If your child applied Early Decision or Early Action to your highly selective alma mater, don’t worry too much about your child being denied admission in mid-December. That’s right. In spite of the school’s very low admission rate, there is a strong chance that your child will not be denied admission outright come mid-December. Now, does that mean your child will be getting in? Not necessarily. But if your child doesn’t get in, it’s much more likely they will be deferred rather than denied. Curious why?

Why Courtesy Deferrals Are the Norm for Early Legacy Applicants

It does not serve a college to deny a legacy applicant outright in the Early round. After all, legacies are often the children of donors — or potential donors. Why not let these parents think that their children really are being considered for admission…even if it’s highly unlikely they’ll ever get in during Regular Decision? In elite college admissions parlance, this is called a “courtesy deferral.” Colleges will defer legacy applicants who applied in the Early round even when there is virtually no chance that these students will go on to earn admission, and they will do so out of courtesy to the alumni parents. Yes, if your worst fear was that your child was only deferred because of their legacy status, your worst fear has merit.

When students who did not work with Ivy Coach first come to us after a deferral to a school where one or more parents are alumni, we don’t mention that it could be a courtesy deferral to the student. After all, there’s no benefit to the student to suggest as much, and the truth is one can never truly know what admissions officers were thinking when they send over a notice of deferral. But we will let the parent(s) in on our suspicion because it’s important they know. Understanding the nuances of the admissions process is crucial. After all, if the student was deferred at a top school in the Early Decision / Early Action round, the parent might think the student has a shot at other top schools in the Regular Decision round when that may not, in fact, be the case since the student was only deferred as a courtesy.

This news probably comes with its fair share of offense. We can hear you now: “Ivy Coach, you’re saying my child was deferred because they don’t want to stop the flow of my donations!? An elite university would never be so petty!” But the fact of the matter is that colleges are this petty, and you’re better off not wearing any rose-colored glasses.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Elite College Admission for Legacy Applicants

Thankfully, for the parents of Ivy Coach’s students, a courtesy deferral is a highly unusual occurrence. Our team of former elite college admissions officers is adept at maximizing a student’s chances of admission to a highly selective school. All of our package clients apply to their top choice in the Early round for their respective schools, and for good reason. The Early-round advantage is indisputable in elite college admissions, for legacy applicants or otherwise. A student who applies in the Regular round stands a better chance in the Early round, all else being equal.

And we also offer our services to deferred applicants who come to us after receiving word of their deferrals. With our help, you can turn a courtesy deferral into a genuine shot of being admitted to the school of your dreams (because even courtesy deferrals, if they approach the deferral correctly, have a chance!). Our proven strategies and personalized guidance can significantly improve your chances of admission. To get started with us, fill out our complimentary consultation form and indicate your child’s needs as an applicant (whether they have been deferred, are applying next fall, or are just getting started on their admissions journey). We’ll then be in touch with an outline of our services.