What Does a Deferred College Admission Mean? Here are 6 Things You Need to Know as a High Schooler

Being deferred—where a final decision on your early application is postponed to the Regular Decision round—can be incredibly disappointing. Many students hope that an early-round application will earn them admission to their top-choice school and exempt them from applying to any more schools. While deferral is of course a better outcome than rejection, the waiting game can understandably make students concerned or confused about how to proceed. 

Generally, students are deferred when colleges are interested in their application but would prefer to evaluate them within the larger RD pool. If you’re wondering what this means or how to make yourself stand out in this second-round evaluation, keep reading. This blog will run through 6 things to know about college deferrals, and what you should do if you get deferred.

1. You’re not out of the running

Students often see deferral as a delayed rejection. Though it’s reasonable to be stressed, avoid panicking. Remember, if the school had no interest in you, you would have been outright rejected. 

Try to think about it rationally—while many deferred students are ultimately rejected, this is the case for most applicants at highly competitive schools. You’ll typically have similar odds to other students within the Regular Decision pool. 

Since colleges generally refrain from sharing statistics of how many deferred applicants are ultimately admitted, it’s important to avoid overthinking. Speculation is unproductive and can impact your work on coursework or other applications. Instead, focus on earning high grades, submitting strong Regular Decision materials, and strengthening your deferred application as much as possible. 

2. It’s (usually) worth sending updates

In most instances, deferred students may benefit from sending Letters of Continued Interest (LOCIs) to their regional admissions officer or application portal. The content of LOCIs is fairly self-explanatory—you’re reinforcing your interest in attending the school. Nonetheless, there are a few key details to know. 

The most important content for an LOCI is impressive updates that can strengthen your application materials. Competition wins, athletic achievements, new skills acquired in your discipline, and research updates are common information included. 

LOCIs should ideally be school-specific as well. Schools generally avoid admitting applicants they think are unlikely to attend. Linking your accomplishments to resources or programs at the school can show you’ve done your research and are prepared to contribute positively to the community.

Another rule of thumb: Less is more. Try to keep it short. LOCIs rarely require more than two-thirds to three-quarters of a page. Unnecessarily wordy letters may draw attention away from the most important updates and even run the risk of annoying the reader. 

Aim to send any additional materials in early February. Any earlier and you may frustrate admissions officers during their break from the chaos of application review; any later and you may have missed your chance. 

3. Check school standards carefully

Deferral materials are not universal across colleges, and you must check the school’s preferences before sending a letter. While many are open to the updates mentioned above, some schools may have strict limitations on what applicants may send or fully refuse to accept additional materials. 

For example, schools including University of Southern California, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign will not add any updates to applicant files. In the interest of equity, they don’t want deferred students to have “extra time” for strengthening their initial application, and reading thousands of extra letters can make the Regular Decision process even more overwhelming. Other schools will provide clear instructions for what deferred students can submit. Carnegie Mellon accepts only a paragraph response to a stipulated question they provide each year. 

If you do not follow the school’s deferral guidelines, this can have a very negative impact on your odds of admission as it will show limited attention to detail and the school’s standards. So carefully review the school’s admissions website and your deferral letter. If you’re unsure of how to proceed, reach out to your regional admissions officer. Even if they ask you to refrain from sending letters or other updates, they’ll still see you’re a proactive student with a dedication to the college.  

4. Your counselor may be able to help

While not all school counselors are willing to do this or familiar with the process, it is possible for school college counselors to call admissions offices on your behalf to advocate for you. This could be a benefit for schools that ask for minimal or no additional materials as this still gives you a chance to keep AOs updated on your work. 

It’s important not to be pushy about this and to accept that only some college counselors make these calls. However, if your school has a highly active college counseling office, fall campus visits from AOs, and a history of strong admission results, this may be an opportunity you can access. While they’ll often know what to do, if there are particularly important or impressive updates you’d like the AOs to hear, it’s worth letting your counselor know. They’re interested in helping you, so make their task easier! 

5. Consider modifying your Regular Decision list

While deferrals are not rejections, they can indicate that your application may not be quite as strong as you’d hoped. If you were counting on an ED acceptance to wrap up your admissions process, you may not be as prepared for RD applications as some of your peers. Both of these instances indicate that it may be worthwhile to make your college list somewhat more conservative. Even replacing one reach school with a more realistic option can be both a strategic choice and a way to relieve stress. It can be immensely frustrating to end the college application process with only one or two choices, so weigh your options carefully.

If you’re planning to apply to one or more schools that are more selective than the college that deferred you, consider changing your approach. Choose one or two “reach for the moon” schools at most, work hard on perfecting your application, and be realistic about your results. 

6. Emphasize your academics

Colleges at which you’ve been deferred will typically receive your mid-year grades, even those that discourage LOCIs or additional recommendations. (This is even true for Early Action or Regular Decision applications where these grades are released in the midst of the review process). 

As the best way to be accepted after a deferral is to increase the impact of your application, improving your grades (or maintaining strong grades) is the most straightforward way to increase your odds. Don’t let senioritis hit early and put as much energy into your academic work as you can manage. Pulling some B-range grades to As can genuinely make a difference, especially if coupled with updated extracurricular achievements. 

Overall, while there are no guarantees in the stressful waiting period of deferral, these tips are the best way to increase your odds of a successful college admissions experience. Don’t give up hope, keep working hard, and get excited about all of the schools you’re considering—not just one!

One other option—Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If you are interested in doing university-level research, then you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program, a selective online high school program for students that I founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the application form here.

Also check out the Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation, a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.