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When a student applies early action or early decision, there are three possible outcomes: admit, defer, and deny. Admit and deny are pretty straightforward, but being deferred is rocky. It gives the student some hope that they'll be accepted as a regular admit, but it can also be frustrating.
The important thing here is to read the deferral letter (or portal) carefully. We can't stress this enough: read every word; do not skim. Each college has their own version of next steps for deferred applicants, so it's crucial that your student reads the note carefully and does exactly as it says in order to stay in the running—and even boost their chances—for admission.
Here are some of the common things your student might be asked to submit:
So how does your student go about submitting these items? Again, the first step is to re-read that deferral information, since each college will want these things to be sent in different ways. Here are some typical ways:
Being deferred can feel like a flat-out deny, but it's truly not—many deferred students are accepted during the regular decision period. Instead, students should think of it as an opportunity to show the admissions committee their sincere, continued interest.
This page is licensed under Creative Commons under Attribution 4.0 International. Anyone can share content from this page, with attribution and link to College MatchPoint requested.
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