How do I defer my entry?

So I've got all my offers and when I applied I wanted to start in Sept 2008 but now I want/need to take a year out before starting uni in Sept 2009...
So how would I go about doing this? All my offers are for courses starting Sept'08 :confused:

Will I have to get in touch with the respected departments or write the the admissions? Also, will I have to make a choice such as firm/insurance before asking about deferring my entry or do I contact all the unis that have given me an offer and wait for them to change my entry year on UCAS track and then make a firm/insurance choice???
Can I apply to other unis while holding a deferred entry offer?
My reply deadline is May 5th :eek:

Your advice would be much appreciated! :smile:

Reply 1

3107a

I'd imagine so. Contact the university for your firm and insurance. However, they may ask for the reason because usually you explain your deferred entry before you apply. They may need you to do something related to your course aswell... However, this usually only for medicine

Not 100% sure but definitely contact your firm and insurance universites via admission.

Reply 2

Yardbird

You could be in a bit of a predicament as some unis, I think, do not tolerate this sort of thing.

For instance, places like Oxbridge and I'm sure others don't like you to take a year off for some courses unless it's for a very good reason e.g. will gain you industrial/work experience.

I suggest you ask each individual uni you received an offer from.

Sorry I can't help you more, and a disclaimer: I may be completely misinformed about what I said above, but I don't think so.

Reply 3

rottcodd

3

You cannot apply to other unis whilst still holding a defered offer. You need to contact the uni's that you are thinking of firming and putting as your insurance immediately, and ask them if they will let you defer. If they do, then it should change on UCAS.

Reply 4

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

Hmmm I am having some student status and fees issues so one of the unis said I should try defering my entry as by then I would hopefully be considered a home student so that was my insurance uni but I'm confused as to whether I have to make my firm choice on ucas and then contact the uni or contact all the unis in question and then make a choice?
I don't want to take a gap year as then I would be 20 when starting uni :O but I might have to and then I would just spend the year working...I'm applying to some gap year programs at PWC, etc and I already have a full time job anyway just in case.

Who would I contact at the uni? Admissions or the head of my departments, etc? Also, what I supposed to write to them? I cant just say yeah I wanna defer my entry please thanks :P

Reply 5

rottcodd

3

chocolate_brownie

Hmmm I am having some student status and fees issues so one of the unis said I should try defering my entry as by then I would hopefully be considered a home student so that was my insurance uni but I'm confused as to whether I have to make my firm choice on ucas and then contact the uni or contact all the unis in question and then make a choice?

Contact the uni now and ask. You don't have to tell UCAS until May (I think), so find out from the university first if it's possible.

Who would I contact at the uni? Admissions or the head of my departments, etc? Also, what I supposed to write to them? I cant just say yeah I wanna defer my entry please thanks :P

Go to the departmental website and find the email address or telephone number of undergraduate admissions. It would be easier to phone then to write to them, as you might then get an instant answer rather than just hanging around. Just ask them if it would be possible to defer your entry for a year.

Reply 6

yvonnay

11

I'm in the same position, I recently decided that I do not want to start uni in sept and want to take a year out. I've got all my offers too. What I did is I rang the uni that I want to make my firm and explained to them that I would like to take a gap year to sort out my finances and do some work. The lady on the other end said it shouldn't be a problem but I would need to send them an email. So i have done. I have also sent an email to my insurance and am just waiting to hear back from both before I send them my decisions. It shouldn't be a problem, just give them a reason. I'm sure quite a few people do. Then again saying that, my friend rang up her uni, Kings in london, to ask them if she could defer and the person said that she doubts it would be possible but she would need to send them an email. Although she didn't explain why which I thought might have to do with it.

Reply 7

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

yvonnay

I'm in the same position, I recently decided that I do not want to start uni in sept and want to take a year out. I've got all my offers too. What I did is I rang the uni that I want to make my firm and explained to them that I would like to take a gap year to sort out my finances and do some work. The lady on the other end said it shouldn't be a problem but I would need to send them an email. So i have done. I have also sent an email to my insurance and am just waiting to hear back from both before I send them my decisions. It shouldn't be a problem, just give them a reason. I'm sure quite a few people do. Then again saying that, my friend rang up her uni, Kings in london, to ask them if she could defer and the person said that she doubts it would be possible but she would need to send them an email. Although she didn't explain why which I thought might have to do with it.

Oh thank you :biggrin:

when did you send them the email? What did you write in it? And have you made your decision about firm/insurance choice on UCAS yet or are you waiting till you hear from them??
Hmmm Kings don't like deferring...oh no :eek:

but my only reason for taking a gap year is because they won't consider me as a home student this September! I would have been this year but the Home Office decided to change the rules :frown:

apparently they are thinking of changing this AGAIN this month...soo unfair! Because I'm eligible this December but the uni's want me to pay the international fees for the entire 3 years :mad:

QMUL told me I could defer, I just don't know how, like what to put in the email, does it have to be extra formal, etc :confused:

Reply 8

yvonnay

11

That's no problem :biggrin:

i sent mine yesterday, basically i just told them who I was and what course I was applying for and that I was enquiring whether it would be possible for me to defer my entry for a year then I told them why and then sucked up at the end and said how I was sorry that i've had to take this decision but that I was looking forward to going to university next year. I haven't made my firm/insurance choice on UCAS yet because i'm waiting to hear back from the uni's. King's probably won't mind, what course you applying for? my friend was applying for physiotherapy and I think this might have made a difference.

