When the Admissions Committee wishes to see more information before making a final decision on an applicant in Early Decision, it defers the applicant into the Regular Decision round. This allows time for more information to be added to the file, for example, updated senior year grades, new results from recent test administrations, additions of honors and accomplishments earned during the senior year, etc. Deferring an application also allows the Committee to look at the applicant in the context of the whole applicant pool, as opposed to just the Early Decision pool.
The best thing you can do after being deferred is to keep the Office of Admissions updated with new information since the original submission of your application. We must have your senior mid-year grade report sent from your high school to Lehigh. We invite you to tell us about your continued interest in Lehigh along with details of any new awards, accolades, or accomplishments. Additions to your file should be directly from you, the student. Please do not send additional letters of recommendation from school officials, Lehigh alumni, or others. Send any updates to admissions@lehigh.edu.
No. The Admissions Committee can offer or deny admission to Early Decision applicants, or defer a final action to Regular Decision. In the Committee’s estimation, students who are denied will not be competitive candidates in the larger applicant pool. A decision to deny an applicant is final, and these applications will not be reviewed again. Therefore, we defer only those applicants whom we intend to consider again later in the process, and we do ultimately admit a number of students from among those deferred.
Admission rates to Lehigh vary from year to year based on the competitiveness of the applicant pool. There is no clear indication of your chances of admission after being deferred; however, nearly every year, Lehigh admits some students who have been deferred.
Lehigh’s goal is to meet as close to 100% of demonstrated need for as many admitted students as possible. For information about need-based financial aid, please visit the Financial Aid website at lehigh.edu/financialaid or contact the Office of Financial Aid at 610-758-3181 or financialaid@lehigh.edu.
All deferred applicants will be considered during the Regular Decision round. The Admissions Committee will then decide whether to offer admission, place a student on the waitlist, or deny admission. We expect to notify all applicants in the Regular Decision round by April 1.
Yes, although Lehigh's policy remains test-optional, students can choose to submit new or updated SAT or ACT scores to supplement their application. This is not a requirement.
