What does it mean when an application is "deferred" during Early Decision?

Applications that are deferred at the end of Early Decision are reviewed again during Regular Decision. Early Decision applications will receive one of three replies - acceptance to the Class of 2014, deferral to Regular Decision Review or denial of the candidacy for admission for this year.

The Admission Committee defers the final review of a candidacy to Regular Decision when additional information (senior year grades, more recent test results, etc.) will help us better understand the applicant's potential or when reviewing the case in the context of the larger Regular Decision applicant pool will provide a more complete picture of where the applicant "fits" in Dartmouth's applicant pool.

While the Admissions Committee does not set a specific target for the number of deferrals in Early Decision, in recent years similar numbers of candidates have received deferral notices and deny notices at the end of Early Decision.