What does it mean when your college application is deferred?

Hey everyone. I've been hearing the term deferred quite a bit when talking about college applications, but I'm not exactly sure what it means. Can someone break down the defer application process for me?

Sure, I'd be happy to clarify what it means when your college application is deferred. When you apply to a college under their Early Action (EA) or Early Decision (ED) timeline, you usually receive one of three decisions: acceptance, denial, or deferral.

When your application is deferred, it means that the college has not made a final decision on your application during the early round and has chosen to reconsider it during the regular decision (RD) timeframe. Essentially, your application will be reviewed and evaluated again with the larger pool of applicants who applied under the regular decision timeline.

A deferral can happen for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it's because the admissions committee found elements of your application to be impressive, but they want to see how your application stacks up against the broader regular decision applicant pool. In other instances, a deferral may indicate that the admissions committee would like to see more information, like first-semester senior year grades, additional test scores, or recent extracurricular achievements that might strengthen your application.

After being deferred, it might be helpful to send an update to the college – called a letter of continued interest – to let them know you're still keen on attending and provide any new information or accomplishments that might help your case. Additionally, you should still apply to other schools and have a back-up plan in place in case you are not accepted in the regular decision round.

Remember that a deferral is not a rejection, and there is still a chance of receiving an acceptance letter during the regular decision process. Stay optimistic and proactive, and continue putting your best foot forward in your college applications.