A "Waiting list" response on Parcoursup means that you are on a waiting list. Here is how the system works and what you can do while you wait.
What does "Waiting list" mean on Parcoursup?
A "Waiting list" response means that your application has been accepted by the programme, but that all places are currently taken. You are on a waiting list, at a position visible in your file, which changes every day depending on the withdrawals of other applicants.
How does it work?
Each programme ranks all its applicants in order of merit. The highest-ranked applicants immediately receive a "Yes" response; the following ones are placed on the "Waiting list".
Each time a "Yes" applicant declines their offer, a place becomes available and is immediately assigned to the highest-ranked applicant on the waiting list. It is a domino effect that moves the lists forward day after day.
What do you see in your file?
For each "Waiting list" application choice, Parcoursup displays:
- Your current position on the waiting list
- The position of the last applicant who received an offer of admission this year
- The position of the last applicant called the previous year
This information allows you to estimate your chances of receiving an offer.
What should you do while you wait?
- Be patient: your position changes every morning
- Log in daily to your file
- Keep your waiting-list application choices even if you have received a "Yes" elsewhere (provided you rank these application choices, see [Should I rank my waiting-list application choices?])
- Respond to the "Yes" offers that you receive in the meantime, within the allotted time
How long can you stay on the "Waiting list"?
Until the end of the main phase, on 11 July 2026. If you are still on the waiting list on that date and have not received any offer, you can switch to the supplementary phase.
Specific case at Efrei
For Efrei programmes, the "Waiting list" status is often temporary: the waiting lists move forward quickly during the first weeks of June. If you are in a good position, you have a strong chance of receiving a "Yes" offer in the days that follow.
👉 [How does my waiting-list position change?] · [Should I rank my Parcoursup waiting-list application choices?]