Locked out of a program?
If your preferred program is full, you have three options: join the waitlist, choose a different program or withdraw your application. We encourage you to join the waitlist because spots periodically open up, and, occasionally, we can expand a program’s capacity.
Join a waitlist.
Students who apply for a project that has reached capacity can choose to join a waitlist for that project; they also will be allowed to make a second choice in case their first choice does not open up.
Choose a different program.
If by the time a student’s application is finalized (application fee paid, references received and reviewed) the project reaches capacity, the student may choose to join another project rather than be placed on a waitlist.
Withdraw the application.
We see few withdrawals, but should you choose this option upon learning your first choice is full, you would forfeit the non-refundable application fee unless it was already full when you applied.
Waitlist vs. choosing a different project
Whether it’s best to choose a different project or. join a waitlist depends on your preference. If your first choice is at capacity but your second choice is close to capacity, you might choose to forego the waitlist on your first choice to guarantee a spot in your second choice; if you are interested only in your first choice, the waitlist makes more sense.
Payments and refunds for waitlist applicants
Students who are behind in their payments for a project that has reached capacity, can be moved to the waitlist. (See the payment schedule.) Students will be notified via email about any missed payment, and they will have five business days from the timestamp on the email to pay before being moved to the waitlist.
NOTE: When students enter the waitlist for any reason, it is always behind other students already on the waitlist.
WAITLIST FAQ
If there is no available room in a project when the applicant pays their application fee, they will be notified by admissions that their position in the applicant queue will remain unchanged, but they will be placed on the waitlist.
The date your recommenders submit their feedback does not affect your position in the applicant queue. (We do not want to penalize you for any delay on their part.)
Sticking to the payment schedule will preserve a student’s place in the applicant queue. If they miss a payment, they forfeit their spot. A student can rejoin the queue after making the payment, however, their new position will be based on the date/time they paid and became current with the payment schedule. If there is no available space in the project when they rejoin the queue, they will be notified by admissions and placed on the waitlist. Withdrawal from a project after falling behind on payments is subject to the cancelation policy.
If you want to keep your position on the waitlist, you must keep up with the payment schedule because payments must be current (none past due) to be invited to join a project. If the project stays at capacity and you are not invited to join, you can choose to receive a refund of deposits made while on the waitlist or choose, or choose a different project or waitlist.
If a project closes while you are on the waitlist, you will be notified within two weeks and will have three options: stay on the waitlist in case something opens up last-minute, join a different program, or withdraw the application. There is no deadline for any of these choices, but if a program reaches capacity before you decide, it would close the opportunity to join that project. A full refund (excluding the non-refundable $50 application fee) could still be provided if you make your decision by May 1, 2027.
Still have questions?
Take a stroll through our FAQ page for answers to some of our most common questions.
Or maybe you're ready to apply?
Wonderful! Feel free to take the next step now and start the application process. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything you need just yet; you can save and revisit your application to make changes or complete it later. (You must use the same email address.)