It’s college application season, and you’ve worked tirelessly to find your dream school. After comparing scores of programs and weighing the pros and cons of each, you’ve crafted a near-perfect college essay and doubled down in class to ensure a good GPA on your high school transcript.
And yet, after all that hard work to demonstrate your commitment to your top-choice school, you receive a letter of deferment. Deferral is the purgatory of college admissions; it’s not quite a rejection, but it’s not an acceptance, either. You’re still in the running for admission, but you haven’t secured a guaranteed spot. Deferment is possibly a confusing and frustrating outcome.
It can be tough to keep your chin up in moments like these, especially given the effort you’ve invested to get into your school of choice. However, deferred college admission isn’t the end of the road—and it’s certainly not a reason to give up hope.
If you’re not sure what to do when you receive a letter of deferment, read on. In this article, we’ll explain everything there is to know about deferred admission.
What Is Deferred Admission to College?
Deferred admission applies to students who have applied early action or early decision to college, meaning they applied to their top-choice school before the regular application deadline. Early decision applications are binding, meaning if the student is accepted, they must attend that college or university. Early action is non-binding; admitted students don’t need to confirm their attendance until the posted reply date.
If you apply early action or early decision, your application will be either accepted, denied or deferred. If your admission is deferred, it means your application has been redirected to the regular applications pool for a second review.
Deferred college admission can be a little anxiety-provoking, and understandably so. This response doesn’t necessarily mean your application was successful, but it doesn’t mean it was rejected, either. It also doesn’t mean anything was wrong with your application. A deferral only indicates that admissions officers need to take a closer look at your application before making a final decision. A deferred application isn’t a clear yes or no—it’s a maybe.
In other cases, admitted college applicants can actually choose to defer their admission. This means they’ve committed to attending a school but want to wait a year or two before officially enrolling.
Why Do Colleges Defer Applicants?
Colleges defer applications for several reasons. In some cases, a deferral indicates that the admissions department isn’t ready to make a final decision about a candidate. Deferring the application to the regular decision candidate pool gives admissions officers more time to thoroughly review it.
Sometimes, a deferral means admissions officers want to wait and see how the student’s academic performance shapes up in their senior year of high school. If a student has applied early to a competitive program or department, it’s possible that the admissions department will defer the application and evaluate the entire candidate pool before making a decision.
Ultimately, the reasoning behind each college admissions decision is unique to the applicant. Admission can also depend on the school’s or program’s admissions capacity.
Waitlisted vs. Deferred
What’s the difference between being waitlisted and being deferred? Both responses indicate a “maybe” from the department of admissions, but they occur in different scenarios.
If an early action or early decision candidate is neither accepted or rejected, they are deferred. But regular decision candidates may be waitlisted, which indicates that the school can’t find a spot for them at that moment. If spots open up after all accepted candidates have communicated their decisions, the school can begin accepting waitlisted students.
What To Do if You’ve Been Deferred
While a deferral is understandably disappointing—and potentially stressful—don’t panic if you’ve been deferred from your top-choice school. No outcome is guaranteed, but here’s what you can do while waiting for the school’s final decision:
- Look at the positives of being deferred. With your application in the pool of regular decision candidates, you are free to consider other schools as serious options, which can be both exciting and invigorating.
- Consider writing a letter of continued interest. This option applies if you’re passionate about attending your early action or early decision school. You can send a brief letter to the admissions office stating your intention to commit to the school if accepted. This also provides an opportunity for you to mention updates about any accomplishments since you first applied.
- Come up with a backup plan. You’ll need a plan B in case your application ultimately isn’t accepted.
Why Do Prospective Students Defer Admission?
Sometimes, students who have been accepted to their early action or early decision school choose to defer admission.
When a student defers admission, they agree to attend the school they’ve been accepted to, but they request to start classes at a delayed date. Typically, students who have been accepted to a college or university can defer their admission for one year. Some can receive two years of deferral in special instances, such as for completing military service.
You might intentionally defer your college admission to spend a gap year traveling, interning or pursuing other enriching experiences between high school and college. If you plan on taking a gap year, requesting a deferral can demonstrate to admissions that you’re committed to developing your holistic skills outside of the classroom. It’s common for students to go abroad, tackle work experiences or complete special projects during this time.
Does It Look Bad To Request an Admission Deferral?
Requesting deferred admission does not look bad; this is a widely accepted practice among colleges and universities. In fact, some schools even encourage it—as long as deferred students don’t enroll in another degree-seeking program during their gap year.
How To Defer Admission After Being Accepted to College
Follow the below steps to request deferred admission.
- Review your school’s deferred admission policies. Ensure you’re allowed to defer admission, and find out what you must do to submit a formal request. Some schools grant deferrals only in very specific circumstances, such as to undergo medical treatment, go on religious missions or complete active military duty orders.
- Pay close attention to all submission deadlines. It’s possible they’ll vary depending on the institution.
- Submit a statement of intent to register (SIR). This typically includes paying a deposit to secure your spot. The SIR tells the institution that you have committed to attending and that you will be paying tuition.
- Fill out a deferral request form. Many schools have these forms available in their online admissions portals for accepted students.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Deferred College Admissions
What does it mean to get deferred in college?
Deferment means an early decision or early action application is redirected to the regular decision candidate pool. A deferral is neither an acceptance nor a rejection; it gives the admissions office more time to review an application with the rest of the regular decision candidates.
Do deferred students get accepted?
Yes, some students are accepted after their early decision or early action application is deferred, but this outcome is not guaranteed.
Is it better to be deferred or waitlisted?
It depends. Being waitlisted means your admission depends on a spot opening up at your school of choice. Being deferred indicates that you are still in the running for initial admission, but the admissions officers will not make a decision during the early application period; you must wait for regular admissions. As an early applicant, you could technically be deferred and then waitlisted.
