What happens if you defer early decision?

Students are denied in the early application cycle if the admissions committee feels a candidate is not competitive enough. In contrast, if deferred, this means your application will be held and considered with the rest of the school's regular decision applications.

Is early decision still binding if you get deferred?

There are positive aspects of a deferral—if you were deferred after applying ED, the binding ED contract to enroll if admitted no longer applies. Instead, the same rules that apply to RD applicants apply to you, as you're now considered an RD applicant.

How likely is it to get accepted after being deferred?

Some estimates say that most colleges will accept at least 5-10% of deferred students in regular decision pools. Others estimate that the deferral acceptance rate is often approximately equal to the regular decision acceptance rate. However, these estimates are overarching and don't apply to all schools.

Can you get rejected after being deferred?

You might feel like you've been rejected if you receive a deferral, but all it means is that your application will be reviewed again in the Regular Decision round. There is nothing wrong with your application, but you may need to submit more information to the admissions committee.

What happens if you apply early decision and don't get in?

Early decision colleges may reach out to other schools to let them know you broke your agreement, which can reflect poorly on your applications. You'll also lose any deposit money you put down.

What to Do if You Get Deferred

Can you get rejected from early decision or just deferred?

Students who apply to college under an early decision or early action plan usually receive one of three decisions: accepted, denied or deferred. If you were accepted, great! You can celebrate. If you were denied, you can grieve the loss and focus on applying to other colleges.

Can you get rejected early action or just deferred?

Applying early action has three possibles outcomes: acceptance, denial, or deferred admission. The admissions office may defer your application if you're not a candidate for early action. In that case, the admissions panel will reevaluate your application with the regular decision applicants.

Does getting deferred hurt your chances?

Being deferred from college doesn't mean you've been denied acceptance. Being waitlisted means you are on a list reserve because spots are filled. Very selective colleges defer as many as 70-80% of early applicants. If you take important steps, you still have a chance for admissions.

Do all early applicants get deferred?

Deferral numbers differ from school to school, and many don't make deferral statistics public. At highly selective institutions, it's not unheard of to defer a majority of early applicants, as the early application pool is so competitive and it's hard to reject many well-qualified applicants.

Is getting deferred from an Ivy good?

A deferral is simply an indication that the admissions committee intends to evaluate your application in the regular decision round—your hopes of attending your dream school may still be realized.

Do colleges defer overqualified students?

It's important to note that most of the stories and rumors surrounding overqualified students getting rejected are anecdotal. No school has actually admitted to turning down students because they are overqualified.

How do you increase chances after being deferred?

Is it better to get deferred or waitlisted?

In general, you can assume that your odds are better if you've been deferred rather than waitlisted. Deferred students are reconsidered during the regular decision round and should have about the same chance as other regular decision applicants.

Can you defer an ED acceptance?

Deferred admission usually happens in two different ways: When an early decision applicant goes into the regular applicant pool and when a regular applicant must submit more records or materials in order for the college or university to make a final decision about the applicant's credentials.

What is the penalty for backing out of early decision?

Financially, the primary consequence you might face would be losing the non-refundable enrollment deposit, which can be several hundred dollars. However, there isn't any legal action that colleges can take against the student or their family for backing out of the ED agreement.

What happens if you apply early decision to two colleges?

First off, you can only apply to one school early decision. This is because early decision means you're making a binding agreement to enroll in that school if you get accepted. This contract will be part of your application and will require a signature from your parents and school counselor, as well as from you.

Can you get deferred from early decision 2?

If so, how does that work, and what next steps should I take if either of those situations occurs? Yes, it is certainly possible to be either deferred or rejected when applying through Early Decision 2 (ED2).

Can you take a gap year after early decision?

Once you're accepted to college, you can defer admission for a gap year. You can defer enrollment, but you can't defer acceptance. Colleges want you to take a gap year! But they also want to know that after your gap year, you'll come to their school.

How many early applicants get deferred at Harvard?

The number most people forget to look at though, is the 78%. Seventy-eight percent of early applicants were deferred. Only 9.5% were denied. It was harder, in the 2022-2023 application cycle, to be denied from Harvard Early Action than it was to be deferred.

Is deferred worse than waitlisted?

A deferred applicant will be considered again before any reconsideration is provided to a waitlisted applicant. As such, being waitlisted at a school is worse than a deferral because the institution has decided not to admit you unless other applicants decline their admission offer and seats become available.

What are the chances of getting into Harvard after being deferred?

Historically, about 10% of students who Harvard defers ultimately earn admission in Regular Decision. While this data point can vary from year to year, it's rarely released by the school. But, over the years, Ivy Coach's sources in Harvard's admissions office have confirmed that 10% is the general rule of thumb.

Can you get into Yale after being deferred?

5 Steps to Take After Being Deferred by Yale

It could have been worse, and if you play your cards right, you still have a shot of getting into Yale in Regular Decision. Complete a PostMortem application review to understand what went wrong, what went right, and what changes you should make for Regular Decision schools.

What percentage of students deferred in early decision are admitted?

What Percentage of Deferred Students Get Accepted? Across all highly selective colleges, about 10% of deferred candidates ultimately earn admission to the school that kicked the can on their candidacies. While this percentage can vary yearly and from school to school, it's a relatively consistent general benchmark.

Why doesn t everyone apply EA?

However, applying early doesn't make sense for every student. One factor early decision applicants need to consider is their financial situation, as students are required to commit prior to knowing their aid eligibility.

Does anyone get rejected from early decision?

You may not apply to more than one college under early decision. If you are not accepted, you will either be rejected or deferred. Rejected applicants may not apply again that year. Deferred applicants will be reconsidered during the regular admission period, and are free to apply to other schools.