Can you defer acceptance

You may wonder what this means and how to go about it. A student may decide to defer enrollment for any number of reasons. He may wish to travel or study abroad, to work to earn money to pay for tuition, to take a year to pursue a sport or hobby. The student may have health or family issues that need to be addressed, she may decide to take an extra, post-graduate year of study to increase skills or gain maturity, or the student may simply need a break from school in order to recharge and find focus.

Like so many issues, policies regarding deferring enrollment vary from college to college. Your student should check with his or her school regarding policies and procedures.

Essentially, however, once a student has been accepted to a school, and paid the required deposit, he may request to defer or delay his enrollment.

The student is usually required to submit his request in writing, and there may be an institutional deadline. The school may require that the student submit a plan of how he will spend the year off, or submit reasons for requesting the year.

Policies regarding appropriate reasons for deferring vary from school to school. If the deferral is granted, the school will hold a place for the student for the following year. Some schools may not allow a student to defer for a partial year because entering mid-year may be more difficult.

There may be housing, financial aid, or orientation difficulties with mid-year entry. If a student plans to take a gap year, or year off, there are several important advantages to applying, being admitted, and requesting a deferral rather than waiting to apply to college after the year off.

The Admissions Committee encourages admitted students to defer enrollment for one year to travel, pursue a special project or activity, work, or spend time in another meaningful way—provided they do not enroll in a degree-granting program at another college. Deferrals for two-year military or religious service are also granted. Each year, between 90 and students defer their matriculation to the College, and they report their experiences to be uniformly positive. After graduation, large numbers of Harvard students take time off before beginning work or graduate school.

Read more about taking time off. This article has been viewed 24, times. If you were accepted to an American college or university and need to defer your enrollment for any reason, most universities will allow you to do so. The process may be slightly different depending on the reasons you want to defer your university acceptance.

Once you're ready to return, check back in with the admissions office to find out what you need to do to secure your spot. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great.

By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Explore this Article methods. Related Articles. Method 1. Pay your enrollment deposit. Most universities request an enrollment deposit when you initially accept admission to the university. You typically must have this deposit paid before you can request a deferment. However, in most cases it's best if you apply for deferment as soon as possible after you become aware of the reasons for your deferment.

Contact the university's office of admissions. As soon as you know that you will need to defer your acceptance, you need to find out the university's policy on deferment and their application process so you can get started. Some schools only allow you to defer admission for specific reasons that are outside of your control, such as a family emergency or a health crisis. You may have to pay a fee to defer your enrollment. The office of admissions will let you know if there is any money involved.

Gather supporting documentation. At many universities, decisions on deferments are made by an individual or an admissions panel on a case-by-case basis. An admissions counselor may request documents or information to back up your reasons for deferring your acceptance. Some documents, such as medical reports and forms, may take a little time for you to get.

Receive the university's decision. Once an admissions counselor or a panel has reviewed your application and any supporting documentation, they will make their decision whether to grant or deny your deferment. If the university denies your request to defer your acceptance, there may be a process available for you to appeal this decision, typically to the director of admissions.