Congratulations! You have been deferred from Stanford. We are being serious. We know it probably doesn’t feel like a “congratulations” moment, but getting deferred from Stanford is actually very impressive. You still have a chance of getting into California’s most competitive research university, and that is something to celebrate.
When it comes to their Restrictive Early Action (REA) round, Stanford takes a very denial-forward approach. In their words, “Stanford's philosophy is to make final decisions whenever possible. As a result, Stanford defers only a small percentage of Restrictive Early Action applications to Regular Decision.” They don’t publish the actual numbers that we can share with you, but believe us, most applicants are just rejected. Being one of the very few applicants deferred means that Stanford was impressed by your application and wants to take another serious look.
This is really good news, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Getting deferred is stressful, but if you take a couple of strategic steps, you can maximize your chances of getting into Stanford and other top schools during the regular decision round.
Can we complain about Stanford for a second? We know it’s your dream school. However, they do something that really irks us. They don’t publish any data about how many students they accept during REA, which means we can’t calculate their RD acceptance rate. Their overall acceptance rate last year was about 3.7%. For most schools, the RD rate is lower than the overall rate. If Stanford follows this trend… well… you need to be competitive and strategic going into the next round.
Navigating a deferral is hard, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Contact us today to work with a dedicated counselor.
If you hope to maximize your chances at a successful RD round, there are a couple of essential steps you need to take. While we highly recommend working with a professional, we wanted to share our overall tips for navigating a Stanford deferral. Let’s jump in.
Review Your College List
You can’t rely on getting into Stanford during RD. Yes, you still have a shot, but you need to also make other plans. We tell this to all deferred students, but this is even more important for students deferred during an REA round as opposed to an ED cycle. We are not fans of REA, mostly because it limits the number of schools you can apply to EA. This means when we work with students who have been deferred from an REA school, they often don’t have any or many other acceptances.
If this sounds like you, it is especially essential to have a balanced list of schools to apply to. You need to review your college list and make sure that you have at least 3 targets and 3 foundationals (sometimes also called safeties). You are an impressive candidate, so you also need reach schools. However, your list can’t all be reach schools. We have found that competitive candidates often skimp on 3 targets, but that isn’t a good strategy. A balanced list of schools that you would actually want to go to is a powerful tool.
Really take some time to make sure you have solid targets and foundationals. These categories can’t just be based on vibes; you need data. Check out Common Data Sets, use tools like Naviance, and speak with an expert to make sure your list is actually balanced and strategic.
Once you have solidified your list, it is time to look back at your materials.
Reassess Your Common App Essay
When a recently deferred student comes to us, one of the first things we do is holistically review their Common App. We comb through it and look for areas of improvement. While we often find room for improvement in multiple sections, the biggest opportunity for improvement is the Common App essay.
Let’s get this straight: your Common App essay likely isn’t bad. If it were bad, they would have rejected your application, but 9/10 times it could have been better. With elite schools like Stanford, an essay can make all the difference for qualified candidates. We specialize in helping students craft standout essays. We have compiled some of our favorite tips in the Official Common App Essay Guide 2026/2027. We recommend you read it over and see if your essay can be revamped before regular decision.
Need help editing? Want to ensure your essays are as strong as they can be? We have you covered! Reach out today!
Press Submit
At this point, you should have a solid list and an improved Common App. So what’s next? Well, it is time to get your apps in. Don’t procrastinate! Once you have everything together, submit your other apps. Deadlines come up fast, and once you have your other apps in, we can talk about Stanford again!
What Stanford Wants
Stanford tends to be a little secretive. They don’t always spell out what they need from applicants. However, they have one line about deferred students on their website:
“If your application is deferred, you do not need to re-apply; you will be provided with a form to share any updates since your original application.”
This is pretty vague, so we want to break down what they will need from you.
Mid-Year Grades
The first thing Stanford needs is your Mid-year grades. Your high school’s college counselor should already know to send these as part of a mid-year school report, but it’s best practice to check in with them. You don’t want anything to slip through the cracks, so make sure they have everything they need on their end.
Additional Materials
After you applied, you were given access to the Stanford Portal. You may have noticed that this portal has a text box that allows you to submit changes and updates to your application. We recommend using this extremely sparingly. Yes, technically you can submit this as many times as you like, but you want to avoid spamming them. Sometimes students think that more is more, but it really isn’t. Be confident in what you have already shared.
If you overuse this box, it also makes the next step much harder.
The Update Form
Most schools ask deferred students to submit a Letter of Continued Interest. Stanford takes a different approach. Instead of letting you write a letter, they make you fill out a form. This isn’t like Mad Libs or fill-in-the-blank; instead, it asks you to write a couple of very short essays. This form changes slightly from year to year, but, generally, it asks students to answer 3-4 questions about their current studies and accomplishments.
Ideally, you have 3-4 significant updates that can inform your answers to the questions on this form. This is why we really recommend using the Stanford Portal text box sparingly. If you are constantly barraging them with random updates, it is really hard to send substantive and new updates on this form.
For example, one question asks about “an accomplishment you are proud of that occurred after you submitted your application.” You need to have something new and interesting to write about here. For example, our past students have written about new research, winning an award, or completing a major extracurricular project.
Another question asks, “Describe any new information or personal circumstances you would like to share with the admission committee.” You need to make sure you are only sharing truly new information.
Choosing your updates carefully and writing a great update essay is essential; we can help!
The other questions are more reflective. They ask about learning and growth. Honestly, our biggest tip for these is to dig deep and approach these like you would a supplemental essay. They should feel like stories and build upon the rest of your application. Not only do you need to legitimately reflect on your growth over the last couple of months, but you also need to craft it into a short but effective essay. This is hard. Give yourself time to write something impressive. And again, we can help! If you are serious about getting into Stanford, we really recommend working with a professional to tackle this form.
We know there is still a lot to do, but remember, if you follow these steps, you will set yourself up for success during RD and maximize your chances of getting into Stanford. You can do this! And if you need help, check out our It’s Going to be Ok package. We are pros at helping students navigate the confusing world of college deferrals.
Reach out today to get a professional in your corner!