What Does It Mean if Colleges Defer Admission?

I just found out that I've been deferred by one of my top choice colleges. What exactly does it mean to have your admission deferred, and what should I do next? I'm kinda freaking out here.

A deferral in college admissions happens when you apply Early Decision (ED) or Early Action (EA) and the college decides to postpone its admission decision until the Regular Decision (RD) round. It means your application will be reviewed again with the RD applicant pool, and you'll receive the final decision later, usually in the spring.

Being deferred isn't the same as being waitlisted or rejected. Waitlisted means the college might offer you a place in their incoming class, but only if there's room after all accepted students have made their decisions. Rejection means they are not offering you a place in their incoming class.

As for what you should do next: first of all, don’t panic. Deferrals can happen for a range of reasons, and it doesn't mean you won't be admitted in the RD round. In the meantime, make sure you have your RD applications in order for other schools you're interested in. You might also consider writing a letter to the school that deferred you, expressing your continued interest and providing any new information that might strengthen your case (like improved grades, new accomplishments, awards, etc).

Remember every college’s admissions process is different, so the numbers of deferrals and later acceptances can vary widely. Treat this as another opportunity to demonstrate to the college why you'd be a great addition to their student body.