Can someone explain what a university deferral means?

I was looking up some university terms, and I came across 'deferral' but I'm not quite sure what it means. Can anyone explain how a deferral works in the college admissions process?

A university deferral occurs when a student who applied to a college through an Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) plan is neither accepted nor denied admission. Instead, the college decides to re-evaluate the student's application during the Regular Decision (RD) pool.

There are typically three possible outcomes for an early application: acceptance, denial, or deferral. When a student is deferred, it means that the college wants to review the applicant's qualifications further, along with the general pool of RD applicants, before making a final decision.

Being deferred does not necessarily mean that a student's chances of admission are drastically reduced, but it does indicate that the college is unable to make a clear decision based on the ED or EA application alone. The student will be considered along with the Regular Decision applicants, and they will receive a final decision by the regular decision notification date.

In this situation, it is helpful for deferred students to update their application information by sending in any new accomplishments (awards, improved grades, or additional standardized test scores) as well as a letter expressing their continued interest in the school. This can help demonstrate to the admissions committee that the student remains committed to attending the university if given the chance.

To summarize, a deferral means that a student's early application was not accepted nor denied and will be reconsidered during the regular decision admissions process. It is essential for deferred students to remain proactive and provide any new and relevant information to the college to help bolster their chances of admission.