Dec 5, 2025
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By Justin Neiman, Former Admissions Officer & College Admissions Consultant
If you applied Early Decision to Northwestern and learned that your application was deferred, you’re not alone. Many strong applicants receive this outcome each year. A deferral simply means Northwestern was not ready to make a final decision in the early round and will re-evaluate your file in the Regular Decision pool.
If you applied ED to Northwestern, you will receive one of three decisions:
• Accepted under Early Decision
• Deferred to Regular Decision
• Denied
Northwestern University’s ED acceptance rate is estimated at around 20%. For the Class of 2029, more than 6,000 students applied Early Decision and roughly one in five applicants was admitted. Northwestern University’s early admission rate the Class of 2028 was approximately 20%. The early admission rate for the Class of 2027 was about 19%. Northwestern admitted over half of its Class of 2029 through Early Decision.
If Northwestern remains your top choice, make that clear. A thoughtful LOCI can help reinforce your enthusiasm and commitment.
Include relevant new information such as:
• Major awards or recognition
• New research, publications, or academic projects
• Expanded leadership or community roles
• Notable improvements in your academic performance
Even though your Northwestern application is complete (aside from updates), you can continue to strengthen other applications before January deadlines:
• Refine your overall application narrative. (If you don't feel like you have a strong narrative, check out this blog article!)
• Revisit your personal statement
• Strengthen school-specific supplementals
• Update your activities list
• Confirm your college list is balanced across reach, match, and likely schools
A deferral gives you time to reassess your strategy and present your strongest work.
If you’d like support with your LOCI or your Regular Decision applications, feel free to reach out.
If you applied Early Decision to Northwestern and learned that your application was deferred, you’re not alone. Many strong applicants receive this outcome each year. A deferral simply means Northwestern was not ready to make a final decision in the early round and will re-evaluate your file in the Regular Decision pool.
If you applied ED to Northwestern, you will receive one of three decisions:
• Accepted under Early Decision
• Deferred to Regular Decision
• Denied
Northwestern University’s ED acceptance rate is estimated at around 20%. For the Class of 2029, more than 6,000 students applied Early Decision and roughly one in five applicants was admitted. Northwestern University’s early admission rate the Class of 2028 was approximately 20%. The early admission rate for the Class of 2027 was about 19%. Northwestern admitted over half of its Class of 2029 through Early Decision.
If Northwestern remains your top choice, make that clear. A thoughtful LOCI can help reinforce your enthusiasm and commitment.
Include relevant new information such as:
• Major awards or recognition
• New research, publications, or academic projects
• Expanded leadership or community roles
• Notable improvements in your academic performance
Even though your Northwestern application is complete (aside from updates), you can continue to strengthen other applications before January deadlines:
• Refine your overall application narrative. (If you don't feel like you have a strong narrative, check out this blog article!)
• Revisit your personal statement
• Strengthen school-specific supplementals
• Update your activities list
• Confirm your college list is balanced across reach, match, and likely schools
A deferral gives you time to reassess your strategy and present your strongest work.
If you’d like support with your LOCI or your Regular Decision applications, feel free to reach out.
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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