Did New York University recently defer or reject your admission in the Early Decision I round to the Class of 2030? If so, chin up, because even though it’s not the news you had hoped for from the Greenwich Village, Manhattan-based institution, you’ve still got plenty of options on the table. So, what should you do in the wake of your deferral or rejection? Let’s dive in!

New York University Early Decision Admission Rates

Over the last six years, NYU has withheld its Early Decision I and Early Decision II admission rates, figures that are not required to be reported to The Common Data Set.

That said, there is a distinct advantage to making a binding commitment to NYU. In fact, in the years before NYU began withholding its Early Decision admission rates, NYU’s Early Decision admission rate often nearly doubled its overall admission rate.

For example, for the NYU Class of 2023, 27.8% of Early Decision I and II candidates earned admission, while only 13.8% of Regular Decision candidates got in. While NYU didn’t distinguish its Early Decision I admission rate from its Early Decision II admission rate that year — which is the last year for which we have data of this sort — like at all of America’s elite universities, NYU admits more students through Early Decision I than Early Decision II, and the admission rate is generally significantly higher through ED I than ED II.

NYU Early Decision Deferral Rates

While NYU doesn’t publish its annual Early Decision deferral rate, the school is known to defer less than 5% of Early Decision applicants. That’s right — less than 5% of applicants are deferred.

As NYU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions states on its website, “From year to year, depending on the applicant pool, the number of students who will be deferred varies. This year, of the candidates who applied for Early Decision, less than 5% were deferred to a later round of admission. This means that these students will be considered alongside our applicant pool at large – and not just our Early Decision candidates. We only defer students who are viable candidates for admission.”

So, unlike many of NYU’s peer institutions, the school rejects most Early Decision candidates. Only a select pool of students each year is deferred. A deferral from NYU is thus meaningful, and, therefore, as we said, chin up!

5 Steps to Take After Being Deferred by New York University

1. Go for a hike, a swim, a run — anything to clear your mind. You’ll need to keep the fight at NYU post-deferral but first it’s important to clear your head for a few hours (not days — you don’t have days).
2. Sign up for a complimentary consultation with Ivy Coach to learn about our services for deferred NYU candidates.
3. Complete a PostMortem application review with Ivy Coach. We’ll go through what went wrong, what went right, and what changes should be made to your applications for Regular Decision admission. While the NYU application can’t be changed, you’ll want to avoid making the same mistakes again.
4. Submit a powerful Letter of Continued Interest within a few days of your deferral so that NYU’s admissions committee doesn’t think you have sour grapes. In a word, Ivy Coach’s Letters of Continued Interest are weird. They’re love letters to NYU. They feature no brags and no updates. It’s a big reason why they’re so often effective.
5. In the New Year, after it’s been submitted, bring your Letter of Continued Interest to your school counselor so your school counselor can make an advocacy call to NYU. This way, they’ll be able to position you as you position yourself in your letter.

A Deferred Student’s Chances Improve Dramatically with Ivy Coach

In our observation from over 30+ years of being in business, about 10% of deferred candidates go on to earn admission to the school that chose to defer in the Early round. While this statistic varies a bit by school, most schools hit at a deferral rate somewhere close to 10%.

Yes, 10% is not betting odds. But for students who come to Ivy Coach after being deferred, we help get that rate 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, just about quadrupling the likelihood of acceptance. 

What To Do After Being Rejected By New York University

Did you receive a rejection from NYU? Okay, so this isn’t an ideal outcome. But remember that thousands of other talented students are in the same boat as you. Only about 5% of Early-round applicants to NYU earn deferrals, so the vast majority of those who apply have hit a dead end. But we at Ivy Coach are not ready to give up on your admissions destiny, and neither should you!

By signing up for Ivy Coach’s PostMortem, you’ll develop a competitive strategy for Regular Decision admission meticulously designed by our team of former elite college admissions officers. Every year, we help many students turn around their admissions destiny by optimizing their case for admission to their remaining schools. Admission officers want to be assured that you’re worth the risk of admission. We proceed from that knowledge by developing a plan to make the most of your future campus by leveraging all the resources and opportunities it has to offer. You could be next in line to ensure an elite college acceptance — but time is of the essence. So act quickly and reach out to Ivy Coach today!

