When you apply to a college under early action or early decision, you can get back three responses: accepted, rejected, or deferred. Deferred means the college wants to review your application again with the regular decision applicants. It can be stressful, as you’ll have to play the waiting game, but here are some things you need to know about the school’s decision.
What Does “Deferred” Mean for College Admissions?
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Deferred means you haven’t been accepted or rejected to a college you applied to under early action or early decision. It means the college will review your application again with regular decision applicants in a few weeks and you’ll get their answer in March or April.
For some students, this can be worse than outright rejection. It makes their future college education uncertain. But, deferment is also more common than people think. Some schools defer a majority of their early action or early decision applicants. For instance, Harvard University deferred nearly 80% of applicants in 2020!
Deferred is slightly different from wait-listed. Wait-listed students are students who applied under regular decision (or were deferred) and are accepted to the school if a spot becomes available. Wait-listed students may not hear an answer regarding their admission status until May or even the summer, while deferred students will get an answer back in the spring.
How Many Students are Accepted After Being Deferred?
The answer to this question really depends on the college. Some estimates state that about 5% to 10% of deferred early action and early decision applicants will be accepted in the spring. Keep in mind this isn’t a hard and fast rule. Georgetown University accepts around 15% of students after a deferral. MIT accepted less than 3% off of their deferred list.
What Does “Deferred Admission” Mean?
Deferred admission refers to students who decide to postpone attending their college after admission. For example, a student may receive an acceptance letter in the spring and decide, due to health issues, they want to postpone attending the following fall. Some schools will allow you to do this. Harvard University, for instance, allows students to defer or postpone admission up to one year after they’re accepted.
What Should You Do if You Were Deferred?
If you were deferred, it’s important to have a game plan. Now is the time to start applying to other colleges if you haven’t already. Focus on putting your best foot forward on your applications for other colleges. This is why it’s essential to keep working on college applications in November and December, even if you applied under early action or early decision. Early applications don’t guarantee admission, and putting all of your eggs in that one basket can result in some serious stress before January 1st if you’re deferred.
If you applied under early decision and were deferred, you are released from the binding contract. Even if the college accepts you at a later date, you are no longer obligated to attend. You can apply to other schools under early decision and regular decision.
Can You Reapply After You’ve Been Deferred?
You cannot reapply immediately or revise your application after you’ve been deferred. For example, you can’t receive a letter in December stating that you were deferred and resubmit your application before the regular decision deadline, even if you improved your grades or polished your submitted essay.
However, some colleges will allow you to reapply the following year. If you were deferred and rejected from your dream school, you might be able to reapply to your dream school with a whole new application for the next admission cycle. Make sure to reach out to the admissions department or research online to see if your selected college offers this route.
Knowing All Your Options
Receiving a notice of deferral from your early action or early decision college can be heartbreaking, but keep in mind it’s not an outright rejection. There is still a chance you could be accepted. However, don’t put all of your hopes, dreams, and effort into that possibility – some schools, like MIT, accept only a handful of deferred students. If you find yourself in this boat, it’s important to focus on your other college applications so you have backups. Then you can sit back and relax while you wait for your college admissions letters in the spring.
Understanding what a college is looking for in a student can help you avoid a deferral. College Match helps you find colleges, universities, and schools that match your achievements, goals, and needs. Get started today and find out how our resources can help you improve your college applications.
