Do Ivy Leagues commonly send likely letters?

Hey friends, I’ve been basically living on this forum recently, and I’ve seen a lot of talk about 'likely letters' from Ivies. Is this a common practice across all Ivy League schools, and what kind of achievements would warrant one?

Greetings! It's great that you're actively seeking information. Likely letters are indeed a practice used by some Ivy League schools, but they aren't common.

These letters signal to candidates that their application has been particularly well received, and admission is highly likely. They're sent before official decisions to a very small percentage of applicants who are standout in their applications, often due to exceptional academic, athletic, or extracurricular achievements.

For example, a student might receive a likely letter for having a Tier 1 extracurricular achievement, such as placing at a national science competition, or for being a recruited athlete in a sport the Ivy needs to strengthen. That said, the vast majority of applicants will not receive such a letter and should wait for the official admissions notifications. If you're among the selected, congratulations are in order! However, if not, it's no indication of your application's outcome.