Send a letter of continued interest only if the school permits additional materials and you have at least one genuinely new, verifiable update to report. Start by rereading your deferral or waitlist letter for instructions on updates. A LOCI works when it gives the admissions committee new evidence, states plainly that you still want to enroll, and stops there. It is not a plea, and it is not a rehash of your application.

References & Resources

TL;DR – The Key Takeaways

Sending a LOCI is only advisable if the school permits additional materials and you have genuine, verifiable updates to share.
Focus on recent, specific achievements like grade improvements or new roles, and tie these to the school's programs or faculty for maximum relevance.
Timing matters: send your letter within one to two weeks of the decision, using the application portal or direct email, and avoid multiple follow-ups without new information.
Keep the letter concise, professional, and structured around gratitude, updates, relevance, and a clear intent to enroll, usually within 250 to 400 words.
A strong LOCI can bolster your application but does not guarantee admission, especially if your overall file lacks significant new material or if the school has explicitly limited or disallowed additional updates.

What Is a Letter of Continued Interest, and Who Should Write One?

A letter of continued interest, often shortened to LOCI, is a short update sent to a school after you've been deferred or waitlisted. It confirms you're still interested and gives the admissions office a reason to look at your file again. The strategy differs depending on your status.

Deferred applicants (usually from early action or early decision rounds) get reconsidered alongside the full regular-decision pool. A LOCI here can sharpen your file before that second review.

Waitlisted applicants are typically evaluated only if the school needs to fill remaining seats, often after the May 1 deposit deadline. A LOCI signals you'd say yes immediately if offered a spot.

Not every situation calls for a letter. Skip it if any of the following apply:

The school's waitlist or deferral letter explicitly says not to send additional materials.
You have no new grades, awards, activities, or developments since you applied.
You've already sent an update this cycle and nothing meaningful has changed since.
You're tempted to write mainly to express frustration or anxiety rather than to add information.

If your file hasn't changed since submission, a LOCI with no new content just repeats what the committee already read.

Timing, Recipients, and Delivery: How and Where to Send Your LOCI

Check your admissions decision letter and the school's admitted or waitlisted student portal before doing anything else. Most schools now state exactly how they want updates submitted, and ignoring that instruction is its own red flag.

When a preferred channel isn't specified, this order usually works best:

Application portal or waitlist form, if the school offers one. This is the safest default because it's the channel admissions staff actually monitor.
Your assigned regional admissions officer, whose name and email often appear on your original decision letter or the school's website.
The general admissions email address, only if you can't identify a specific person or portal.

On timing, send within one to two weeks if the school gives no explicit deadline. Many colleges do the bulk of their waitlist review after the national deposit deadline in early May, so a letter that arrives in late April or early May often lands at exactly the right moment. Law schools tend to move on a rolling basis, which makes early, well-timed updates even more valuable.

Pro Tip: Set a calendar reminder for one week after you send your LOCI. If you haven't heard anything by then, resist the urge to follow up. Silence at this stage is normal, not a bad sign.

Exact Structure and Language: What to Include in a High-Impact LOCI

A strong LOCI follows a tight four-part structure, and it should read like a professional update, not a personal essay. Aim for 250 to 400 words, one page, and a single clear purpose.

Open with gratitude and a direct statement of continued interest. Two or three sentences. Thank the officer for reviewing your file, then say plainly that this school remains your top or a top choice.
Report one or two meaningful updates. Choose developments that are recent, specific, and checkable: a rising grade, a new leadership role, a completed research project, a competition result. Quantify wherever you can. "Raised my AP Calculus quarter average from a B+ to an A" carries far more weight than "my grades have improved."
Connect each update to something concrete at the school. Name a specific program, professor, research center, or campus community that your update relates to. A generic line about loving the campus does nothing; a sentence tying your new robotics award to a named engineering lab does.
Close with a clear intent to enroll and your contact information. State that you would enroll immediately if admitted (only if this is true, since many schools weigh this heavily on waitlists), then sign off with a professional closing and your full name, application ID, and one point of contact.

