If you find yourself here, we’re sorry you got deferred from Duke. First things first, that's tough, and we feel for you. Take the time to let those feelings sink in – be it sadness, frustration, or whatever you're experiencing – because it's valid! But once you've had a moment to regroup, we’ve gotta get to work on your regular decision strategy, and that deferral letter too.
Deferred by Dartmouth — Now What? (2023-24)
Deferred by Brown — Now What? (2023-24)
If you’ve been deferred by Brown you’re not alone — but you’re also not out of luck. Brown doesn’t defer applicants on a whim. They only defer students who are “ for study a Brown.” But if that’s the case, why were you deferred? Well, as annoying as it is you were because there are too many qualified students applying for only a few spots.
Deferred by Yale — Now What? (2023-24)
You’ve been deferred by Yale, and that’s a major bummer. It’s ok to sink into your couch and eat a pint of ice cream while drowning in self-pity. Once you hit the bottom of the pint, though, it’s time to get to work. There are things to do. Yale doesn’t just defer people for fun, after all, and they didn’t defer you because they don’t want to disappoint you. They made the choice for a reason, and now the ball is in your court.
Deferred by Stanford — Now What? (2023-24)
You got the news, and it isn’t what you wanted. Stanford deferred your early application to the regular decision pool, and now you have to wait to see what happens and submit a bunch of applications you probably weren’t planning to send. It’s frustrating and bruising, we know, but after you take a moment to wallow in your disappointment, there’s work to be done — and we are here to help.
Deferred by Harvard — Now What? (2023-24)
If you’ve been deferred by Harvard, you are not alone. Harvard is notorious at this point for deferring an enormous percentage of early admission applicants. While most elite colleges with early admissions programs, like early decision and early action, only defer students they are seriously considering for the next freshman class, Harvard has released on early admission suggest that they take a very different approach.
USC Deferral Rate
The University of Southern California’s, or USC, acceptance rate has been dropping steadily for years. In 2022, they only accepted of students who applied — the first time under 12% for the university ever. Over 69,000 applications were reviewed by 65 people. That’s over 1,000 applicants per reader, so when you wonder whether your applicant reader remembers your essay…picture that stack of 1,000 applications. Unless you’re really strategic, it’s hard to stand out.
Columbia Deferral Rate
Columbia College, the undergraduate college of Columbia University, is incredibly difficult to get into. In 2021, the overall acceptance rate was a minuscule . If you want to get into Columbia, your best chance is to apply Early Decision, which came with in 2021 — but if you were deferred you already know this. You don’t need to know that your best shot was ED; you need to know what’s next.
Cornell Deferral Rate
Dartmouth Deferral Rate
Stanford Deferral Rate
You’re a brave soul — you applied to Stanford. Getting into Stanford is tough regardless of what you’ve accomplished, what your grades look like, or whether you invented a new flavor of ice cream. After the Stanford acceptance rate rose (a tiny amount) , they did an about-face in 2021 with a record low acceptance rate of . Despite this up and down, we have no reason to believe it will be easier to get into Stanford this year.
Brown Deferral Rate
In 2021, Brown its lowest acceptance rate on record for the fourth year in a row. While it’s the overall acceptance rate they’re pointing to, the statistics for early applicants were even tougher. Brown rejected more early applicants — 60% of them — and only deferred 25%. That was a 5% drop from the 2020 deferral rate. It’s likely that the 2022 statistics will only continue the trend with even lower early acceptance and deferral rates, and higher rejection rates.
Princeton Deferral Rate
Princeton didn’t release their admissions statistics in 2021, but based on the 2020 overall acceptance rate (4.38%), it’s safe to say that if you were deferred from Princeton this year you are far from alone. The reasoning for not releasing the stats, by the way, was that having the numbers freak students — and their parents — out and may discourage them from applying.
The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Deferral Rate
If you were deferred from the University of Pennsylvania, or Penn, you’re in luck. Penn is kind enough to give you clear guidance on what to do next, which is a very Penn thing to do. We aren’t surprised that a school that attracts analytical go-getters who like to look before they leap would provide their applicants with the very information they need to do so. Which is to say, good job Penn on being Penn-y.
Deferred by Harvard — What Comes Next?
If you were deferred by Harvard, you are far, far, far from alone. As fewer and fewer top-tier colleges publish their admissions statistics, Harvard continues to with fairly comprehensive and transparent statistics. In 2021, Harvard deferred 80 out of every 100 students who applied early. 80% of students who applied early were deferred. Again, 80%. Only 7.4% of students who applied early were accepted. So if you applied early, it is much more likely that you were deferred than any other potential outcome.
What is the Difference Between Deferred and Waitlisted?
The college application process is confusing. It’s confusing for parents, it’s confusing for kids, and it’s confusing for Aunt Kathy who asks you intrusive questions at family gatherings like, “So where are you going to college?” We’re here to help lift the fog of confusion and to bring clarity to the whole process, and one of the most frequent questions we’ve been getting lately is:
What Does it Mean to be Deferred from a College?
We want you to get into every college that you apply to, we really do. We want all students to have that low stress, all success, wonderful fuzzy feeling that only a tiny percentage of students applying to college ever get to feel. But that isn’t how it happens for the vast majority of students, so it’s time to plan for how it normally goes, which includes a pinch of frustration, an ounce of rejection, and — ideally — a mighty helping of perseverance. One of the most confusing possibilities in this process isn’t rejection, though, it’s the “eh, maybe later” of deferral.
The University of Chicago Deferral Rate
Deferred from College: Now What?
Getting deferred from your top school can be a gut punch. You worked your butt off, likely with the expectation of getting in. The first thing we recommend you do is to take a breath. (You’re going to be okay!) Keep in mind, while it’s not ideal, it’s not personal. You might just want to sit down and stay down, but you have a little ways to go before you can breathe a sigh of real relief. We recommend following these next steps:
Deferred from Dartmouth Early Decision
We’re guessing you’re here because you got deferred from Dartmouth. We’re sorry that happened, and we encourage you to take some time to yourself to feel your feelings about it. But, if you’re reading this, you probably want to do something about it. Our guide will help you make a strategy for the rest of regular decision, while also sending your last pitch to Dartmouth.