mostly around April 30 under AAMC rules, and schools keep filling them through the summer, some up to orientation. Follow each school's rules on letters, send updates only for real news, stay reachable and keep practicing.
How the medical school waitlist works
Schools call it a waitlist, wait list, waiting list or alternate list. It is the same idea: you interviewed, the school did not say no, and it may offer you a seat if one opens. Still waiting on a first decision? See how long schools take after the interview.
Seats open because admitted students hold more than one offer. The AAMC Application and Acceptance Protocols, once known as the Traffic Rules, set when those students have to let go. By April 15 they narrow to three schools, and by April 30 they choose one and withdraw from the rest. Each withdrawal frees a seat that a school then offers to someone on its list.
That is why most movement comes after April 30 and keeps going through the summer. Utah says “Waitlist notifications typically occur on a rolling basis between March and June, but can occur up until the start of school.”
Key dates for the 2027 cycle
For MD schools that use AMCAS, starting medical school in fall 2027. Each school can set its own deadlines on top of these, so check its admissions page too.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| February 19 | Applicants holding an acceptance can select "Plan to Enroll" in AMCAS. They can still hold other acceptances and stay on waitlists. Source |
| March 15 | By now, each MD school has made at least as many offers as it has seats in the class. Source |
| April 15 | Applicants with more than one acceptance narrow to no more than three schools and withdraw from the rest. Source |
| April 30 | Applicants choose one school and withdraw their other acceptances. "Commit to Enroll" opens. Waitlist movement picks up as seats come free. Source |
| After April 30 | A school must give you at least five business days to answer an offer, or two business days within 30 days of orientation. Source |
| Up to orientation | Schools keep filling seats from the list as admitted students withdraw. OHSU and Utah both make offers until school starts. Source |
Two AMCAS choices matter while you wait. With “Plan to Enroll” you can still interview and stay on waitlists. The AAMC tool text says “I understand that I can continue to interview, remain on any waitlist, and receive additional acceptance offers.” “Commit to Enroll” ends that. It means you have “withdrawn all other applications, including waitlist positions”. Plan to Enroll opens February 19, 2027 and Commit to Enroll April 30, 2027. If a date falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day applies.
How six schools run their list
Ranked or unranked, letters or no letters: it changes school to school. Each school's own admissions pages, read October 18, 2026.
| School | Its admissions pages say |
|---|---|
| OHSURanked, numbered | Ranks its top 120 to 200 alternates by May 1, each with a number, and offers seats in that order until the first day of orientation. It only skips you if you withdraw by contacting the office. Committing to another school in AMCAS does not withdraw you. Source |
| UC San DiegoUnranked | The list is unranked and the school can't tell you your chances. You don't need to do anything to keep your place. It doesn't take updates on its own but asks waitlisted applicants for updates or letters of intent in the spring. Most waitlist offers come after May 1. Source |
| ColumbiaLetters via portal | The waitlist opens in early March with the offers. The committee reviews waitlisted applicants from May to August, and the list closes when classes begin in early August. Letters of interest go in as PDFs through the secondary portal. No deferrals for waitlist acceptances. Source |
| Weill CornellUpdates welcome | Sets up its wait list in March, when most acceptances go out, and makes offers from it periodically through the spring. Open to substantive, occasional updates, such as a major award or publication. Source |
| KansasAlternate list | Every decision is acceptance, the alternate list or rejection, sent by email. Most interviewees know their final status by mid-March. Source |
| UtahNo letters | Does not accept letters of intent, and updates sent after final decisions are not considered. Waitlist offers usually come March to June but can come up to the start of school. How many get in from the list varies by year. Source |
What to do on the waitlist
For the letters themselves, see the update letter guide and the letter of intent guide.
- Read each school's waitlist rules. They differ a lot. Utah takes no letters of intent, UC San Diego asks for updates in the spring, and Columbia takes letters of interest through its portal. Do what each school asks and nothing more.
- Send an update only for real news. A new publication, award, role or grade, sent the way the school takes updates. One short letter beats several small ones.
- Send a letter of intent to one school only. Saying you will attend if accepted can only be true once. Send it to your real first choice, and only if that school accepts letters.
- Stay reachable all summer. Keep your email, phone and address current in AMCAS. After April 30 a school can give you as little as five business days to answer an offer, or two close to orientation. If you travel, the AAMC says to name someone who can answer for you.
- Withdraw where you won't go. The AAMC asks you to drop acceptances you don't plan to use as soon as you decide. That is the seat someone else on a waitlist is waiting for.
- Keep practicing out loud. You can still interview while you wait, and a late interview invite, a second look or next year's cycle can come fast. Stay ready.
The AAMC rules behind these steps
On contact details: “Notify all relevant medical school application services of any change, permanent or temporary, to your contact information”. If you will be away, the protocols say to “delegate the authority to respond to any offers of acceptance to a parent or other responsible individual in your absence”.
On offers you won't use: “Withdraw your acceptance from any school or program you do not plan to attend as soon as you have made that decision”.
On holding a place: before April 30, schools are asked to let applicants “To hold acceptance offers or a waitlist position from any other schools or programs without penalty”.
A waitlist offer can come with a call and a short deadline, and a late interview or second look can come with little notice. Practice the questions every school asks out loud, with follow-ups, so you are ready either way.
DO schools
Osteopathic schools follow AACOM's own schedule. Its guidelines say “Those accepted on or after May 1 may be asked for an immediate deposit.” They also say “prior to May 1, applicants need to withdraw from any college(s) which they do not plan to attend and only hold a position at one COM”. So by May 1, hold a seat at one DO school at most, and expect to move fast if a waitlist offer comes after that.
Sources: AAMC, AMCAS Choose Your Medical School tool, Application and Acceptance Protocols for Applicants and for Admission Officers. AACOM, AACOMAS Traffic Guidelines. Admissions pages of OHSU, UC San Diego (FAQ), Columbia (FAQ), Weill Cornell, Kansas and Utah. All checked October 18, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How does the medical school waitlist work?
Each school makes at least as many offers as it has seats, and many admitted students hold several offers. As those students choose one school and drop the rest, mostly by April 30 under AAMC rules, seats open and schools offer them to people on the waitlist. That keeps going through the summer, at some schools up to orientation.
Is the medical school waitlist ranked?
It depends on the school. OHSU ranks its alternates and offers seats in order. UC San Diego says its waiting list is unranked. Many schools don't say, so check the admissions FAQ or ask the office.
Should I send a letter to get off the waitlist?
Only if the school takes one. Utah does not accept letters of intent, UC San Diego asks for updates or letters in the spring, and Weill Cornell is open to substantive, occasional updates. Send a letter of intent to one school only. How to write a letter of intent.
When do people get off the medical school waitlist?
Mostly after April 30, when admitted students must pick one school. UC San Diego says most of its waitlist offers come after May 1, OHSU makes offers from May 1 to the first day of orientation, and Columbia's list closes when classes begin in early August.
Can I stay on a waitlist after I choose a school?
Yes with "Plan to Enroll", which still lets you stay on waitlists. No with "Commit to Enroll", which the AAMC says means you have withdrawn all other applications, including waitlist positions.