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Deferred entry reasons

What are the commonly accepted reasons for a deferred entry?
What if you are an international student who has already been accepted by Cambridge/Oxford/Imperial/LSE/UCL/Warwick but you don't meet their english language requirements conditions?
(edited 12 years ago)

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Original post by Spairos
What are the commonly accepted reasons for a deferred entry?
What if you are an international student who has already been accepted by Cambridge/Oxford/Imperial/LSE/UCL/Warwick but you don't meet their english language requirements conditions?



Cambridge doesn't usually allow deferrals. They might allow you to take a test with the Language School if you are close, or attend a pre-sessional English Course. You should contact your department/BoGS and ask.
Reply 2
Original post by threeportdrift
Cambridge doesn't usually allow deferrals. They might allow you to take a test with the Language School if you are close, or attend a pre-sessional English Course. You should contact your department/BoGS and ask.


Thank you for your help.


Does anyone know if (in any university, in general) you have to meet the conditions (academic and/or language requirements) before you can be accepted for deferral?

Also, (if they accept you) will you have to pay them the fees in advance? (ie one year before you begin)
Original post by Spairos
Thank you for your help.


Does anyone know if (in any university, in general) you have to meet the conditions (academic and/or language requirements) before you can be accepted for deferral?

Also, (if they accept you) will you have to pay them the fees in advance? (ie one year before you begin)



Deferral regulations will be specific to the university. Generally universities do not ask for fees in advance (as they will go up next year and they'll get more!)
Reply 4
If I have understood your post correctly, you have been given a conditional offer for this next academic year. But you have failed to meet all the conditions. Yes?

If so, then what you are essentially asking a university to do is hold the conditional offer (which you failed to meet) for you for the next year, to give you the chance of satisfying your original offer conditions 1 year late.

You can ask each university, and some may say that's ok, but you should prepare yourself to have to apply all over again
Reply 5
Original post by Tasha1986
If I have understood your post correctly, you have been given a conditional offer for this next academic year. But you have failed to meet all the conditions. Yes?

If so, then what you are essentially asking a university to do is hold the conditional offer (which you failed to meet) for you for the next year, to give you the chance of satisfying your original offer conditions 1 year late.

You can ask each university, and some may say that's ok, but you should prepare yourself to have to apply all over again


This comment makes the most sense; essentially, the OP failed to meet the conditions of their offer, and most of the universities listed will not be short of applicants so they will tell you to apply again.
Reply 6
I am in the last year of my 4yrs BSc degree.
I have been asked for a first, which I have already mathematically secured months ago since my GPA is so high that I can achieve a first even if I get the lowest marks possible in my remaining subjects.
However, the universities listed above have set high language requirements conditions (for my case) which I am not sure I will achieve in time.
Furthermore because of two additional reasons, my BSc degree may not be given to me before the commence of the following academic year of my prospective MSc programmes.
Specifically the reasons are: 1) Since I am very highly motivated in my BSc, I would like to be examined in additional courses (which are not mandatory for graduation). These courses will be examined in the following September. 2) Due to paperwork, extra time required by staff, etc my current university may not be able to give me my degree before the commence of the postgraduate program.
Reply 7
Ok, well then the only thing that you can do is, once you have your English language results, let the university know about possible issues with the completion time, and see what they would be willing to do. But if you don't meet the English language requirement then the university would be within their rights to deny you a place. Also, strictly speaking, they would be within their rights to deny you the place anyway since you would not yet have completed your previous degree - though I imagine they would be more flexible on this issue than failure to meet a language requirement. No one here is going to be able to tell you if any university will allow you to defer, nor will anyone be able to tell you what your chances are. The only people that you can get an answer from are the universities themselves (their webpages for now, and the admissions department when you have your English results).
Reply 8
Original post by Spairos
I am in the last year of my 4yrs BSc degree.
I have been asked for a first, which I have already mathematically secured months ago since my GPA is so high that I can achieve a first even if I get the lowest marks possible in my remaining subjects.
However, the universities listed above have set high language requirements conditions (for my case) which I am not sure I will achieve in time.
Furthermore because of two additional reasons, my BSc degree may not be given to me before the commence of the following academic year of my prospective MSc programmes.
Specifically the reasons are: 1) Since I am very highly motivated in my BSc, I would like to be examined in additional courses (which are not mandatory for graduation). These courses will be examined in the following September. 2) Due to paperwork, extra time required by staff, etc my current university may not be able to give me my degree before the commence of the postgraduate program.


I know that Cambridge and Oxford do not allow deferrals. I was looking into it for different reasons and I think they might only allow it if you have very serious medical reasons. My advice would be to take the IELTS as soon as you can, and book yourself for a few extra exams, just in case you fail (which I don't think you will! Your English is very good)
If you really want to take the extra courses, have you tried asking Oxford/Cambridge/whichever uni you decide to go to if they would accept you without the transcript from these additional courses? Since these are not necessary for you to complete your degree, maybe they will be OK with you not providing grades for them.
If they are not OK, then it is your choice to decide how important taking these courses is for you. A gap year is not the end of the world and if you are a good candidate (which I believe you are) then you will be able to re apply next year and get an offer again. However, you also need to consider if your referees would be willing to submit all these applications again.

