Whether students want to take a break after high school, focus on mental health or volunteer abroad, they sometimes have the option to delay college a year by deferring admission.
Choosing whether to defer your college admission can take some careful planning and consideration. Here’s what to know about the admission deferral process.
What Is Deferred Admission?
“Deferred admission is an option that allows an admitted student to postpone their enrollment at a college or university for a specified period, typically one year,” says Victoria Romero, vice president for enrollment at Scripps College in California.
A deferred college admission refers to a student-requested delay in starting school. It should not be confused with a college-issued deferral — which may come with early action or early decision and means that a college has postponed its decision on a student’s application.
“Deferred admission allows students to delay their start date at a college to a time later than normal,” says Chris Bell, founder of Bell College Consulting. “This is often done to allow students to take a gap year where they may work to save money, or travel, or participate in a gap year program, or a little of each.”
Emily Dobson, an education consultant and co-founder of The Geoswerve Consultancy, which provides counseling for college-bound students and their families, says deferring “is not something to be feared, but students must be transparent and purposeful when weighing the option.”
[READ: Nonacademic Factors to Consider When Choosing a College]
Factors to Weigh When Considering a Deferral
Students interested in deferring their admission should plan well in advance and think through their plans, experts say.
“If students think that they may want to defer their starting date in college, they should do some research to determine the deferral policy at each college they plan to apply,” Bell says.
Dobson says students should carefully weigh their decision when planning to defer and can start by asking themselves a few questions, such as:
— Is it necessary?
— How will it prepare me?
— Is it meaningful?
A deferral may not be optional for some students, as in the case of military service, religious purposes or medical deferment. Students may also need more time to academically, emotionally and mentally prepare for college life, Dobson says.
She advises students interested in a gap year to look for long-term outcomes and find other ways of learning, such as through experiential learning, civic engagement, unpaid internships, work-placement positions or a combination of these opportunities.
“Deferments should also be something fulfilling, and regardless of the reason, may actively change the way a student sees themself and the world around them,” Dobson says.
Apart from those questions, consider how a year off might affect your transition to college and “assess how the deferral might affect your academic interests and possible career goals,” Romero says.
It’s also important to evaluate the cost of deferring college, she adds, including any added expenses “associated with activities during the gap year or other personal costs.”
[Read: Avoid These Big College Application Mistakes.]
Step-by-Step Process of Deferring
Students must commit to a college before they ask for a deferral, experts say.
“The key here is that the student is not deferring their decision on where to go to college among all the admission offers they received,” Bell says. “Instead, they first determine which college they will attend.”
Once a student has accepted admission to a college, which likely includes paying the enrollment commitment deposit, they can then start the deferral process, which varies at colleges and universities.
“Students need to be aware of the requirements and procedures by actively looking up the information and working with the admissions team,” Dobson says. “All of this information is usually available on a university website or in the accepted student portal.”
Experts note that referrals are not automatic and students must submit an official request for a deferral.
“Some institutions require a detailed plan and others require only a broad framework, with room for flexibility,” Romero says.
At Scripps College, for example, deferral requests to take classes at another institution are not allowed and it’s important that students “understand and can comply with the specific policies of the institution,” she says.
Students at Scripps must formally request a deferral by emailing the vice president for enrollment before the June 1 deadline to share their plans for the year. Once students submit a request for a deferral, they must wait until the college confirms that it has been approved — most are, Romero says.
[READ: How to Go Back to College After Dropping Out]
Deferring admission can be a worthwhile consideration; so can a second gap year.
Alicia Ogliari was set on deferring her admission as soon as she began researching the college application cycle. She was accepted to Duke University in North Carolina in spring 2023 on a premed track, but chose to take a gap year to fulfill her passion as a ballet dancer.
Ogliari used the time to advance a long-nurtured talent, spending a gap year as an apprentice for Ballett Dortmund in Germany and the English National Ballet School Professional Trainee Program in London. She also had internships and auditions at other international ballet schools and companies.
“I have been dancing ballet for nearly as long as I can walk, and dance has shaped every aspect of my identity,” Ogliari says.
The gap year was “a transformative experience,'” she says, and when it ended she was offered a professional contract at the National Opera House Ballet in Romania — “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“The deferral permission process at Duke was very simple and straightforward,” she says, noting that it required either notifying the college through the admissions portal or, as she did, completing an application to the Duke Gap Year Program detailing plans and a budget, with the option of applying for funding.
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was, there is no correct start time,” says Ogliari, who was approved for a second gap year but still plans to attend college and then medical school. “Don’t let the fear of others’ opinions or the conventional timeline for going to college hold you back from pursuing what feels right for you.”
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How to Defer College Admission originally appeared on usnews.com