Pro Tip: If you genuinely have no major update, don't manufacture one. Admissions officers can tell when an achievement is padded or vague, and a thin, honest reflection on why the school fits you now beats an inflated résumé line.

Annotated Examples and Templates for College and Law School LOCIs

A short college LOCI might read: "Since submitting my application, I raised my AP Biology grade from a B to an A minus after redoing my lab report methodology, and I was elected co-captain of the debate team for next season. Both experiences confirmed how much I want to study environmental policy at a school with a hands-on research culture like [Program Name]. I remain fully committed to attending if admitted." Notice the update is quantified, tied to a named program, and the letter doesn't overstay its welcome.

For law school, tone shifts slightly more formal. A University at Buffalo School of Law sample framework recommends: thank the admissions office, reaffirm your intent to enroll, note one or two developments since applying (a strong recent grade report, a new internship, a published note), and close within a single page. Law school LOCIs should skip personal narrative entirely and stay closer to a business memo in structure.

Email variant: Use when the school's instructions say email is acceptable or when no portal exists. Keep the body under 300 words and attach nothing unless asked.
Formal letter variant: Use when a school explicitly requests mailed correspondence or when applying to a law school that still favors traditional letters. Follow standard business letter formatting: left-aligned paragraphs, a formal salutation to a named person, and a single page.

Common Mistakes That Weaken a Letter of Continued Interest

Admissions officers read these letters as professional correspondence, and they notice when a letter fails to add anything new to the file. The most frequent problems:

Rambling or repeating your original application. If the committee already knows it, leave it out. A LOCI exists to add, not recap.
Naming other offers or applying pressure. Mentioning that you got into a "better" school, or hinting that you need a fast decision, reads as leverage rather than genuine interest and can backfire.
Sending multiple letters in a short window. One well timed letter beats three thin ones. Repeated contact without new material can come across as anxious rather than committed.
Vague updates with no real evidence. "I've been working hard this semester" tells the reader nothing. Specific numbers, titles, and outcomes do the work.

Authenticity outperforms strategy here. Officers consistently prefer letters that could only have been written by the specific applicant in front of them, not generic praise that could apply to any school on their list.

Email vs. Formal Letter: Format, Subject Lines, and Attachments

Email works for most college LOCIs when a portal isn't available, and it's the standard for law school waitlist updates unless the school states otherwise. Upload to the portal whenever one exists. Reserve a mailed, signed letter for schools that explicitly request it or for law schools that still favor traditional correspondence for waitlist communication.

Subject line examples: "Letter of Continued Interest, [Full Name], Applicant ID [Number]" or "Update on My Application, [Full Name]."
Addressing: Use the named regional admissions officer whenever you can identify one; default to "Dear Admissions Committee" only when no name is available.
Attachments: Include an updated transcript or new test score only if the school's instructions ask for it or if the score is central to your update. Unsolicited attachments can look like padding rather than genuine evidence.

Follow-Up Cadence: How Often to Contact a School and What to Do Meanwhile

Send one LOCI. Unless the school specifically invites ongoing updates, one well-constructed letter is the standard, and sending it once signals confidence rather than desperation.
Reserve a second message for a genuinely major development. A significant new award, a published paper, or a dramatic grade shift justifies a brief, targeted follow-up. Routine progress does not.
Use the waiting period productively. Keep grades up, finish projects you mentioned in your application, visit campus if feasible, and connect respectfully with alumni or current students. These actions build real material for a future update and demonstrate sustained interest even if you never send another letter.

Schools vary widely in how many waitlisted applicants they eventually admit, and a LOCI never guarantees a spot. What it does is make sure your file reflects the strongest, most current version of your candidacy.

An Admissions Consulting Perspective on Turning Small Updates Into Persuasive Evidence

Most applicants underestimate how much precision matters in a grade update. "I improved my grades" tells an admissions reader nothing they can act on. "Raised my AP Calculus quarter average from a B+ to an A" gives them a fact they can weigh against your file. That level of specificity, drawn from Educo's work with test prep students, consistently reads as more credible than broad claims of improvement.

