Decoding College Deferral Rates and Policies

When it comes to college admissions, deferral rates can vary greatly among different schools. It's important to understand each school's deferral policy so that you can set appropriate expectations and take the necessary steps in response to a deferral notice.

Some schools, such as Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and Stanford, defer relatively few students. This means that most applicants are either accepted or rejected outright. On the other hand, schools such as USC and Georgetown have much higher deferral rates and defer all their applicants not admitted.

So, why do some schools have high deferral rates while others do not? One reason is that highly selective schools receive many applications each year, and they may defer a portion of these applicants to manage their yield rates. Yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who choose to enroll at a particular college, and colleges want to maintain a high yield rate to demonstrate their selectivity and to keep their classes full.

Another reason for deferral may be that some schools want to wait for more information before making a final decision on an applicant. For example, a student may be deferred because their grades from the first semester of their senior year have not yet been released, or because they plan to retake a standardized test to improve their score.

It's important to note that a deferral is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be an opportunity for students to demonstrate their continued interest in a particular school and to provide additional information that may strengthen their application. However, it's important to understand each school's policies and deferral rates so that you can adjust your expectations and plan your next steps accordingly.