Deferrals can happen, even for the student who has straight As and top test scores. These factors are no longer enough in the elite college admissions game. 

Students who were deferred from Fordham University’s Class of 2030 will hear back about their application by April 1st, along with all the other Regular Decision Applicants. 

That can feel like forever, especially for eager students who applied early, hoping to get the admissions process over with. In the meantime, we’re happy to say there is plenty students can be doing to put themselves in a good spot for the rest of the college admissions process. 

What Percentage of Early Action, Early Decision I and Early Decision II Applicants Does Fordham Typically Defer?

Fordham University runs the gamut for admissions options: Early Action, Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and of course, Regular Decision. The school doesn’t release information about the number of students they defer in the Early process for any of the options. It’s important to note that once a student is deferred, they are released from their Early Decision contract with the school.

Fordham University EDI, EDII & RD Acceptance Rate

Fordham University’s acceptance rate for the Class of 2029 was 58%. They have not yet released their statistics on Early Decision I and II admitted students. 

Admissions Cycle	Fordham University Class Year	Early Action Admission Rate	Early Decision I and II Admission Rate	Regular Decision Admission Rate
2025-2026	Class of 2030	Not Reported	Not Reported	Not Reported
2024-2025	Class of 2029	Not Reported	Not Reported	58%
2023-2024	Class of 2028	Not Reported	51.6%	59.3%
2022-2023	Class of 2027	Not Reported	68.3%	56.3%
2021-2022	Class of 2026	Not Reported	67.5%	54.1%
2020-2021	Class of 2025	Not Reported	Not Reported	Not Reported
2019-2020	Class of 2024	Not Reported	Not Reported	Not Reported
2018-2019	Class of 2023	Not Reported	51.8%	45.9%
2017-2018	Class of 2022	Not Reported	53.4%	46.0%
2016-2017	Class of 2021	Not Reported	47.6%	46.4%
2015-2016	Class of 2020	Not Reported	Not Reported	45.2%
2014-2015	Class of 2019	Not Reported	Not Reported	47.6%
2013-2014	Class of 2018	Not Reported	Not Offered	48.1%
2012-2013	Class of 2017	Not Reported	Not Offered	47.1%
2011-2012	Class of 2016	Not Reported	Not Offered	42.9%
2010-2011	Class of 2015	Not Reported	Not Offered	42.4%

What Percentage of Early Action, Early Decision I, and Early Decision II Applicants Does Fordham Typically Accept?

Across both their Early Decision I and Early Decision II applicants, last year, Fordham University had an overall Early acceptance rate of 51.6%. 307 out of the 595 students who submitted applications were offered a spot in the Class of 2028. They do not release data on their Early Action submissions or acceptances. 

What Should Applicants Do After Being Deferred by Fordham: PostMortem Application Review

After being deferred from Fordham University, the best next step is to set up Ivy Coach’s PostMortem application review. 

During the PostMortem session, Ivy Coach’s counselor,  a former elite college admissions officer, will:

• Provide thorough feedback on up to three college applications. Ivy Coach’s counselor will review both essay and non-essay portions of each application.
• Brainstorm a compelling extracurricular hook to place a student in the most advantageous spot for admission. That hook will thread through the rest of their application, in order to differentiate them from every other student they’re competing against (this includes both frenemies at their school and the student from across the sea).
• Fix mistakes. There are always mistakes; no student’s first application is perfect. In fact, most contain a variety of errors. Even something seemingly insignificant can have an adverse effect on the admissions game.
• Complete a new and improved Regular Decision school list. We’re very good at spotting missing schools from a student’s list that they would be a strong competitive fit for, so let’s make sure those are added for the Regular Decision round. 

Common Mistakes Caught During Ivy Coach’s PostMortem

Students make a lot of the same mistakes as one another. The ones we’ve included aren’t exhaustive; there are plenty more that we catch throughout student applications. These are just some of the most common errors we see. Check out your child’s application and make sure they didn’t include any of the following. 

• A Personal Statement about sports, music, community service, grandparents, or travel. These are our five no-no topics for the essay. 
• A Why College essay that was essentially an identical copy of their essay for a different school. Even if they swapped out the names of classes and professors, admissions officers can tell when a student was just playing Mad Libs, rather than getting specific because they’re genuinely excited about attending the school. Besides, class names and professor name drops should not be included.
• They included a dollar amount fundraised for a charitable cause. Dollar signs make the student instantly come across as unlikable to admissions officers.
• They listed out every single activity, honor, and community service hour they ever did in one essay. That feels showoff-y, and it looks like a student is trying to impress admissions officers. Ivy Coach’s students don’t have to try to impress admissions officers. They just do.
• Their application is well-rounded. That hasn’t worked on admissions officers in many, many, MANY years. The crucial part of a successful application is its uniqueness, the singularity of a student’s hook. Not that they look like every other Joe Schmoe who’s also applying!
• Shooting for a school that they weren’t competitive enough for. At Ivy Coach, we tell it like it is. If a student’s Early Action or Early Decision choice wasn’t the right one, we’ll be candid with them.

