On this page · 9 sections
- 01First, check what the college wants
- 02When to send a letter of continued interest
- 03What to include in a letter of continued interest
- 04Letter of continued interest examples
- 05Deferred vs waitlisted: how the letter differs
- 06How to send a letter of continued interest
- 07Mistakes that undo a good letter
- 08What matters more than the letter
- 09Questions
A letter of continued interest, often shortened to LOCI, is a short note to a college that has deferred or waitlisted you. It says you still want to attend and tells the admissions office what has changed since you applied.
It is one page at most, and it is not a second personal essay. Done well, it gives a reader two or three new facts and a clear signal of interest. This guide covers when to send one, what belongs in it and what to leave out.
First, check what the college wants
Before you write anything, reread the decision letter and the college's page for deferred or waitlisted applicants. Colleges differ, and following instructions is part of the message you are sending.
- Some colleges ask for a letter or an update and say where to upload it.
- Some replace the letter with a form in the applicant portal, sometimes with a word limit.
- Some say plainly that they do not want additional materials. If so, do not send a letter. Complete any form they do provide and leave it there.
- On a waitlist, you usually have to accept your place on the list first. A letter does not do that for you.
When to send a letter of continued interest
| Situation | When to send | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Deferred in December | January, after first-semester grades | You have real updates, and files are reread from late January |
| Waitlisted in March or April | Within a week or two of accepting your place | Colleges turn to the waitlist around May 1 |
| A major update later on | One short follow-up | Only for genuine news: an award, a new result |
A letter sent the same night as the decision rarely has anything new in it. Waiting three weeks for your semester grades almost always produces a stronger letter than replying in three hours.
What to include in a letter of continued interest
Aim for 250 to 400 words. If the portal form has a smaller limit, the limit wins.
- 1One sentence of thanks for the continued review, and your full name and applicant ID if the letter is not going through the portal.
- 2A clear statement of interest. If the college is your first choice and you will enroll if admitted, say exactly that. Only say it if it is true, and only to one college.
- 3Two or three updates since you applied: semester grades, a new score, an award, a role, a finished project, a result. Give the fact and one line on what you did.
- 4One or two specific reasons the college fits you that were not in your original why-us essay. Something you have learned since: a class you sat in on, a conversation with a student, a professor's recent work.
- 5A one-line close. No summary of your application.
Letter of continued interest examples
I am writing to express my continued and enthusiastic interest in your wonderful institution, which remains one of my top choices.
Bowdoin remains my first choice, and if I am admitted I will enroll.
I have continued to challenge myself academically and remain deeply involved in my extracurricular activities this semester.
I finished the semester with an A in multivariable calculus, the first time my school has offered it, and our debate team reached the state semifinals in January with a case I researched on water rights.
Your rigorous academics and close-knit community would allow me to grow as a student and as a person.
Since applying I have read Professor Lindqvist's paper on tidal marsh restoration, and it changed the question I am asking in my own sampling project on the Parker River.
These are invented, to show the difference between an update and a filler sentence. Your own letter has to be built from your own facts.
Deferred vs waitlisted: how the letter differs
| Deferred | Waitlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| What the college is asking | How do you compare with the regular pool? | Will you come if a place opens? |
| What matters most | New grades and achievements | Certainty that you would enroll |
| Best timing | January | Soon after the decision |
| Also do | Finish your other applications | Deposit at another college by May 1 |
How to send a letter of continued interest
- Use the applicant portal if it has an upload or update option. That puts the letter straight into your file.
- Otherwise email it to the admissions office, or to your regional admissions officer if the college lists one. Put your full name and applicant ID in the subject line.
- Write it as the body of the email or a one-page PDF. Plain formatting, no letterhead.
- Send it once. Tell your school counselor you have sent it, since they may be in touch with the college about your mid-year report anyway.
Mistakes that undo a good letter
- Repeating your application. The reader has it. Only new information earns its place.
- Telling more than one college it is your first choice. Admissions offices take that sentence at face value.
- Disappointment, apology or argument. The letter is not the place to ask why you were deferred.
- Sending a new personal essay, extra recommendations or a portfolio the college did not ask for.
- Weekly emails. One letter, and at most one later update with real news.
- Having a parent write or call. The interest has to be yours.
- Having AI write it. A letter of continued interest works because it is specific and personal, and a generated one is neither.
What matters more than the letter
For a deferred applicant, first-semester senior grades usually carry more weight than anything you write in January. And the applications still ahead of you matter more than the one already submitted: the same weeks hold your regular decision deadlines, and those essays are still fully in your hands.
Questions
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