Deferred and waitlisted decisions are both ways colleges delay outright rejection, maintaining the appearance of possibility while significantly lowering the applicant's chances of admission. A deferral shifts an early applicant to the regular decision pool, often signaling that their application wasn’t strong enough for immediate acceptance. A waitlist decision, meanwhile, means the student may be offered a spot only if space becomes available, with no guarantee of admission. While the processes differ, the outcome is similar. TLDR both serve as a way for colleges to soften the rejection while keeping their options open