You received a deferral from your first-choice school, and now you feel like you’re in limbo. The hope that your college admissions journey would be done by winter break has been, well, deferred.

Understanding what a deferral means, why colleges defer applicants, and most importantly, what you should do next are helpful steps in turning this uncertainty into just a bump in the road on your path to college.

What Does “Deferred” Mean?

Being deferred from a college is their way of saying they haven’t made a decision yet on your Early Action or Early Decision application. They’re postponing the decision to a later date, like the regular admissions cycle, where your application will be reviewed alongside regular decision applicants. The takeaway here is that deferred does not mean “no.”

Why Schools Defer Students

Colleges may defer applicants for several reasons. A deferral is usually a sign that a school is interested in you but needs more information before making a final decision.

• Early Decision and Early Action applicant pools are highly competitive. Some students, while admissible, may be deferred to the regular decision round.
• Schools may want to see more consistent or improved grades from a student. Don’t let senioritis set in; it’s essential to maintain grades in senior year.
• Some schools practice yield protection and will defer applicants they believe are unlikely to attend if accepted. This is usually the case when high-achieving students are deferred from schools where they would be near the top of the applicant pool. Demonstrating interest may help mitigate the chance of deferral due to yield protection.
• Institutional priorities can also influence applicant deferrals. Suppose a school has most of its applications from a particular part of the country. Those students may experience a higher deferral rate than in an area with fewer applications.
• Sometimes, a school will defer a student because it’s seen as a soft “no.” There can be several reasons for this; perhaps they’re excited to receive an applicant from a rural school, and while the applicant isn’t strong enough for admission, they want to send a positive message to that high school’s students. Maybe a highly-ranked student in another high school isn’t accepted, but a lower-ranked student is accepted for institutional priorities; the deferral is a softer way to let the first student down.

Some colleges rarely offer deferrals and only do so to students with a legitimate chance of admission in the regular decision round. This method prevents students from being strung along with false hope and is preferred by most high school counselors. However, some colleges defer the majority of early-action applicants. For example, Harvard deferred 78% of applicants in the class of 2027. Georgetown University only accepts or defers their early-action applicants; their deferral rate for the same class was 88%. 2025.

Deferred students won’t typically know if their deferral means they were seriously considered or if it was a soft no. However, you can compare deferral rates to the admit rate of a college to get a better sense of your chance of admission.

What to Do After the Deferral

• Follow the instructions. The initial reaction is that there is “something” you can do to turn the deferral into an acceptance. The most important thing to do is follow the direction received from the school. Some will explicitly state that they don’t need additional information to make their final decision. Others may request a letter of continued interest (LOCI) or an update on senior year grades. 
• If a school allows for the submission of a Letter of Continued Interest, wait a few weeks or so before writing the letter, but be mindful of any deadline. Receiving a deferral can be emotional, and your communication with the school should be enthusiastically positive. 
• The college will most likely tell you exactly the information they want you to share, but the following are items that typically should be included:
  • Reiterate your interest in the school and why it’s an ideal match for you. 
  • Reconfirm your intent to enroll if accepted.
  • Update the school on any new achievements, awards, or significant changes in activities since your original submission.
  • Submit first-semester grades.
  • Let the school know if, since your application, you’ve visited or attended virtual events.
  • Maintain a positive tone in the letter.
• Don’t respond emotionally. Being deferred, while not an outright denial, still can be a blow to a student’s ego. Don’t assume that just because you’ve received a deferral doesn’t mean the school won’t be an eventual match. You liked the school enough to apply and see the process through to the end. You can research deferral statistics to determine if the school routinely or rarely defers students. 

Apply to Other Schools

Don’t treat the deferral as a waiting game. This is a time for action and additional applications.

• Revisit your college list. There is no set number of schools a student should apply to, but the list should have a balance of schools you’re likely to be admitted to, target schools, and a few reach schools. If you find your list is heavy on target and reach schools, add additional likely schools to the mix.
• Unfortunately, most deferred students aren’t admitted, so continue to research and reflect on schools. You should be able to see yourself happily attending any school on your list. 
• If you haven’t already, this is an excellent time to visit the schools.
• Apply to your regular decision colleges. Keep track of their priority deadlines and continue to submit high-quality applications.