Hi everyone,
I’m an international from Germany who was deferred in the early action round.
I was accepted into Cambridge University this morning, but am 100% sure that I would turn it down in favour of Yale if I were accepted.
Is it a good idea to let the admissions office know about my commitment to attending Yale if I were accepted, even over Cambridge?
Thank you! 
I don’t think that will be the factor that tips you into the admit pile. This would kind of be like telling an employer you have a firm job offer from someone else during the interview.
Yale is aware that the kids they defer will be highly coveted by other schools like Oxford. Congrats. But I don’t think you can leverage it one way or anther. Best of luck to you – I hope you get to New Haven this fall!
Sure, tell Yale, so Yale can wish u good luck at Cambridge.
I’m not sure I agree with the above posters. You have been deferred after applying SCEA. That means you are thrown into the pool of RD applicants. Your chances are probably in the 7-15% range. You have the Cambridge acceptance in hand. Why not play the card with Yale? If it’s done properly (i.e. pointing out in additional information that Cambridge has accepted you but Yale is still your 1st choice) it could help, in my opinion. I think it’s worth the risk if done properly.
I just think there is nothing to be gained – if there’s something in your file that makes puts you on someone’s “go to” list for RD admitees, it’s already there. A Cambridge admit decision won’t change that. Yale KNOWS that every one of the kids they defer will be HIGHLY coveted by other schools. That’s part of the known calculus in Yale’s defer/admit/reject process. They KNOW that many kids in their applicant pool will be accepted at extraordinary programs like Cambridge. It’s not lost on them when they decide to defer or reject or waitlist candidates.
I agree w T26E4. Getting into Cambridge doesn’t make any more desirable to Yale. They’re kids in the RD pool that have gotten EA admissions to Harvard, Stanford and other great places. It’s basically the same pool of applicants. Good luck wherever you land.
OP, as a Plan B, you could do worse than Cambridge
I agree with the above posters (except kaukauna). Just about everyone deferred from Yale will be getting acceptances at quality institutions. Imagine if Adcoms had to be notified and update the file for every one of them. It would be viewed more as a nuisance than as an additional meaningful data point.
Good luck with Yale, but you will be fine regardless.