It’s a torturous wait for high school seniors eagerly watching the mailbox for college rejection or acceptance letters. And sometimes when news finally arrives, a college hopeful may read: “You have been … put on the waiting list.”

A new example lies downstate, where because of the increasing number of applicants coming into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, students with high grade-point averages and outstanding ACT scores are, for the first time, being asked to wait for admission. Other Illinois state schools become second choices among those college-bound seniors, and NIU’s admissions could be affected by the new waiting list, said Bob Burke, director of admissions.

“U of I made their requirements less specific, which made more students apply,” Burke said.

According to Feb. 16 Chicago Tribune article, growing interest in U of I is partly because of the rising tuition at private schools, as well as new and more flexible admissions policies.

“It’s a fairly new thing, and we have to wait and see,” said Kristin Rinehart, associate director of the admissions office. “It’s hard to predict what will happen.”

If more students apply, the admissions period could remain open until April of May, which means students have a longer time to apply.

“Students put on the waiting list won’t find out until June,” Burke said. “Some might not want to wait that long and decide to come to Northern.”

Those put on a waiting list might also be accepted into U of I for their spring semester and decide to go to a community college the fall beforehand, Rinehart said.

High school seniors might decide to come to NIU because both schools are head-to-head in some of the top programs, Burke said. The NIU College of Business, allied health programs and the engineering program are competitive with U of I counterparts.

Whether NIU makes its own requirements more strict or increases enrollment will be up to NIU President John Peters and the new provosts.

“If more students come to Northern, classes for people have to increase, we need more faculty and more student services,” Burke said.