Early Action Deferral FAQ
❖ What can an applicant expect if they confirm interest in deferring their application?
Students who opt in to defer their application by February 6 will be considered within the context of the Early
Decision II or Regular Decision applicant pool and will receive an admission decision by March 1 or April 1
respectively.
❖ What can an applicant expect if they choose to withdraw their application?
Students who decide to withdraw their application from the applicant pool will no longer be considered a
candidate for admission and will stop receiving communications from The Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
❖ What can an applicant expect if they do not take any action on their opportunity to defer to Early
Decision II or Regular Decision?
Students who do not respond to the request to defer or withdraw their application for further consideration by
February 6 will longer be considered a candidate for admission and will stop receiving communications from
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
❖ Why are students deferred?
Students are deferred because the admissions committee has determined they need more time or information
to consider their application in the context of the broader applicant pool. Deferred students can learn whether
additional information or documents are required or recommended via their Application Status Check, which will
return to being an application management portal once you accept your deferral.
Students may expect the following types of decisions through the Early Decision II or Regular Decision
process:
● Admit to Northeastern University Boston
● Admit to Northeastern University Oakland
● Admit to Northeastern University London
● Admit to The N.U.in Program
● Admit to Global Scholars
● Admit to NU Immerse (Regular Decision only)
● Admit to Foundation Year (Regular Decision only, Boston residents only)
● Defer (EDII Only)/Waitlist (Regular Decision only)
● Deny/Contract Admit
❖ I applied to Early Action because I am committed to Northeastern, but I was deferred—what else can I
do?
When considering your application for admission in the Early Decision II or Regular Decision pool, the
admissions committee will take into consideration your high level of interest in Northeastern. Students who are
deferred from Early Action are advised to send updated academic and extracurricular information when it
becomes available.
❖ What else can I send to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for consideration?
Deferred candidates should ask their high schools to send in first trimester, semester, or midyear senior year
grades when they become available. If you have any new standardized tests that you would like to be
considered, you should self-report new scores in your Application Status Check. While it is not required, you
may also submit a letter of continued interest or other supplemental materials, which can be uploaded to the
Application Status Check.
❖ I was deferred; can I update my testing status?
If you initially applied with standardized testing and were deferred to Early Decision II or Regular Decision, you
cannot change your application to test optional, as we cannot “un-see” your scores or erase your standardized
testing from the system. If you initially applied without test scores being considered and believe you would like
to share this information, you may do so through your Application Status Check.
❖ Do late submissions of credentials result in a deferred decision?
No, the Admissions Committee reviewed all files up until the last possible hour of decision making. If the file
was complete, no matter the timing of the submissions of credentials, it was reviewed thoroughly.
❖ Does being deferred change an applicant’s eligibility for scholarships or need-based aid?
No, all students are automatically considered for scholarships at the time of admission, and all students who
submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile are eligible for need-based financial aid consideration.
❖ Can an applicant change their major selection to increase their chances of gaining admission during
Early Decision II or Regular Decision?
Applicants are considered of their own merit through a holistic process, regardless of their academic area of
interest or which major they applied to. Therefore, changing majors does not increase an applicant’s chances
for admission. However, if students are genuinely interested in another area and wish to change their major,
they may request a change of major via their Application Status Check website.
❖ How are applicants reviewed? How can some students be deferred when other students with lower
class rank and/or test scores are admitted?
Northeastern conducts a holistic review of each application in which a variety of factors are considered,
including academic rigor and performance, standardized testing scores (if submitted), involvement and impact,
as well as traits of leadership, creativity, and global perspective—to name a few. Each application is unique and
reviewed individually, therefore class rank and test scores are not the only factors to indicate who will be
admitted or deferred.
❖ Once Northeastern has updated materials from a deferred applicant, can an admission decision be
given immediately?
Students who are deferred will be considered within the context of the Early Decision II or Regular Decision
applicant pool and will receive an admission decision by March 1 or April 1, respectively.
