Dec 9, 2025
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By Justin Neiman, Former Admissions Officer
If you were deferred from Stanford Early Action, this guide will walk you through exactly what a REA Stanford deferral means, the Stanford Early Action acceptance rate, and how to evaluate your admissions chances after a deferral from Stanford. We will also explain how to strengthen your application through Stanford’s Deferral Form and break down the estimated Stanford deferred acceptance rate using peer comparisons, since Stanford does not publish these statistics.
Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action round is one of the most competitive in the country, so receiving a deferral instead of an early offer of admission usually reflects the strength of the applicant pool rather than a weakness in your candidacy. In recent years, Stanford has become increasingly selective with its deferrals, which means being deferred is a meaningful signal that your application is still under serious consideration.
Stanford provides the following guidance on its admissions website: “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.”
If you applied to Stanford Restrictive Early Action, there are three possible outcomes:
• You are offered admission, and you have until May 1 to respond.
• You are not offered admission. This decision is final, and you may not reapply in Regular Decision.
• Your application is deferred to Regular Decision, and you will receive a final decision by early April.
Stanford defers a smaller percentage of applicants than many of its peers. A deferral from Stanford generally means the committee believes your file warrants a full second review in the Regular Decision round.
Stanford University does not publish specific statistics for its Restrictive Early Action (REA) process. This stands in contrast to institutions like MIT, which release detailed Early Action data each year. Harvard, for example, reported an Early Action acceptance rate of 8.74 percent for the Class of 2028.
The only recent statistic Stanford has made public is its overall acceptance rate of 3.61 percent for the Class of 2028.
Because Stanford has not released detailed early admissions numbers in several years, researchers and admissions experts rely on older REA data and peer comparisons to estimate trends. Most industry experts estimate that the Stanford Early Action acceptance rate falls in the 8–10 percent range. This aligns with historical REA data and acceptance rates reported by similar institutions.
Because Stanford does not publish deferral statistics, the exact deferred acceptance rate is unknown. Stanford does admit some deferred students each year in the Regular Decision round, but the university has not released detailed numbers in many years.
Peer institutions offer helpful context: MIT admitted 175 deferred applicants to the Class of 2029, UPenn has reported a deferred acceptance rate of about 9.5 percent, and Georgetown admits roughly 15 percent of its deferred Early Action applicants.
While Stanford does not provide comparable data, most experts estimate that Stanford’s deferred acceptance rate generally falls in the 5–15 percent range, depending on the year and the competitiveness of the applicant pool.
If you were denied in Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action round, the decision is final for this cycle. Stanford does not accept appeals. You may apply again next year as a first-year applicant or later as a transfer student.
For now, shift your energy toward your Regular Decision applications, where you still have many strong opportunities.
If Stanford is still your top choice, there are several steps that can meaningfully strengthen your file:
Complete the Stanford Deferral Form
This is your only official opportunity to offer meaningful updates. Treat it like a formal LOCI.
Keep your grades strong
Your midyear transcript gives Stanford an updated look at your academic performance.
Consider an additional recommendation
Stanford discourages extra materials unless they add genuinely new insight. Only pursue this if the letter would highlight something that is not already in your application.
Last year, Stanford asked deferred students to complete the Stanford Deferral Form instead of submitting a traditional Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI). We advise focusing on the Deferral Form rather than sending a separate LOCI.
These were last year’s questions, each with a 125-word limit:
If Stanford remains one of your top choices, answer each question thoughtfully. Make sure every response adds something new, strengthens your narrative, and reinforces your readiness for Stanford.
Even though you cannot change your Stanford materials, you can strengthen applications to your other top schools.
A deferral is not a rejection; it’s an invitation to stay in the game. Keep excelling academically, remain proactive, and use this as an opportunity to refine your strategy. Remember, many successful students use setbacks as fuel for future success.
I like to share this quote from a past student to just offer some perspective:
“If I hadn’t been deferred in the early round, I wouldn’t have realized how much my application needed improvement. I made changes and ended up getting into all of my top schools during regular decision. It was a blessing in disguise.”
We’ve helped many students turn Early Action deferrals into spring acceptances. If you want support navigating the Stanford deferral process, feel free to reach out.
This article was updated in December 2025 for the 2025-2026 Admissions Cycle.
