If you were deferred by Emory University in the Early Decision round to the Class of 2030, you might be wondering, if you were rejected in the Early round, if you still have a genuine shot of earning admission in Regular Decision. You also might be wondering if you were rejected in the Early round what steps you can follow to improve your chances of admission at your Regular Decision schools. So, let’s dive into what your deferral or rejection means and what your post-deferral or post-rejection game plan should be!

Emory University Early Decision Admission Rates

Early Decision I and Early Decision II Admission Rates

Below are the Early Decision I and Early Decision II admission rates that have been released by Emory over the last seven years:

Emory Class Year	Early Decision I Admission Rate (Emory College + Oxford College Combined)	Early Decision II Admission Rate
Class of 2030	28.97%	Not Yet Released
Class of 2029	30.05%	TBD
Class of 2028	32%	Not Yet Published
Class of 2027	37.4%	11.7% (Emory College only)
Class of 2026	29.53%	13.73% (Emory College + Oxford College)
Class of 2025	38.93%	Not Published
Class of 2024	33%	13% (Emory College + Oxford College)
Class of 2023	42.67%	Not Published

Early Decision Deferral and Rejection Rates

Like many top universities, Emory, which has both an Early Decision I and an Early Decision II round, withholds the percentage of students it defers and rejects annually.

Yet, as Emory’s admissions committee writes on its website, “Statistically, most deferred applicants will not be offered admission at Regular Decision because of the strong competition and selective review. That being said, all deferred applicants will be holistically reviewed and provided a fair shot for admission in Regular Decision.”

5 Steps to Take After Being Deferred by Emory University

1. Go for a run or a swim. You’ll need to get started on addressing your Emory deferral with expedience, but it’s important to first take a breath and clear your head.
2. Schedule a complimentary consultation with Ivy Coach to learn about our services for deferred applicants to Emory.
3. Complete a PostMortem application review with Ivy Coach. You’ll find out what went wrong, what went right, and what needs to change for your Regular Decision schools. While you can’t change your Emory application, you can still change your applications to your Early Decision II or Regular Decision schools. This way, you can avoid making the same mistakes again. We have to go through your application anyway to discern how you presented yourself for the letter you must submit to Emory. So we might as well identify the strengths and weaknesses of your application as well.
4. Submit a compelling Letter of Continued Interestto Emory — with expedience. While most deferred candidates know they should submit a letter, they often include brags and updates in this note. That’s not the approach Ivy Coach’s students take. Our students’ letters are love letters to the school and they show rather than tell how a student hopes to contribute their singular hook to the institution.
5. Kindly ask your school counselor to place an advocacy call on your behalf to your Emory regional representative. While the letter should go in within a few days of your deferral, the advocacy call can be placed in the New Year. And make sure to bring your letter to your school counselor before they make the call. This way, they can present you to Emory as you presented yourself in your letter.

What Not to Do After Being Deferred by Emory University

1. Exchange lots of communications with Emory’s admissions committee. Less is more. Really, none is more. Your child should not drown out the power of their Letter of Continued Interest with frivolous additional communications. Do not annoy the admissions committee! And, yes, sending multiple communications to them after a deferral or rejection is annoying.
2. Camp outside Emory’s admissions office. Even if you have really nice camping gear that you want to show off, trust us, it’s not worth it! It will only make you look bad. Like, really bad.
3. Write a letter to Emory’s Dean of Admissions. No one likes a Karen. Why would your child go above the heads of other admissions officers to write directly to their boss? How exactly would this help your child’s case for admission?
4. Update Emory on the admission offers you receive. The Emory admissions office doesn’t care. Besides, they’ll only think to themselves: “You think that impresses us? We’ll show you. Reject!”
5. Do nothing. If your child doesn’t submit a powerful Letter of Continued Interest to Emory post-deferral, they convey they’re not all that interested in attending. Maybe they developed a case of sour grapes. Maybe they fell in love with another school. But, either way, the message is delivered, whether they wanted it to be or not.

