Does Rice University defer early decision applicants often?

I sent in my early decision application to Rice, and I'm curious about what might happen. Does Rice typically defer a lot of early decision applications, or do they tend to give a definite yes or no?

Rice University does defer some early decision applications to the regular decision pool, but the exact numbers or percentage aren't publicly available. A deferral doesn't mean an automatic rejection; deferred applicants will be reconsidered with the regular decision applicants, and they have the opportunity to update their applications with new grades or accomplishments.

However, it's also important to note that a significant portion of the applicant pool is accepted in the early decision round at Rice, as the acceptance rate tends to be higher in the early decision round than in the regular decision round. This isn't to say that your chances are inherently lower if you are deferred to the regular decision pool; the composition of the applicant pools can change from year to year and affects these rates.

To sum it up, while deferrals do happen, Rice does tend to give a substantial number of early decision applicants a clear yes or no. However, if your application is deferred, it's not the end of the road; keep your hopes high and consider sending in any relevant updates to strengthen your application for the regular decision round.