The same precision applies to fit. Instead of writing that you "love the campus," name a professor, research center, or specific program that relates to your interests.

Frame every update with a before-and-after number when one exists.
Anchor your "why this school" sentence to a named person, lab, or program, not a general impression.
If your update is thin, a short round of targeted editing can tighten the letter without inflating the facts, which matters more than most applicants assume.

An Editorial Note on Getting This Right

Gimmicks rarely move admissions committees. Specificity does. The applicants who benefit most from a letter of continued interest are those willing to honestly describe their progress in exact terms, rather than using vague or impressive-sounding language.

Follow whatever your school explicitly asks for, even when it feels overly restrictive. That instruction exists for a reason, and ignoring it undercuts an otherwise strong letter. If you're deferred or waitlisted this cycle, take it as a signal that your file was close, not that you did something wrong. A well-built update won't fix a fundamentally weak application, but for a borderline one, it can be exactly the evidence a committee needed to say yes.

Getting Tailored Help With Your Letter of Continued Interest

Writing a LOCI that lands the right tone, on top of everything else a deferral or waitlist puts on your plate, is harder than it looks from the outside. A short consult with Educo's admissions team typically covers message strategy (deciding which update actually matters), line-by-line editing to cut anything vague or repetitive, and a clear read on how your update compares against what similar applicants are sending.

This kind of support fits best for students with modest, real updates who aren't sure how to frame them, since the gap between a forgettable LOCI and a persuasive one often comes down to precision rather than content. Educo's tutors and consultants, many trained at Ivy League institutions, have reviewed this exact scenario across hundreds of student files. If you want a second set of eyes before you hit send, start by exploring Educo's admissions consulting services to see what a tailored review includes.

References & Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Good Letter of Continued Interest Examples?
Strong letter of continued interest examples are specific, concise, and personalized. A good LOCI should begin with a clear statement of continued interest, highlight one or two meaningful updates, explain why the school remains a strong fit, and reference specific academic programs, professors, or campus opportunities. Avoid generic praise and focus on information that adds something new to your application.

How Long Should a Letter of Continued Interest Be?
Most letters of continued interest should be 250 to 400 words and fit comfortably on one page. Keep the letter focused on your most important updates rather than repeating your original application. A concise opening, one or two substantive updates, a clear statement of interest, and a brief closing are usually enough.

What Should I Include in a Letter of Continued Interest?
A strong LOCI can include new academic achievements, awards, leadership experiences, extracurricular accomplishments, or meaningful personal and intellectual growth since you applied. You should also explain why you remain interested in the college and connect your goals to specific opportunities at the school.

What If I Have No New Achievements to Report?
You can still write an effective letter of continued interest without major new achievements. Focus on meaningful developments such as academic growth, a new project, increased involvement in an extracurricular activity, or a deeper understanding of why the college is a strong fit. Never invent accomplishments simply to make your LOCI stronger.

Should I Send More Than One Letter of Continued Interest?
Generally, send one well written LOCI unless the college specifically invites additional updates. Sending repeated letters without meaningful new information can become counterproductive. If you experience a significant new achievement after submitting your first update, follow the school's instructions before sending another communication.

Does a LOCI Guarantee Admission From a Waitlist?
No. A letter of continued interest does not guarantee admission from a college waitlist. It can demonstrate genuine interest and provide the admissions committee with meaningful new information, but waitlist decisions ultimately depend on factors such as available enrollment, institutional priorities, and the number of students who accept their offers.

When Should I Send a Letter of Continued Interest?
Send your LOCI after you receive a waitlist decision and after confirming that the college accepts these updates. Ideally, submit it relatively soon while the admissions committee is still reviewing the waitlist. Always follow the college's preferred submission method and any stated deadlines.

Should a Letter of Continued Interest Say a College Is My First Choice?
Only make this statement if it is true. If the college is genuinely your first choice and you would enroll if admitted, saying so can make your continued interest clear. Otherwise, explain specifically why you remain excited about attending without making a claim you cannot honestly support.