Write a Letter of Continued Interest

The Letter of Continued Interest is a paramount part of  making that deferral become an offer of admission down the line. That’s why it’s so important to make certain your child is only writing a letter that will help their case, not hinder them.

Your child’s Letter of Continued Interest must be a love letter to the university. Think about it: you wouldn’t want a generic love letter; admissions officers don’t want a generic Letter of Continued Interest. They want something chock full of details that show a student is really excited about contributing to the school via their unique hook. How will your child contribute to the school’s courses, culture, and campus?

That letter needs to catch the attention of admissions officers as quickly as possible, otherwise your child’s application will blend in with everyone else and they have no shot of getting accepted. Their hook will put them in a position to benefit the school, and they have to make it clear and easy for admissions officers to understand that.

What a Letter of Continued Interest Should Not Do

Of course, there are things the Letter of Continued Interest should never contain. First of all, no academic updates. That’s boring to admissions officers; it’s a waste of space and it comes across as bragging. Bragging is unlikable. 

A Letter of Continued Interest also needs to creatively keep an admissions officer engaged. Here’s a hint: it shouldn’t start with their name. It should paint a clear picture of that singular unique hook, showcasing how they’ll contribute their hook to the specific aspects of the school, like its programs, institutes, culture, traditions, and activities.

If this is different from other advice you’ve received (and it probably is since there’s a ton of bad advice out there), we’re sorry you got a false start on drafting that letter. Hopefully, there’s still time to correct those mistakes before your child submits a letter which wouldn’t paint them in the best possible light. 

When Applicants Should Submit Their Letters of Continued Interest

We always recommend students submit their Letter of Continued Interest as soon as they can, ideally within a few days of receiving a deferral. For example, if a student learns they are deferred on December 15th, we like students to send in their Letters of Continued Interest before December 20th.

However, the one time we will tell a student under no circumstances to send that letter is the day or two leading up to Christmas or between Christmas and New Year’s. Admissions officers deserve a holiday too! In that case, we have students wait to send the letter in until a few days into the New Year. 

It’s important to note that we said waiting to send, not waiting to write. That letter is going to be the crux of how we’d encourage a student to reposition their Regular Decision applications, many of which will be due January 1st. They should draft that letter and then use it as a guide moving forward.

Chances of Getting into Fordham After Being Deferred

Similar to many schools, Fordham University does not release the acceptance statistics for students who are admitted after being deferred.

A pretty universal statistic we use as a reference point at Ivy Coach is that about 10% of deferred candidates ultimately earn admission to the school that kicked the can on their acceptance decision. Although the percentage can vary yearly and from school to school, it serves as a fairly consistent threshold.  

However, that rate rises to about 40% on average for students who come to Ivy Coach after being deferred. We work closely with a student to create a compelling Letter of Interest and boost their chances of admission after a deferral, as well as improve their odds for the Regular Decision process.

A Deferred Student’s Chances Improve Dramatically with Ivy Coach

For students who first come to work with Ivy Coach first after being deferred, if they play their cards right, they still have a genuine shot at admission. 

We’re also very realistic at Ivy Coach, though. We tell it like it is. Because of this, we will only take on students after a deferral if they fully understand that their chances simply aren’t as strong as when they first applied. All we can do is give them the best possible chance to gain admissions. And if quadrupling a student’s chances post-deferral is not enough, good luck!

What To Do After Being Rejected By Fordham

Fordham University admissions is a moderately selective process, with their admissions rate at 58% for the Class of 2029. Almost half of the hopeful students who submitted an application were unfortunately turned away. 

We know a rejection can feel like the end of the world. But don’t let that get in the way of the rest of your child’s successful admissions process. As long as a student is willing to fix their initial mistakes and reframe their application narrative the way that we suggest, a rejection from one school doesn’t mean more rejection will follow.

Ready to move forward and take the next step in the admissions journey with confidence? Sign up for Ivy Coach’s PostMortem. One of our former elite university admissions officers will work with you to develop a competitive strategy for Regular Decision admission.

After a rejection, students come to Ivy Coach in droves, because they know we’ll guide them through their Regular Decision process and ensure they don’t make the same mistakes over and over again. We like to say we dare admissions officers not to give a student a spot at their school, and we do it through that singular hook!

Getting Started with Ivy Coach After a Fordham University Deferral or Rejection

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s game plan to optimize your child’s Regular Decision case for admission to Fordham University’s Class of 2030 (in the event of a deferral) or if you need help with Regular Decision applications (in the event of a deferral or rejection), we advise you fill out our complimentary consultation form. We’ll reach out to let you know our next steps.