Waiting List FAQ

What is the Waiting List (waitlist)?

Applications to Oregon State University in Corvallis have increased by 77% since 2018, while our campus housing has stayed stable, making it impossible for us to offer admission to all qualified students, as we have in past years.

Students who applied by our February 3 Priority Application Deadline receive first consideration for slots in the incoming first-year student class, and qualified students who apply after February 1 may be placed on a Waiting List for Fall Enrollment.  The waiting list may, however, include some on-time applicants, depending on the size and competitiveness of the applicant pool.

I’ve been offered a spot on the Waiting List.  What do I do now?

If you want to remain on the Waiting List, please complete the Waiting List Offer Form in Beaver Basecamp by April 11th.  If you don’t complete the form by then, we will assume you’ve made other plans for the Fall and we will withdraw your application. 

Accepting a spot on the Waiting List does not obligate you to enroll at OSU if offered admission later.  You can change that decision at any time prior to making the $200 Advanced Tuition Deposit (ATD) if you are offered admission. We ask that you accept the spot on the waitlist only if you’re reasonably certain that you would enroll at OSU if admitted off the Waiting List (assuming you also receive the financial aid you need to attend).

You do not have to pay a deposit or fee to be on the Waiting List.  Students offered admission from the waitlist that accept our offer/confirm their enrollment will be required to pay the ATD within two weeks of being admitted to keep their spot in the incoming class.

If you have decided to attend another university, we’d greatly appreciate you letting us know via the forms in Beaver Basecamp.

How does Financial Aid work for students on the waitlist?

If you accept an offer to be on the Waiting List we strongly recommend that you make sure your appropriate financial aid application, either FAFSA or ORSAA, is on file with OSU. 

If you are offered admission off the Waiting List, you will receive any financial aid offer for which you qualify at the point of admission or shortly after, so it is important that we have those forms when we make a decision.  If admitted, you’ll have two weeks to make a final decision about enrolling in the Fall.

Are students on the waitlist ranked?

No. There are a number of factors we consider when making admission decisions, depending upon the number of students who have already confirmed enrollment for Fall. We will prioritize Oregon residents, but if we accept students from the Waiting List, it is likely some nonresidents will be included.

How many will be offered admission from the waitlist?

It is impossible to say until we know how many students accept our offer of admission for Fall.  But we are keeping the number of students offered a spot on the Waiting List to a minimum, with an estimate of under 1,000.

When will I hear if I am admitted from the waitlist?

Students who have already received an offer of admission have until May 1 to accept our offer.  Shortly after May 1, we will evaluate how many students we might be able to offer admission to from the waitlist, and we pledge to act quickly. If you are on the Waiting List, you will hear about your status no later than May 12th.

What is the process if I get admitted from the waitlist?

If you are admitted from the Waiting List, we’ll notify you via email and through your Beaver Basecamp.  You will have two weeks to pay the $200 Advance Tuition Deposit (ATD), which will confirm your intent to enroll at Oregon State and will allow you to register for New Student Onboarding and Orientation, and apply for housing on campus.

What can I do if I’m offered a spot on the waitlist but am not eventually admitted?

1. Change the term you plan to enroll at OSU in Corvallis.  You may take a break from school and decide to start in the Winter quarter (January 2026) or Spring quarter (April 2026), or even defer to Fall 2026.
2. Apply as a transfer student for a future quarter after enrolling in another college for Fall, 2025, even as early as January, 2026.
3. Enroll in the Degree Partnership Program and take your courses at a participating DPP community college partner school in Fall, then enroll at OSU in a future term (without needing to reapply as a transfer).

Any of these changes can be made in your Beaver Basecamp portal.  Once you make a change, you will receive your admission decision for that new location and/or term.  Note that you can switch freely to and between OSU Cascades and Ecampus, but you cannot switch back to the Corvallis campus until after the end of the Fall 2025 term.