I also think that you should wait to hear about funding. If you receive a scholarship from your home country (I am hoping you applied for things like Onasseio, Lilian Voudouri [deadline has not passed yet, if you haven't applied hurry up] and soon it will be time for Leventis) or even from Oxford or Cambridge then I think you should take the offer.
Reply 9
Original post by *Corinna*
I know that Cambridge and Oxford do not allow deferrals. I was looking into it for different reasons and I think they might only allow it if you have very serious medical reasons. My advice would be to take the IELTS as soon as you can, and book yourself for a few extra exams, just in case you fail (which I don't think you will! Your English is very good)
If you really want to take the extra courses, have you tried asking Oxford/Cambridge/whichever uni you decide to go to if they would accept you without the transcript from these additional courses? Since these are not necessary for you to complete your degree, maybe they will be OK with you not providing grades for them.
If they are not OK, then it is your choice to decide how important taking these courses is for you. A gap year is not the end of the world and if you are a good candidate (which I believe you are) then you will be able to re apply next year and get an offer again.


Thank you for your valuable help and your support.
I haven't been able to ask them yet, but from what I have seen in their websites the prospective students are required to provide them their original degrees before the commence of the programs (besides LSE which states that pre-giving them written confirmation evidence of your undergrad uni signed by its staff will enable you to register given the condition that you will provide them the degree by the end of October).
I have though of the possibility that you mentioned but I am 1) not sure I will be that lucky next year too 2) may be in a disadvantage due to the fact that they may reject me because they will remember that I was given an offer but I didn't register.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 10
Original post by *Corinna*

I also think that you should wait to hear about funding. If you receive a scholarship from your home country (I am hoping you applied for things like Onasseio, Lilian Voudouri [deadline has not passed yet, if you haven't applied hurry up] and soon it will be time for Leventis) or even from Oxford or Cambridge then I think you should take the offer.


I have checked thier websites again and unfortunatelly Onasseio and Leventis state that "Applications by undergraduates who have not yet obtained their first University degree will not be considered" :frown:

I wanted to recheck Voudouri's website for details but apparently the "scholarships" link is not working
Reply 11
Original post by *Corinna*
However, you also need to consider if your referees would be willing to submit all these applications again.


This line was the best one :biggrin:
Original post by Spairos
I have checked thier websites again and unfortunatelly Onasseio and Leventis state that "Applications by undergraduates who have not yet obtained their first University degree will not be considered" :frown:

I wanted to recheck Voudouri's website for details but apparently the "scholarships" link is not working


haha yeah the website never works. You have to go there. It's really close to plateia Syntagmatos. Call them today and ask them if the applications have started (they should be close to finishing now, so you need to hurry up). You are right about Onasseio, and the deadline has passed anyway. But, I know this contradicts all logic, the Leventis one even though they say that, I don't think they do it. I know many people who finished in June last year and applied in April and got it. If I were you I would submit the application, just in case. I will ask my friend again but every time I ask him all he says is "we just applied and we got it"...

Original post by Spairos
This line was the best one :biggrin:


haha it's something worth considering. And please stop being paranoid about them "holding grudges" against you. People have to decline their offers for a million reasons! You could easily justify it as taking a year out to work so you can pay for it. Unless you do what a friend of mine did (accepted the offer, the uni started sending her official stuff such as her academic email etc, so her registration had moved on pass the simple acceptance stage, and then in the end of August rejected it. Next year she reapplied, she got in, but the college that had accepted her the year before - a good one - did not take her back and she ended up in the worst college in Oxford lol) you 'll be fine!
Reply 13
Original post by *Corinna*
haha yeah the website never works. You have to go there. It's really close to plateia Syntagmatos. Call them today and ask them if the applications have started (they should be close to finishing now, so you need to hurry up). You are right about Onasseio, and the deadline has passed anyway. But, I know this contradicts all logic, the Leventis one even though they say that, I don't think they do it. I know many people who finished in June last year and applied in April and got it. If I were you I would submit the application, just in case. I will ask my friend again but every time I ask him all he says is "we just applied and we got it"...



haha it's something worth considering. And please stop being paranoid about them "holding grudges" against you. People have to decline their offers for a million reasons! You could easily justify it as taking a year out to work so you can pay for it. Unless you do what a friend of mine did (accepted the offer, the uni started sending her official stuff such as her academic email etc, so her registration had moved on pass the simple acceptance stage, and then in the end of August rejected it. Next year she reapplied, she got in, but the college that had accepted her the year before - a good one - did not take her back and she ended up in the worst college in Oxford lol) you 'll be fine!


Heh, maybe I am "paranoid" because I am not familiar with the system?
Btw, what was the reason that led her into rejecting her offer?
Original post by Spairos
Heh, maybe I am "paranoid" because I am not familiar with the system?
Btw, what was the reason that led her into rejecting her offer?


she decided to go to Cambridge instead. All I am saying is that they cannot punish you because you need, for whatever reason, to take a gap year.
Reply 15
Original post by *Corinna*
she decided to go to Cambridge instead. All I am saying is that they cannot punish you because you need, for whatever reason, to take a gap year.


Ahu, thanks for the information again :wink:

So did she attend Cambride and then Oxford for PhD?
Original post by Spairos
Ahu, thanks for the information again :wink:

So did she attend Cambride and then Oxford for PhD?


yes :tongue:
Reply 17
Original post by *Corinna*
yes :tongue:


Ahu, now I am seeking for people who had been accepted to a specific program (at the same postgraduate level) and then they reapplied the following year to the same program, same uni
Original post by Spairos
Ahu, now I am seeking for people who had been accepted to a specific program (at the same postgraduate level) and then they reapplied the following year to the same program, same uni


Ah OK, so no, I don't know anyone who decided to re apply but I still think this would not affect your acceptance. But if you are so afraid about it then maybe you should just go this year.
Original post by *Corinna*
I know that Cambridge and Oxford do not allow deferrals. I was looking into it for different reasons and I think they might only allow it if you have very serious medical reasons.


Is this for graduate entry? I was allowed to defer my place as an undergraduate at Oxford for a year, and 2 of my friends have done the same- none of us have particularly serious medical conditions (as far as I'm aware)...

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