Deferment
Request to delay your start at UNSW if you can’t commence your degree straight away.
Who can request to defer?
You can request to defer your offer if you:
- Receive an offer to study at UNSW; AND
- Haven’t been given a deferment for the same (or a similar) degree before.
What is deferment?
Deferment allows you to delay the start of your degree for up to 1 year from the intake that you were offered.
Please note that offer deferral is not guaranteed and requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis dependent on the program capacity and availability.
Have you already started your studies?
If you’ve completed at least one teaching period (i.e. term or semester), you can apply for program leave instead. Program leave is available for up to one year for continuing students and can be extended under exceptional circumstances.
Exceptions for deferment
- Co-op programs
- One-year Honours programs, including Education (Secondary), Music and Psychological Science
- Undergraduate Certificate programs
- Master of Psychology
- Graduate Diploma of Mine Geotechnical Engineering
- Graduate Diploma in Aviation (Flying)
- Non-Award and Cross Institutional Study
- UNSW Canberra Defence sponsored students (ADFA Trainee Officers, current serving ADF members and DCUS students).
Please note that offer deferral is not guaranteed and requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis dependent on the program capacity and availability.
See also
- I haven't accepted my offer
- I've accepted my offer
I've received my program offer but haven't accepted it yet.
To defer your program:
- Follow the instructions on Accept Online and select Deferment before your offer expiry
- Save or print the screen for your records.
- You will receive a response to your deferral request via email within up to 4 weeks of submission. If your deferment request is approved, this email will include information on how to take up your deferred place in a future term.
If you haven’t received an outcome to your deferral request in over 4 weeks of your deferral request, call the UNSW Admissions Office on +61 (2) 9385 3656 or submit an enquiry.
Conditional offer holders must submit an enquiry to the UNSW Admissions Offers to request deferment.
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To defer your program, submit an enquiry no later than the census date if you had accepted your offer, or no later than your offer expiry date if you have not yet accepted your offer to study at UNSW.
You will receive a response to your deferral request via email within up to 4 weeks of submission. This email will include information on how to take up your deferred place in a future term.
If you haven’t received an outcome to your deferral request in over 4 weeks of your deferral request, call the UNSW Admissions Office on +61 (2) 9385 3656 or submit an enquiry.
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To defer your program, submit an enquiry no later than the census date.
If you've already enrolled in courses, you'll be dropped from them while the deferment request is reviewed.
Please note: If you cancel your deferment request after you're dropped from your courses, you'll have to re-enrol. Depending on availability, you may not get to re-enrol in the same courses/classes.
You will receive a response to your deferral request via email within up to 4 weeks of submission. This email will include information on how to take up your deferred place in a future term.
If you haven’t received an outcome to your deferral request in over 4 weeks of your deferral request, contact The Nucleus: Student Hub
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If you haven’t accepted your offer yet, you have until the specified deadline on Accept Online to request for deferral.
If you have accepted your offer and enrolled in a course, you have until the census date to request for deferral.
Requests submitted after these dates will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may result in your offer lapsing or a financial penalty.
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Most UNSW programs can be deferred to start in Term 1, 2 or 3. However, some courses can only start in Term 1. Reach out to The Nucleus: Student Hub for further information on enrolment restrictions.
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No. Deferring your degree is free.
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If you defer your offer to study at UNSW and you study at an AQF Diploma level or higher during the deferment period, your deferment will lapse. To be considered for re-admission to UNSW, you’ll need to reapply and declare all your studies.
If your deferral request is approved, you must accept your new offer by the specified deadline on Accept Online.
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Log into UNSW Accept Online once your new offer has been issued, accept your deferred offer and enrol. Check your Confirmation of Deferment letter to see when and how to do this.
Program contacts
Higher Degree Research (HDR)
Kensington campus
P: +61 (2) 9385 6731
E: [email protected] or
[email protected]
Canberra campus
P: +61 (2) 6268 8112
E: [email protected]
(Scholarship recipients must cc Kensington campus)