A Deferred Student’s Chances Improve Dramatically with Ivy Coach

Over 30+ years of business, a fairly universal statistic we’ve seen 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 a bit depending on the year and the school, it serves as a generally consistent threshold.  

Now, if that 10% percent feels a bit low, for students who come to Ivy Coach after being deferred, that rate of admission jumps up to about 40%. We work one-on-one with a student to craft a compelling Letter of Interest and boost their chances of admission after a deferral, a letter that historically quadruples the likelihood of acceptance. 

What To Do After Being Rejected By Emory University

You’ve faced rejection, and even though it might not be easy, now it’s time to take action! Don’t let disappointment hold you back. Take a deep breath and shift your focus to crafting strong Regular Decision applications — with Ivy Coach’s help!

Where should you begin? Consider Ivy Coach’s PostMortem session designed for students like you. This is your chance to reassess your approach and discover fresh strategies. Our team of former elite college admissions officers will help you develop a new strategy that showcases your potential and sets you apart with the power of a singular hook. Your singular hook is the game plan outlined in your application that will instill the confidence admissions officers need in you to take the leap of faith and send you acceptance letters in the Regular Decision round.

Don’t wait — seize this opportunity and take decisive action now!

Next Steps After Being Rejected by Emory University?

PostMortem Application Review

If you’ve just heard you were rejected from Emory University, the next step is to reach out to Ivy Coach for a PostMortem application review. Feel free to take a few minutes and process the initial hit of that bad news, but letting the tears dry is about all you have time for at this point in the process. With Regular Decision deadlines imminent, every second counts.

During Ivy Coach’s PostMortem, we:

• Rework your current applications. We’ll go through each section of every application, including both the essays and the non-essay portions. We’ll recalibrate which schools you’re prioritizing now that you’ve won’t be attending your first choice. You may feel like your applications are already done and ready to send, right? Wrong. After getting one rejection, why would you play with fire and make those same mistakes in all your other applications? Step away from the matches, we say!
• Craft a narrative that showcases you as a uniquely talented individual rather than a well-rounded one. We never want students to come across as well-rounded. We’ll shout it from the rooftops: that hasn’t worked in over 30 years. You heard us right! Colleges are looking for students with a singular talent, not the student who threw everything but the kitchen sink into their application. We’ll correct the well-roundedness we find in your application and help you pivot to a strategy that actually works: the singular hook.
• Correct small missteps that are surprisingly part of the admissions process. There are lots of things students don’t even consider that can actually eliminate them as a viable candidate. For example, students who brag do themselves no favor in the Emory University admissions process. Did you write about how you raised $35,000 for a charity? That’s bragging. How about that you were selected out of a huge pool of applicants for a seemingly exclusive but actually totally unimpressive summer enrichment program at a highly selective university? You guessed it, bragging. Don’t make yourself seem unlikable. It won’t serve you well in the admissions process. 
• Reassess your realistic admissions prospects. Consider taking advantage of the Early Decision II round for a school that may be less of a reach than Emory University. A school that hits the sweet spot between prestige and admissions feasibility is ideal. However, not all students are the right type of candidates for ED II, and not all schools provide an ED II round. Each student will need to seek an admissions pathway that works best for them. 

Application Assistance

Following your PostMortem session with Ivy Coach, the key first step for us to understand where you went wrong with your narrative and how to reposition it, we will:

• Overhaul your Regular Decision applications. You learned (maybe the hard way) what doesn’t work in the admissions process. Now it’s time to put everything you’ve learned from your PostMortem into practice. While we can’t fix every single mistake you made throughout high school, there’s a whole lot we can do to course correct even at this late date, particularly in terms of how you position your narrative and how you’re going to get admissions officers to root for you.

