Admission Deferral Request Form

Do not submit a deferral form unless you are absolutely sure you will not be joining us for the fall 2023 term. 

Deferrals will be approved as quickly as possible as long as all grades have been received and conditions have been met.

Instructions

• Use this form to request to defer your Offer of Admission to the University of Waterloo:
  • You must be a student pursuing undergraduate studies.
  • You must have accepted your Offer of Admission through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) website by the stated deadline before submitting a deferral request.
  • All Waterloo undergraduate programs are eligible for a maximum of one-year deferral to fall 2024; we do not allow deferrals for the winter or spring entry points. For students in pharmacy, we will defer to the appropriate term start. For students with military service requirements, you could be eligible for a two-year deferral, pending documented proof of service. Email myapplication@uwaterloo.ca for more information.
• Complete all required fields on the form. Please refer to your Offer letter when necessary.
• You may not pursue college or university studies during the deferral period. You may take high school courses for personal interest.

Notes

• You are only able to submit the form once.
• You will not be required to reapply through OUAC if your deferral is approved. Your decision will be communicated via email with instructions on how to accept your new offer on Quest for fall 2024.
• If you received a President’s Scholarship or Merit Scholarship, these will be held during the deferral period and will be carried forward to fall 2024. Consideration for other entrance scholarships and financial aid will be on an individual basis as some awards are not eligible for deferral. If you received an Entrance Bursary for September 2023, you will need to reapply when the application for 2024 opens in February. For more information, contact Student Awards and Financial Aid at safainfo@uwaterloo.ca.
• Any payments you have made will be held on your student account to apply to future term fees. To request a refund instead, review the refunding process and schedule.
  • Add Canadian bank account information in Quest.
  • If you are not in Canada and do not have a Canadian bank account, submit a ticket to Student Financial Services at sfshelp.uwaterloo.ca.

• If your OSAP or government financial aid from your home province has been issued to the University of Waterloo, some or all of the credit balance on your student account may need to be repaid to the National Student Loan Service Centre (NSLSC).  

  • Any funding that was sent to you should be repaid to the NSLSC. For assistance with this process please contact Student Awards and Financial Aid.

Exceptions

• iBASE: Students with a condition of completing iBASE on their Offer of Admission are not eligible for a deferral.
• Doctor of Optometry (OD): The School of Optometry and Vision Science does not allow you to defer an Offer of Admission. For further information, contact opt-admissions@uwaterloo.ca.
• Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD): The School of Pharmacy may, under very exceptional circumstances, consider deferring an Offer of Admission for the PharmD program to a future entry point. When submitting the form, please include the following information in the Explanation section: the reason(s) for requesting a deferral of admission to the PharmD program, and a breakdown of your plans, both academic and non-academic, during the deferral period (January 2024 to January 2025). For further information, or to request a deferral after the form closes, contact pharmacy@uwaterloo.ca. 
• Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP): The School of Pharmacy does not defer an Offer of Admission for CAP status. For further information, contact pharmacy@uwaterloo.ca.

• Bachelor of Social Work (BSW): The School of Social Work may, under very exceptional circumstances, consider deferring an Offer of Admission for the BSW program to a future entry point. For further information, contact renison.socialwork@uwaterloo.ca.

Questions

Email myapplication@uwaterloo.ca if you have questions about completing this form.