The day you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. The return address label in the left corner of the envelope says it all, your college admissions letter is here. The contents of this letter is certain to reveal your next academic steps – or will it?
When opening a college decision letter, many seniors expect to learn if they have been accepted or denied admission to the school of their choice. However, for early applicants, there is a third possibility: their application has been deferred.
Although this decision can be disappointing for students hoping to get admissions to their top choice school, there is reason to be optimistic. A deferred admissions decision means a student’s application will be reconsidered with regular decision applicants. They have not yet been accepted or denied admissions, and it is up to the student if he or she wants to wait it out.
The Stats
If you opened your college decision letter and read the word “deferred”, you’re not alone. Of the 10,086 students who applied early admissions to Harvard in 2021, 80% were deferred. That same year 15,081 students applied early action to MIT and 71% of applicants, or 10,673 students, were deferred to the regular decision round. Likewise, Georgetown deferred 7,751 applicants in 2021.
A Solution to the Problem
When test optional admission policies gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, a record number of students applied early acceptance or early action, amping up the competition. While the number of early applicants increased, the number of openings remained the same. With a higher pool of applicants early on, it became harder for admission reps to estimate the value of these applicants in comparison to regular decision applicants. Admitting a high number of early applicants inevitably meant decreasing the number of regular applicants admitted. For college admission reps, the pressure was on!
To solve this problem, many reps have opted to defer applicants until the spring when regular decision applications had been received. With the opportunity to compare all applicants at one time, admission reps could confidently choose the best student body for their college.
While this proved beneficial for colleges, it’s causing greater stress and frustration for students who want an answer. It may seem like a negative response, but a deferral is more promising than an outright rejection. Ultimately, the student must choose to wait a few more months for an answer or withdraw the application.
Factors to Consider
Factors to keep in mind when determining your response to a deferral decision letter include:
The school’s ranking on your list
Is this school your number one choice, the only school you’ve ever dreamed of attending? Does the thought of losing out on an opportunity to be a part of this particular school bring you to tears? If your answer is yes, it makes sense to wait it out.
If this school is not at the top of the list and you’re not heartbroken at the possibility of going elsewhere, there’s probably no need to be reconsidered. Inform the school you are no longer interested and start putting your energy into your other applications.
Acceptance at other schools
Have you received acceptance letters from other schools you would be happy to attend? Do you have definite options beyond this one school? If you do, and you prefer to know sooner than later where you will be next year, there’s no need to move forward with this one school.
If you have not received any other acceptance letters or applied to safety schools that will more than likely accept you, it’s a good idea to keep your application on the list. You can always apply regular decision or rolling admissions to other schools while you wait.
Next Steps
If you’ve decided to move forward with the deferral process, this section is for you. The decision letter should include instructions on how to proceed if a student is still interested in admissions at that school. Instructions will include what, if any, additional information a student can submit for further consideration. A letter of continued interest, recommendation letter, and an updated resume will typically be reviewed.
Letter of Continued Interest
A letter of continued interest communicates to the admissions committee that you are still interested in attending the school. Take this opportunity to write about the value you could add to the school and community. Read a few sample letters of continued interest here.
Recommendation Letter
An additional recommendation letter can offer the admissions team a fresh perspective on your abilities and aptitude. If you know someone affiliated with the school, an alumnus or professor/staff member, consider asking this person to write a recommendation letter for you. Since he or she is familiar with the academics and college atmosphere, a recommendation from this person could give you a leg up.
Resume
Did you serve your community over the holidays? Go ahead and mention it in your resume. Added a new design piece to your portfolio last week? Shed some light on it. Consider submitting an updated resume with additional extracurriculars, mid-term grades, or live links to digital portfolios or YouTube channels.
But if your work or academic background has not changed since submitting your application there’s no need to update and resubmit a resume.
Keep in Touch
Unless instructed otherwise, keep in touch with your admissions representative throughout the waiting period. There’s no need to bombard him or her with constant emails and phone calls, but you can reach out every other month to express your continued interest in enrollment at their school.
Don’t let a deferral letter take away from your college application experience. With knowledge on how to move forward in the deferral process, you are well on your way to the start of your college adventure.