If you were deferred from Stanford Early Action, this guide will walk you through exactly what a REA Stanford deferral means, the Stanford Early Action acceptance rate, and how to evaluate your admissions chances after a deferral from Stanford. We will also explain how to strengthen your application through Stanford’s Deferral Form and break down the estimated Stanford deferred acceptance rate using peer comparisons, since Stanford does not publish these statistics.
Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action round is one of the most competitive in the country, so receiving a deferral instead of an early offer of admission usually reflects the strength of the applicant pool rather than a weakness in your candidacy. In recent years, Stanford has become increasingly selective with its deferrals, which means being deferred is a meaningful signal that your application is still under serious consideration.
Stanford provides the following guidance on its admissions website: “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.”
If you applied to Stanford Restrictive Early Action, there are three possible outcomes:
• You are offered admission, and you have until May 1 to respond.
• You are not offered admission. This decision is final, and you may not reapply in Regular Decision.
• Your application is deferred to Regular Decision, and you will receive a final decision by early April.
Stanford defers a smaller percentage of applicants than many of its peers. A deferral from Stanford generally means the committee believes your file warrants a full second review in the Regular Decision round.
Stanford University does not publish specific statistics for its Restrictive Early Action (REA) process. This stands in contrast to institutions like MIT, which release detailed Early Action data each year. Harvard, for example, reported an Early Action acceptance rate of 8.74 percent for the Class of 2028.
The only recent statistic Stanford has made public is its overall acceptance rate of 3.61 percent for the Class of 2028.
Because Stanford has not released detailed early admissions numbers in several years, researchers and admissions experts rely on older REA data and peer comparisons to estimate trends. Most industry experts estimate that the Stanford Early Action acceptance rate falls in the 8–10 percent range. This aligns with historical REA data and acceptance rates reported by similar institutions.
Because Stanford does not publish deferral statistics, the exact deferred acceptance rate is unknown. Stanford does admit some deferred students each year in the Regular Decision round, but the university has not released detailed numbers in many years.
Peer institutions offer helpful context: MIT admitted 175 deferred applicants to the Class of 2029, UPenn has reported a deferred acceptance rate of about 9.5 percent, and Georgetown admits roughly 15 percent of its deferred Early Action applicants.
While Stanford does not provide comparable data, most experts estimate that Stanford’s deferred acceptance rate generally falls in the 5–15 percent range, depending on the year and the competitiveness of the applicant pool.
If you were denied in Stanford’s Restrictive Early Action round, the decision is final for this cycle. Stanford does not accept appeals. You may apply again next year as a first-year applicant or later as a transfer student.
For now, shift your energy toward your Regular Decision applications, where you still have many strong opportunities.
If Stanford is still your top choice, there are several steps that can meaningfully strengthen your file:
Complete the Stanford Deferral Form
This is your only official opportunity to offer meaningful updates. Treat it like a formal LOCI.
Keep your grades strong
Your midyear transcript gives Stanford an updated look at your academic performance.
Consider an additional recommendation
Stanford discourages extra materials unless they add genuinely new insight. Only pursue this if the letter would highlight something that is not already in your application.
Last year, Stanford asked deferred students to complete the Stanford Deferral Form instead of submitting a traditional Letter of Continued Interest (LOCI). We advise focusing on the Deferral Form rather than sending a separate LOCI.
These were last year’s questions, each with a 125-word limit:
If Stanford remains one of your top choices, answer each question thoughtfully. Make sure every response adds something new, strengthens your narrative, and reinforces your readiness for Stanford.
Even though you cannot change your Stanford materials, you can strengthen applications to your other top schools.
A deferral is not a rejection; it’s an invitation to stay in the game. Keep excelling academically, remain proactive, and use this as an opportunity to refine your strategy. Remember, many successful students use setbacks as fuel for future success.
I like to share this quote from a past student to just offer some perspective:
“If I hadn’t been deferred in the early round, I wouldn’t have realized how much my application needed improvement. I made changes and ended up getting into all of my top schools during regular decision. It was a blessing in disguise.”
We’ve helped many students turn Early Action deferrals into spring acceptances. If you want support navigating the Stanford deferral process, feel free to reach out.
This article was updated in December 2025 for the 2025-2026 Admissions Cycle.
Former Admissions Officer, Harvard University
Former Assistant Dean, Stanford University
As a College Counselor I help students navigate the college admissions process. My goal is to help students stand out and get accepted to their top-choice schools.
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