What Not to Do After Being Rejected by Emory University

Heed our advice and do not do any of the following upon receiving the unfortunate news of a rejection from Emory University:

1. Do not submit your remaining applications as is. In a way, there’s a silver lining to being rejected in the Early round. That indicates that there was some aspect (or many aspects) that simply didn’t work in your previous application. Why would you want to double down on those errors and send them out for more schools to see? Remember, there is no second chance after Regular Decision deadlines.
2. Do not reach out to the Emory University admissions office to ask why you were rejected. It’s unlikely they even remember you from the pile of other applicants they rejected, and if they do, you reaching out will only strengthen their resolve that they made the right choice in not accepting you. Your rejection is final. Don’t make yourself look bad. Hold your head high and keep walking forward!
3. Do not be too picky with Regular Decision schools and/or omit safety schools from your Regular Decision list. Students who were rejected in the Early round should certainly include some safeties on their list. If you’re unsure about what constitutes a safety school, that’s where our team of former elite college admissions officers can help. We’d always advise against omitting a school just because, for example, you think you’d rather not go to school on the East Coast. That can’t matter at this point in the admissions process. Rejected applicants have to open their minds, and when they do, they often end up unexpectedly attending a school that Ivy Coach adds to their list at the end of December. We don’t tolerate pickiness because it won’t serve an applicant. 
4. Do not blame your school counselor for an admissions decision that is ultimately your responsibility. Although high school counselors are not always perfect at their jobs (for example, they sometimes refuse to make advocacy calls on behalf of their students), they still are your top ally in the fight for your college future. Don’t even think about being rude to them just because your pride may be hurt in the moments after rejection. 

Emory University Deferral and Rejection FAQs

Does Emory defer most Early Decision applicants? What does it mean if I was rejected? 

No, Emory denies most Early Decision applicants. If you were rejected, know that you’re not alone! Lots of other students are in your same shoes. 

Is an Emory deferral meaningful?

Yes, because Emory rejects most Early Decision candidates, a deferral has more meaning than at some highly selective universities that choose to defer more applicants than they deny.

As Emory’s admissions committee writes on its website, “We do not defer many applicants from our ED pool. If we know a student does not have a chance for admission, we deny them at the ED stage.”

Should deferred Emory applicants ask to meet with the Emory admissions committee?

No! Oy vey! As Emory’s admissions committee explicitly states, “Please, do not ask to meet with a member of the Admission Committee. Instead, update your application following the above suggestions…Finally, please do not inquire as to why you were deferred. We do not discuss individual applicant cases or the reasons behind our admission decisions for any applicants, regardless of admission decision.”

Does Emory recommend submitting a letter post-deferral?

Yes, while students should submit a Letter of Continued Interest to a school that deferred their admission whether the school explicitly encourages students to do so or not, Emory explicitly mentions a letter under a question on their website for deferred candidates that reads, “What should I do to increase my chances for admission as a deferred applicant?”

As Emory’s admissions committee writes, “Write a letter to the Admission Committee. This is not something all deferred applicants need to do or even should do, but some of you may consider writing a personal letter stressing your continued interest in Emory University and why you feel you are a compelling candidate for admission. You can upload this as a “Supplemental Material” through your Emory applicant portal.”

Does Emory permit appeals for rejected students?

No! An Emory rejection is the final word for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. Emory does not reconsider rejected Early Decision I candidates in either the Early Decision II or Regular Decision rounds. Emory does not have an appeal process. Students can re-apply for first year admission next year or apply as a transfer after attending college. But rejected applicants to the Class of 2030 will not be starting at Emory this fall. The cake is baked.

When should I get to work on the rest of my Regular Decision applications?

Immediately! If you’ve been rejected from Emory University, take a deep breath and then, as Idina Menzel sings in Frozen: Let. It. Goooooo. The best thing you can do for yourself is to turn your attention towards your other applications immediately. Plus, if you’ve taken Ivy Coach’s advice during your PostMortem, you should be equipped to reframe your applications around your singular hook and put your best foot forward over the weeks between your Early rejection and the Regular Decision application deadlines!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Your Emory Deferral or Rejection

If you’re interested in optimizing your chances of admission to Emory after your Early Decision deferral to the Class of 2030, or in pivoting to Regular Decision applications after an Emory rejection, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch to schedule a time to outline our college counseling services for deferred and rejected candidates.