Reply 9

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

Business Management :smile:

Good luck with your deferring! Thanks for the advice, it really helps :smile:

So have you only mailed the unis you will put down as your firm and insurance? I personally don't know about my firm choice so I'm thinking I should email all the unis right? Also [and sorry about the heaps of questions] WHO did you email, the admissions or the head of dept? Lastly is there any deadline by which you must contact the uni for deferring? Maybe not an official one but one which would favour me, that the unis prefer??

Reply 10

limechateaux

I've just emailed SOAS last week as well, hoping to defer. No answer as of yet though..

Reply 11

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

g-oo-ey

I've just emailed SOAS last week as well, hoping to defer. No answer as of yet though..

your defering?!?! :eek:

whyyyyyy? Hmm I read somewhere that SOAS were perfectly fine with the whole defering business...did you call them first? Good luck, let me know how it goes :smile:

Thanks! x

Reply 12

yvonnay

11

chocolate_brownie

Business Management :smile:

Good luck with your deferring! Thanks for the advice, it really helps :smile:

So have you only mailed the unis you will put down as your firm and insurance? I personally don't know about my firm choice so I'm thinking I should email all the unis right? Also [and sorry about the heaps of questions] WHO did you email, the admissions or the head of dept? Lastly is there any deadline by which you must contact the uni for deferring? Maybe not an official one but one which would favour me, that the unis prefer??

Hey thanx, gd luck with yours too, i'm sure it'll be fine. I only emailed the uni's that i'm putting down as my firm and insurance because i'm pretty sure they're the ones I want to go to. If your not sure I would suggest emailing them all and seeing what they say. When I rang my firm they told who I should email, I think it was the head of the admissions department, however with my insurance I just emailed my department and the admissions department. And i'm not sure if there is a deadline but I would suggest doing it as soon as possible so that it can get sorted out quickly enough. Hope that helps :smile:

Reply 13

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

yvonnay

Hey thanx, gd luck with yours too, i'm sure it'll be fine. I only emailed the uni's that i'm putting down as my firm and insurance because i'm pretty sure they're the ones I want to go to. If your not sure I would suggest emailing them all and seeing what they say. When I rang my firm they told who I should email, I think it was the head of the admissions department, however with my insurance I just emailed my department and the admissions department. And i'm not sure if there is a deadline but I would suggest doing it as soon as possible so that it can get sorted out quickly enough. Hope that helps :smile:

Oh you have no idea, that clears up everything :biggrin:

thank you soooooooooooooo much!!! :smile:

Reply 14

limechateaux

chocolate_brownie

your defering?!?! :eek:

whyyyyyy? Hmm I read somewhere that SOAS were perfectly fine with the whole defering business...did you call them first? Good luck, let me know how it goes :smile:

Thanks! x

I need a year to sort things out :smile:

think about it..

And I found a program in China that I want to go to before I go to SOAS so my mandarin will be awesome (read: not ridiculous) when I get there :biggrin:

I also think I should learn Spanish, and do some traveling, and earn some money before. Basically I just think after IB I'm so exhausted I'd like to take a year and experience some stuff before I rush off to uni. I'm a bit too young anyway (would be 17 for most of my first year in uni) for my liking.

Reply 15

eMJaaay♥

OP

13

g-oo-ey

I need a year to sort things out :smile:

think about it..

And I found a program in China that I want to go to before I go to SOAS so my mandarin will be awesome (read: not ridiculous) when I get there :biggrin:

I also think I should learn Spanish, and do some traveling, and earn some money before. Basically I just think after IB I'm so exhausted I'd like to take a year and experience some stuff before I rush off to uni. I'm a bit too young anyway (would be 17 for most of my first year in uni) for my liking.

Ohh yeah sounds cool :biggrin:

wow China

I had plans for fun stufff during my gap year but I flopped so I had to do retakes this year and I'm gonna have ANOTHER gap year cuz of my student fee status thing which is sooo annoying :mad:

I'm gonna be like 20 when I start uni :eek:

all my upper year mates would have finished uni, my year friends would be in their third year and the people I'm with now are gonna be second year :frown:

Reply 16

limechateaux

chocolate_brownie

Ohh yeah sounds cool :biggrin:

wow China

I had plans for fun stufff during my gap year but I flopped so I had to do retakes this year and I'm gonna have ANOTHER gap year cuz of my student fee status thing which is sooo annoying :mad:

I'm gonna be like 20 when I start uni :eek:

all my upper year mates would have finished uni, my year friends would be in their third year and the people I'm with now are gonna be second year :frown: