# Decisions: What Do They Mean?

**Source**: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/decisions
**Parent**: https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/dates

Following are our different admission decisions and what they mean. Please be aware that we will not change any decisions based on phone calls. We also don't discuss decisions via email.

## Admitted

You've been invited to join the Illinois family! You can view next steps in your admitted checklist in [myIllini](https://myillini.illinois.edu).

If the program you were admitted to wasn't your first choice, know that we strongly considered you for it. We didn't have room for all qualified applicants, however, and so offered you admission to your **second choice** (and in some cases, an **alternate major** if we feel it matches your interests and goals). You're also considered wait listed for your first choice. If space becomes available in your first-choice major later on, we'll let you know even if you've declined your alternate offer. There's nothing further you need to do to be considered.

If you're interested in [transferring to another program](https://studentsuccess.illinois.edu/advisor-resources/advising-illinois/intercollegiate-transfer-process/) after enrolling, we recommend you work with your academic advisor to learn about the requirements and timeline needed to eventually enter that program.

## Deferred

*January notification.*

We feel you are a strong applicant and, with an increasingly large and competitive applicant pool, we want to carefully consider how you and your strengths fit into this year's entire group of first-year applicants. To do so, we need to wait until we’ve received all applications.

You'll be given a decision on our second [notification date](https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/Apply/Freshman/dates#notification). At that time, you may be admitted, denied, or wait listed. To ensure a consistent and fair review process, we won't consider any additional information other than what was provided in your initial application. However, if test scores were included, you may be able to submit new test scores until this date. You can review our [deferred FAQ](https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/FAQ/deferred-freshman) for more information.

Please be aware that we do not discuss deferred decisions over the phone, and we do not discuss any decisions over email.

## Wait Listed

Because we receive so many more applications from highly qualified and capable students than there are available positions in the entering class, some students we're interested in will receive an offer to join our [wait list](https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/FAQ/wait-list). Once we know how many students have accepted our initial offer of admission, we'll use the wait list to fill remaining spots in the class.

The wait list isn't ranked; our selection of students is based on a variety of factors and remaining needs for the class. Our commitment to holistic review will continue as we select students from the wait list in order to balance and complete our first-year class.

## Denied

You haven't been selected for admission at this time. The larger applicant pool has made many academic programs more competitive; as a result, some qualified students with strong academics, essays, and activities were denied due to space constraints in specific majors. Please see our [denied first-year FAQ](https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/FAQ/denied-freshman) for more information.

We understand this news can be disappointing, and we encourage you to explore Illinois as an option for transfer. To learn more, see our [Transfer Application Preparation](https://www.admissions.illinois.edu/apply/transfer/prepare) information.