PostMortem

During our PostMortem, we:

• Perfect your pivot to Regular Decision. After taking a microscope to every last part of your NYU application, we’ll come away with a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses as an applicant. And yes, you’ll have to redo your Regular Decision applications (you might think they’re already finished, but think again!). Lots may have gone wrong. Perhaps you presented as a well-rounded student, or filled your application with little things that only served to make you come across as unlikeable. We’ll scrub your application of these imperfections so history doesn’t repeat itself!
• Take a fine tooth comb to the little details, like the mistakes you might not have even realized were mistakes. Did you come across as privileged when you should’ve presented as modest? Did you fail to meet NYU’s rigorous academic standards? Did you fail to instill confidence that you would make the most out of your time on campus by participating in the many resources on offer at NYU?
• Strategically retool your Regular Decision list. You may have to reassess your admissions prospects now that you have a rejection letter in hand. Sure, this might sound unfortunate, but really it’s a golden opportunity. Ivy Coach will help you identify other top schools you should be applying to (along with a couple of safety schools) to put you in the best possible position for RD admission to the most competitive school within reach.

Application Assistance

Following your PostMortem, which is the jumping off point for understanding what went wrong and how to pivot, we will:

• Makeover your Regular Decision applications with Ivy Coach’s help. Does the term singular hook ring a bell? If not, you might now know why your Early application to NYU fell flat: your strategy wasn’t up-to-date. We may not be able to fix every mistake made in your coursework or extracurricular commitments, but we can help you optimize how you present yourself to make you an irresistible candidate in the eyes of your Regular Decision admissions officers by taking advantage of the singular hook strategy.

What Not to Do After Being Rejected by NYU

What you do right is just as important as what you do wrong when it comes to navigating a rejection. Avoid the following in Regular Decision:

1. Digging your heels into the sand with your initial approach. Your rejection is useful evidence that something went wrong with your application strategy, so why double down?
2. Reaching out to the NYU admissions office. It’s a bad look! Your decision is final. NYU does not allow appeals. So no cold calls, eleventh hour emails, personalized letters, you name it. Does it sound crazy? Well, we’ve seen it before!
3. Do not be picky when it comes to your Regular Decision college list. Even if you have renewed confidence after soliciting Ivy Coach’s help, you shouldn’t exclusively aim for the most selective schools in the country. Lean on us to help assemble a list of schools that hit a happy medium between admissions feasibility and prestige. Think outside of the box and you might be rewarded with a little-known school that makes for a great fit!
4. Don’t blame your school counselor when your admissions fate is your responsibility alone. While high school counselors may not always perform their duties perfectly, like when they refuse to make advocacy calls with college admissions officers, alienating them will limit the number of allies you have in your corner at this stressful moment.

New York University Deferral and Rejection FAQ

Is an NYU deferral meaningful?

While certain elite universities defer most of their applicant pools (we think that’s wrong since they string many along unnecessarily!), NYU defers less than 5% of the Early Decision pool. Thus, deferred applicants to NYU can genuinely earn admission to the Greenwich Village, New York-based institution. Because most Early Decision applicants to NYU are denied outright, a deferral has real weight — if deferred applicants play their cards right.

Does NYU accept, defer, or deny most Early Decision candidates?

NYU denies outright most Early Decision candidates. As NYU’s Early Decision admission rate will surely fall below 30% and as NYU defers less than 5% of applicants, most ED applicants are simply rejected.

Is getting into NYU through Early Decision I or Early Decision II easier?

It’s easier to get into NYU through Early Decision I. The reason? Elite colleges like NYU grow more secure as time passes during each admissions cycle. And it’s best to apply when they’re insecure.

When students apply ED I, NYU admissions officers don’t yet know if they’ll get a strong crop in ED II and Regular Decision. Yet when students apply ED II, NYU admissions officers can already see the full ED I, ED II, and RD crops.

Is it possible to earn admission to New York University after a deferral?

No, there is absolutely no procedure at NYU for appealing your rejection. That ship has sailed. Your best move is to pivot to your Regular Decision schools ASAP, as time is of the essence and every moment matters!

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with NYU Deferral or Rejection

If you’re interested in optimizing your chances of admission to New York University post-deferral or to another Regular Decision school post-rejection, fill out Ivy Coach’s complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch to outline our college admissions counseling services for deferred and rejected candidates.