What to Do if You’ve Been Deferred

Unfortunately, deferrals are becoming more common than ever as universities are receiving record numbers of early applicants. Instead of deferring a select number of students who were not accepted, some universities are simply deferring all of them. Georgetown tells students explicitly on their website that if they are not admitted in Early Action, they will be deferred. USC announced this week that they deferred ALL 38,000+ unaccepted students from the early action pool.

Receiving a college admission deferral can be disheartening, especially when you've invested time and effort into crafting the perfect application. However, it's important to remember that a deferral is not a rejection but an opportunity to demonstrate improvements and your continued interest and commitment to the school.

Here are some tips to help you navigate this frustrating situation and increase your chances of ultimately securing admission.

1.     Understand the Decision: Take a deep breath and consider that a deferral is not a reflection of your worth or capabilities. Colleges defer applications for various reasons such as not wanting to turn town so many highly qualified students until they see the regular decision applications or trying to create a well-rounded class. View this as a chance to enhance your application and showcase your determination.

2.     Demonstrate Continued Interest: Show the college that you remain enthusiastic about attending by promptly confirming your continued interest. Write a thoughtful letter to the admissions office expressing your ongoing commitment, updating them on any relevant achievements or activities since your application, and reiterating why you believe the school is the perfect fit for you. You can also use this as a chance to visit the college if you haven’t already.

3.     Submit Additional Materials: Some colleges allow deferred applicants to submit additional materials, such as updated grades, new test scores, or letters of recommendation. If you've improved academically or achieved noteworthy accomplishments, absolutely share this information to strengthen your candidacy.

4.     Follow Instructions: Along with the deferral decision, colleges will send instructions for next steps. Often, this includes completing a form or submitting a letter of continued interest. However, sometimes schools specifically ask students NOT to send additional materials or have very strict guidelines on what to submit. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Do not waste their time by sending unwanted materials or repetitive emails.

5.     Explore Alternatives: While waiting for a final decision, explore other colleges and consider your backup options. It's crucial to have alternative plans in place although you may still be admitted to your first-choice school. Stay open-minded and evaluate other institutions that align with your academic and personal preferences.

6.     Stay Positive and Focused: It's natural to feel disappointed, but don't let a deferral derail your academic and personal pursuits. Focus on maintaining a positive mindset, continue working hard, and stay engaged in meaningful activities. A positive attitude can make a significant difference in your overall well-being and may even positively influence your future endeavors.

Being deferred from a college can be disappointing, but it's essential to approach the situation with resilience and a proactive mindset. Use the additional time to evaluate other options, strengthen your application, showcase your achievements, and demonstrate unwavering commitment. Remember, the college admission process is complex, and your journey doesn't end with a deferral or denial—keep pushing forward with determination and optimism. There are so many great options out there!

Advice for Deferred Applications

If you applied early to colleges, you may soon be very familiar with the word deferral. While most of the nation’s colleges noted a decrease in early applicants this year, early applications to the elite schools actually increased significantly. Some schools such as Duke, Yale and Dartmouth actually received historical high numbers. As these numbers of applications rose this year, so did the number of deferrals. Getting deferred is unfortunately quite common and this year even more so.

What does it mean? Being deferred basically means the school wants to reconsider you along with the next pool of candidates in regular decision. It is not a denial. They will take into context the profiles of the regular decision applicants along with any additional information you send about yourself and make their final decision in the next round. While the regular decision pool is typically not quite as strong as that of early application, there are many more applications to consider. Many colleges typically defer around half of their early applications to the regular decision pool. Some such as Georgetown actually defer all students who were not accepted in the early application period (nearly 90% of their early applicants this year). Statistics on the percentage of students deferred and then eventually accepted are hard to come by, but in general, the numbers are not high.

What should you do? Many schools will give you specific requests for more information such as updated grades, additional letters of recommendation or details on activities. Whatever they ask, make sure you follow. If they do not make any requests, you should be certain to maintain or improve your grades and submit any new materials which would enhance your application along with a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest.

Keep in mind that if you are deferred, you are no longer required to attend that college if eventually accepted. You can continue to apply to other colleges of via regular decision. If you no longer wish to be considered, inform the college of your decision and free up that space for another student. Remember, being deferred is basically a second chance for consideration, but you should definitely give yourself other options.