Stanford University is widely recognized as one of the best universities in the world, and they only offer one early application option. Restrictive Early Action at Stanford is extremely competitive. All admissions options to Stanford are insanely competitive, to be honest, and now you’re on the receiving end of one of the most frustrating possible outcomes: a deferral.
Stanford holds back on releasing their admissions statistics, but for a number of years the overall acceptance rate has been between 3.5% and 4%. Lucky for you, they are not just stingy with acceptances. They’re also stingy with deferrals. “Stanford’s philosophy is to make final decisions whenever possible,” they say, so “Stanford defers only a small percentage of Restrictive Early Action applications to Regular Decision.” This is really good news.
While some colleges defer a lot of, or even the majority of, early applicants, pushing a final decision to the regular decision cycle, Stanford doesn’t. That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get into Stanford regular decision, though, unless you take decisive action to improve your chances of an eventual acceptance. In this post, we’ll break down what you need to do to increase your chances of moving from a maybe to a yes at Stanford, and what actions you need to take to have a successful college application experience with every other school on your list.
First, let’s talk about what you need to do beyond Stanford, because that must be your first priority in this moment.
Every year, we help top students bounce back from deferrals and get into their dream school. Contact us to learn how.
As we’ve said, the first thing you need to do is to address your other potential options. You still have a chance at Stanford, but you need more than one possible option. These are the three steps you need to take to give yourself choices.
Review Your College List
First, you need to take a look at your college list with fresh eyes. It’s possible that you have a perfectly balanced and reasonable college list, but it’s also just as plausible that you made your college list with the assumption (or at least the hope) that you wouldn’t have to use it. But now you do, and so it needs another look.
For a balanced college list, there should be a small number of reach schools, a larger number of “target” schools, and an equal, or even larger, number of “foundation” or safety schools. We aim for a list of 10 schools, so that may mean 2-3 reaches (including Stanford), 3-4 targets, and then the balance in foundation schools. You can’t identify a “foundation” or “target” based on feeling, and it can’t be determined by what was reasonable for a sibling, even if they applied only a few years ago. Acceptance rates have plummeted, and schools that were fairly accessible even just 4 years ago are reaches for just about every applicant today. This is frustrating, but it’s also reality. Assess your college list with awareness of this, and you may benefit from an outside eye.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
Once you have your new and improved college list, you need to go back to the Common App Essay. Like your college list, it’s theoretically possible that it is perfect. Chances are, though, that there is room for improvement — and your essay may even need an overhaul.
To determine what needs to happen with your essay, take a look at our Official Common App Essay Guide for the 2024-2025 application cycle. Application readers have to review dozens of applications each day, and it’s easy for them to blend together. While you can’t go back and change your Stanford essay, you have time to make your essay a stand-out that sticks in the minds of application readers for every other application you submit. Don’t miss this opportunity to make a difference and increase your chances of admission to a dream school.
Press Submit
Finally, you need to work up the courage to press submit. Yes, you can wait until the very last minute (literally) to send your applications in, but we don’t recommend it. There’s a lot of bad editing that happens between finishing an application and submitting it if you get itchy fingers and can’t stop tweaking. We see many “Frankenstein” applications that we absolutely amazing until someone got too impatient, insecure, or unsure. Don’t be one of those people. When you’re done, press submit and then move onto the next objective.
And that next objective will be Stanford. Stanford will not reassess your application until after the regular decision deadline, so there is no rush to do anything far before that deadline unless they specifically ask you to. This is what comes next.
WHAT STANFORD WANTS
The Stanford Deferral Form
After receiving your notice of deferral, you will receive access to “a form to share any updates since your original application.” Filling out this form carefully and with precision can be the difference between you getting in, or receiving a rejection. As you fill out the form, remember that they don’t know what you don’t tell them. They want to know about changes in your application, which may include new leadership positions, recognitions or awards, opportunities, or roles. If it is something that you would have included in your initial application, you should put it here.
There is also a place in the Stanford Portal, which you gained access to upon applying, to input an update or change to your application. This is a text box you write into (or copy-and-paste into), and you can technically submit it as many times as you like. We highly discourage students from doing this, as the deferral form is the first place admissions officials will look for more information. Each time you submit this, it’s like diluting your application. You’re giving them more to look at, but that doesn’t mean they’ll spend more time considering your candidacy. Ultimately, you’re actually increasing the likelihood that there are aspects of your application that they don’t fully read or consider. Which is a bad thing, so don’t do it.
Instead, focus on the deferral form. It’s the place they’ll look for updates, so fill it out carefully and with detail.
Mid-Year Grade Report
Stanford also expects to receive your mid-year grade report. This updated set of grades should be sent to Stanford by your school counselor automatically. We highly recommend reminding them to do it, though, because you don’t want something that can help your application slipping through the cracks.
Receiving a deferral from Stanford is a disappointment to be sure, but it’s also a bit of an accomplishment. They don’t defer many applicants, so you truly still are in the mix for potential eventual acceptance. Closing the gap between a deferral and an acceptance takes care and benefits from expertise. We’ve been there before, and we’ve made the difference for applicants like you. In short, we can help.
Applying to college is stressful, especially after a deferral. Email us to learn how we can help.