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.

Admissions Decisions

As the admissions decisions are rolling in, students could be faced with several different responses. It is important that you weigh your options and make a decision you are happy with. While you may be disappointed with some of the responses you receive, remember that there is a college for you! This is why you created a 'list you love' to start with.

DEFERRED

If you applied early to colleges, you may soon be very familiar with the word deferral. Getting deferred is not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that the college would like to reconsider you along with the next pool of candidates. Chances are, the pool of candidates in regular decision is not quite as strong as those in early action or early decision and as the numbers of early applications continue to increase, more students will be deferred. Unfortunately, statistics on the percentage of students deferred and then eventually accepted are hard to come by, but in general, colleges defer around half of their early applications to the regular decision pool. For example, last year Yale deferred 55%, Middleburg deferred just 17%, and Harvard deferred over 70% of the early applicants.

What should you do? Some colleges will give you specific requests for more information such as grade reports or additional letters of recommendation. Others will straight tell you not to send anything else. Whatever they ask, make sure you follow. If they do not make any requests, you should do everything you can to improve your chances. Keep your grades up and write a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest. Basically do as you would if you were waitlisted (read below).

Keep in mind that if you are deferred, you are no longer required to attend that college if eventually accepted. You should continue to apply to other colleges of interest. 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 still keep other options open.

WAITLISTED

Almost 40% of colleges use a wait list and they put an average of 10% of all students applying on to that list to fill spots of students who do not accept their offers of admission. Unfortunately, these lists often give students a sense of false hope as the chances of actually being taken off of the waitlist are very slim. In 2016, an overall average of 23% of students on waitlists eventually got accepted and an even lower 14% were accepted from the lists of highly selective schools. So as can be expected, the more selective the school, the lower the chance that you will be taken off of the list.

If you are one of the the small group of students waitlisted, there are several things you can and should do. First, decide if you are truly still interested in the school and even want to be on the waitlist. Consider your chances of actually being taken off of that list. You can also contact admissions and find out where you stand on the list. Are there different pools? If so, are you in the priority? Do you really want to wait it out? Colleges may not inform you of the final decision until after the May 1 National Decision Day when they have a good idea of who has accepted their offers of admission. If you do decide to wait it out, make sure you have your backup school lined up and are ready to submit the deposit before the deadline if you are not pulled from the waitlist in time. Second, do everything you can to improve your chances of being taken off. Write a letter to admissions reaffirming your interest in the school and your hopes of attending. Continue to remain in contact with your local admissions representative and keep them updated with your grades and test scores, particularly things which show progress/improvement since you applied.

ACCEPTED

Congratulations! You officially have until May 1 to make your deposit and enroll in your chosen college. It is important to pay attention to applications and deadlines to enroll in extras such as orientation programs, spring accepted student events, and different housing options. Some of those go on a first come, first serve basis, so do not wait until May 1 if you are sure of where you want to go! It should go without saying, but as always, continue to keep up your grades and send in any final reports requested.

ACCEPTED TO BRANCH/PARTNER CAMPUS, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM or SUMMER SEMESTER

Some students may open their acceptance letters to find unexpected responses. There are several types of non-traditional acceptances various colleges currently offer. Some examples include acceptance to one of NYU's international campuses for the first year, Notre Dame's Gateway program at Holy Cross College, or a summer semester before you join the rest of the freshman class on campus. While you may be disappointed or confused by these offers, they are definitely worth consideration. They are indeed still acceptances and offer great experiences to bond with a smaller group of students before merging with the rest of your class on the main campus.

DENIED

While it certainly isn’t a decision you were hoping for or in some instances expected, chances are you are going to get a few of these. Allow yourself a moment to be upset and then MOVE ON! Consider your other options and decide which remaining colleges are the best fits. The whole purpose of applying to a balanced list of colleges was to give yourself several different options for when decisions like this come in. You should have many other great options on your list and if you do not, it is not too late to apply to more. Many schools have application deadlines which span into the Spring. Also, if you are denied from an ED I or EA pool, you could consider applying ED II to another school. Various top colleges have ED II deadlines early to mid January, so there is still time to get those applications in.

Whatever those admissions letters may reveal, you ALWAYS have options. Take the time to make a decision which is in YOUR best interest. There is a school for everyone, you just have to look for it.