Deferred Student Information

Thank you for considering the University of Virginia during your college search. As we continue to review applications for first year admission, we thought it would be helpful to provide the information below as a guide to better understanding the deferral process at UVA. We wish you the best as you enter the final semester of your senior year.

What does receiving an admission decision of deferral mean?

If you were deferred to Regular Decision it means that we feel your application deserves another review. You possess many of the strengths we expect our admitted students to present in their applications but we cannot offer you admission at this stage. In many cases we want to see how deferred students are doing in the classroom during their senior year.

What do I do now?

1. Students offered deferral must fill out the defer form in their student portal to be considered again in the Regular Decision process. Early Decision students must do this by January 15th. Early Action students must do this by February 15th. 

2. Get midyear grades to us by February 15th. You may upload a screen grab of your midyear grades in your applicant portal or your school counselor may submit them. 

These are the only action items you have! 

Will a Letter of Continued Interest or recommendations help my chances?

You must fill out the deferred student form on your portal to confirm that you want your application to continue through the process. This form takes the place of a Letter of Continued Interest or LOCI. Declaring a commitment to attend will not influence the review, so do not email LOCIs to admission officers.

We already have your required teacher recommendation. Adding more recommendations will not affect your chances of admission.

May I speak with someone regarding my application decision?

We are happy to answer general questions not covered on this page, but we can not speak with callers about applications that are still under review.

What if I took an SAT or ACT after the application deadline?

Please use your student portal to update testing as soon as it becomes available. We will review your application again in Regular Decision. We will only accept new standardized test results if you applied with testing.

May I amend or update my application?

Other than midyear grade updates or new standardized test results, we will not be able to review any edits to your application. We will only accept new standardized test results if you applied with testing. All updates are submitted through the MyUVA applicant portal. 

When will I receive a final admission decision?

We will release all final admission decisions online by April 1. You may want to read Dean J's blog or our Instagram account for updates.

When will I receive information on financial aid?

Students interested in receiving financial aid should submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the March 1 priority deadline. Meeting the deadline helps improve the chance that your financial aid will be ready just after your admission decision is made known to you. Admitted students will receive their financial aid awards in early April. To learn more about financial aid, visit the Student Financial Services website.

How many deferred students do you expect to admit in RD?

We do not have a target or quota for the number of deferred students we would like to enroll. We will review the deferred students during Regular Decision and admit those whom we feel are the most prepared to impact our classrooms and community.

If I applied Test Optional Early Decision or Early Action, can I change this status?

The deadline to change your test optional decision was November 22nd.