If you’ve been deferred by the University of Chicago, you’re probably pretty disappointed. The college application process can feel like it slogs on forever, and it would have been really nice to have an acceptance to a top-tier school under your belt — or even to be done altogether if you’d applied Early Decision. The bad news is that you got bad news. The good news is that you didn’t get the worst news. You weren’t rejected, so you still have a shot.
The University of Chicago, or UChicago, has received nearly 40,000 applications for first-year admission in recent years, and accepts under 5% of applicants. A very high percentage of accepted students reciprocate by enrolling. Last year, 88% of students offered a seat in the first-year class at UChicago matriculated. One reason for the high enrollment rate is that UChicago accepts a large percentage of the class Early Decision or Early Decision II — which is something you can still make work in your favor, although we’ll go into it further down this post. For now, UChicago has offered re “reconsider your application,” for either the Early Decision II or Regular Decision round, so you have choices to make and work to do.
In this post, we dig into that work, laying out what you need to do to increase your chance of admission to the University of Chicago while also pursuing other avenues to an exceptional college experience.
If this already sounds overwhelming, we’re here to help! We work with outstanding students, helping them chart a path to a dream college experience.
What Chicago Wants
In recent years, UChicago has been kind enough to offer clear instructions for deferred applicants, and it’s held just about the same. We love this, because most colleges aren’t so clear about what they want, which can be frustrating. But UChicago is!
The first decision you’ll need to make is a big one. In another way they differ from most colleges, UChicago allows deferred applicants to opt into consideration for either the Early Decision II or Regular Decision pools. Which group you’re considered in depends on how you complete the defer response form, which will be available in your UChicago account by mid-January.
From a statistical perspective, your best chance of admission is EDII. If you do not opt into EDII, it doesn’t really matter how much you say you love UChicago in a letter of continued interest (more on that below), because you didn’t love them enough to double down with going EDII.
If you didn’t apply Early Decision originally, applying Early Action instead, you’ll need to proactively switch your application to EDII. To do so, contact your regional admissions counselor (available through the UChicago website), and complete the Early Decision II Agreement form. If you did apply ED originally, you can skip these steps and just complete the defer response form.
Once that’s all complete, you need to write a Letter of Continued Interest (which the University of Chicago specifically asks for, by the way), and submit it through the UChicago Account or by email to your regional admission counselor — although the UChicago Account is preferred.
Letter of Continued Interest
The team in the Office of Admissions at the University of Chicago likes to receive a short and sweet letter of continued interest. In this letter, you absolutely need to reinforce that UChicago is your first choice — and having chosen ED II will help underline this point. “We don’t need a novel,” Chicago says, “but a thoughtful note of one to two paragraphs can help us understand and consider your continued interest.”
Focus your letter predominately on what you want to do at the University of Chicago as a student, and how you’d make the most of your time there. Include only highly-relevant updates to your application, such as an award in your academic subject area of interest.
Once this letter is complete, there are a few other things you need to do.
Your Counselor will need to send a midyear transcript, so check in with them to make sure it is sent.
You can also submit supplemental materials through the “Portfolio and Upload Materials” sections of the UChicago Account. Only do this if there is something that really needs to be added for them to properly review your application.
Finally, you have the option to submit your test scores if you did not previously. However, if you originally submitted scores you cannot select for them to be disregarded in the Regular Decision or EDII round. If you are considering submitting your scores, first verify that they meet the high end of the middle 50% score range for the SAT or Act for the class of 2027.
The University of Chicago gives you lots of opportunities to update your application, as outlined above, but there are also a few things they don’t want. You do not want you to ask to meet with them in-person or virtually, or to request an explanation of your deferral, and they do not want you to submit new essays.
Once you’ve addressed what UChicago needs from you, it’s time to do the other work necessary to ensure a successful college application experience.
What Else You Need to Do
Dealing with UChicago comes first, but once that’s done there’s still a lot to do to make sure that you have the best possible options to pick from for college. You have a chance of getting into UChicago after deferral, but it isn’t a great one — so you need to plan as if it’s not going to happen.
1. Rework Your College List
First, you need to take a look at your college list. Back when your plan was an early acceptance to UChicago, you may not have really put a ton of effort into what your regular decision strategy would be. Now, you need to. We’ve put together two guides on how to craft the perfect college list, one for students applying with test scores and another for students who are choosing not to submit their test scores.
The most important thing, though, is balance. All college lists should have a balance of safety or “foundation” schools that you are very likely to get into statistically (scores help determine this, but aren’t everything) and target schools that you are likely to get into. There should then be a small number of reach schools. Many students overload their college lists with reaches, and we really discourage this. A big part of a successful college admissions process is a realistic college list with a few stretches that aren’t too far out of reach.
And remember, what a reach is may be different for everyone, but the University of Chicago and similarly selective schools aren’t anyone’s safety. If the acceptance rate is below 10%, it’s a target at absolute best and more likely a reach. That isn’t because you aren’t capable, but simply a numbers problem. Too many students are applying for too few spots to make it a sure bet for anyone.
If you’re looking at your college list and have the sinking realization that it needs an overhaul to set you up for success, we can help. We craft perfect college lists for high-achieving students.
2. Edit your Common App Essay
Next you need to go back to the Common App Essay. You’ll have plenty of work to do with supplements and that Letter of Continued Interest, so this may seem unnecessary — but trust us, even strong writing benefits from edits. We encourage students to look at their Common App essay with fresh eyes after reading our blog post “Tips for Editing Your Common App Essay.” The post may give you some ideas on how to improve (or even overhaul) your essay.
If you think your essay needs a complete rewrite, check out our essay ‘bootcamp’ where we help students craft outstanding writing that stands out in admissions reviews.
3. Get to the Finish Line
You are so close, and you really just need to buckle down and get things done. Work a small chunk at a time, even just one supplemental question a night, and you’ll get through it quickly, neatly, and with some time left over to enjoy your senior winter. This process is inherently stressful, but it doesn’t need to be miserable, too.
If all this feels like too much, though, we can help. We are experts at helping great students get into outstanding schools. Send us an email.