Can you defer your university offer for a year?
Most will let you defer, usually for one year. The condition that catches people out is what you may do with the year: several universities void the deferral if you take courses at any other institution, including a single high school credit.
Every answer below is what the university tells Ontario guidance counsellors, quoted from the OUAC guide for September 2026 entry. It isn’t published on their student pages. Rules like this change rarely; dates don’t — check any date here with the university. Where this comes from.
What each of the 23 universities says
Students we offer admission to may defer their offer for 1 year, as long as they do not attend any academic institutions (high school or postsecondary) during that year.
We may grant deferrals in some circumstances.
We grant deferrals for most programs.
Some limited enrollment programs require a higher average for a deferral of offer to be approved.
There are no deferrals for programs that require a supplementary application, portfolio or audition. Exception: The Bachelor of Information Technology in Interactive Multimedia and Design will accept a deferral request.
Students may request 1 deferral of their offer of admission. Deferrals are for a maximum of 12 months from the original offer. https://admissions.carleton.ca/admission-deferral-request
Students who received an offer of admission may request a deferral for 1 year (excluding International Dual Degree programs and consecutive education). www.lakeheadu.ca/studentcentral/applying/deferral-of-admission
We offer deferrals on a case-by-case basis. Contact admissions@laurentian.ca for more information.
Students may submit a request to defer their offer for a period of 1 year.
We review requests on a case-by-case basis and make decisions on deferrals in late August.
If we grant a deferral, the student may not attend any educational institution (including high school) for the deferral period.
Students may submit a request for a deferral form. Before submitting a request, students must accept their offer of admission, meet all conditions of their offer and have no outstanding documents.
Students may not attend any other postsecondary institution during their deferral period.
www.nipissingu.ca/departments/office-registrar/ admission-requirements/deferral-requests.
We generally grant deferrals only in cases of extenuating circumstances.
Email admissions@ocadu.ca for more details.
Students may defer their application by up to 1 calendar year. When a student defers their application, they will not have to
re-apply, but we will re-assess them for admissibility on a competitive basis in the relevant admission period.
Applicants with extenuating circumstances who accept an offer of admission may request a deferral of admission to that program for a period of 1 year.
We consider requests based on final grades and the reason provided by the student. If we grant a student a deferral, they may not attend another postsecondary institution during their deferral year. The deferral application will open in the summer.
If a student refuses an offer, they can re-apply the following year.
We do not offer deferrals.
Students must request deferrals in writing. www.torontomu.ca/admissions/undergraduate/ applications-related-forms/deferral
Students may defer their offer of admission for up to 1 academic year. We grant deferrals only once.
Students can defer 1 offer of admission for 1 year. They must accept their offer by June 1, 2026, and fulfill all conditions of their offer.
They cannot attend another postsecondary institution during the deferral period.
Students must submit their deferral application and fee by the deadline.
www.uoguelph.ca/admission/undergraduate/apply/defer
Students can defer their offer for 1 year. They must accept their offer by June 1, 2026, and fulfill the conditions of their offer.
Deferral application information: www.guelphhumber.ca/admission/ontario-high-school.
We review requests on a case-by-case basis.
The student must not attend any educational institution (including high school) during the deferral period.
Applicants may apply for a 1-year deferral of admission. We will consider deferral requests from applicants who have: o accepted their offer of admission and paid the admission deposit (if required) and o met all conditions of the offer of admission and confirmed that they do not plan to study at another postsecondary institution.
The cost to apply for deferral of an offer of admission is $90.
https://future.utoronto.ca/admission-decisions
Students may request a deferral of their admission for up to 1 full year. | www.uwaterloo.ca/future/defer
We consider requests for deferrals for most non-limited enrollment programs. https://ask.uwindsor.ca/app/answers/detail/a_id/534/ kw/undergraduatedeferral Students must satisfy all conditions of their original offer to be considered. A deferral may not exceed 1 academic year.
Students can request a deferral of admission for a period of one year.
Admission scholarships for deferred students are based on the scholarship eligibility criteria in the year of registration. The Western Scholarship of Excellence and National Scholarships are not deferrable.
Students must submit their deferral request online: https://welcome.uwo.ca/next-steps/accept-offer/ request-to-defer-your-studies.html.
Students may request a 1-year deferral by August 1, 2026. Deferrals are not guaranteed.
Most programs will consider a deferral request for up to 1 year.
Students must accept their offer of admission and complete our deferral form.
Deferrals are not offered for the Bachelor of Business Administration, Nursing, Design or Social Work programs.
Other things students ask
- Do night school, summer school and online courses count for university admission?
- Do Grade 11 marks matter for Ontario university admission?
- If you repeat a course, which mark do universities use?
- Does the order you rank programs on OUAC matter?
- What happens if you don't get into your first-choice program?
- Which Ontario universities require a supplementary application?
Policies decide whether a mark counts. Your average decides where it gets you.