Defer your Admission

We understand that sometimes unexpected situations happen, and you can’t start your studies as planned. Don’t worry! You may be eligible to postpone your admission to the next term. This is known as a “deferral of admission.”

What’s Deferral of Admission?

A deferral lets you delay the start of your studies to the following term. For example, if you were supposed to start in September (Fall term), you can defer to January (Spring term).  If you are still waiting for a decision on your study permit application, you might qualify for an extended deferral of an additional term.

Who Can Apply for Deferral?

Only students who accepted their admission offer from FDU Vancouver by paying the tuition deposit, and currently hold a valid Letter of Acceptance are eligible to apply for a deferral.

You may be eligible for a deferral of admission if:

• You have a valid Letter of Acceptance and have not deferred before.
• You applied for your study permit before your Letter of Acceptance expired and your study permit application is still in process.
• Your study permit was approved less than 30 days before the expiry date on your Letter of Acceptance, leaving you without enough time to make travel arrangements to start the term on time.
• You’re facing exceptional circumstances, such as mandatory military service, a family or medical emergency. These will be decided on a case-by-case basis.  Failure to be financially prepared to start your studies or failure to be prepared to travel on time if you received a study permit more than 30 days before the expiry of your Letter of Acceptance will not be considered as exceptional circumstances.

Please click here for Supporting Documentation Guidelines for the deferral application.

When Can You Apply?

Deferral applications are accepted during specific periods after the original term has started:

* Some programs, such as the Master of Hospitality Management Studies (MHMS), are not offered during the Summer term.  These will be deferred to the Fall term.

If your study permit application is denied before the deferral period opens, you can submit a deferral application early by contacting us at vancouver-admissions@fdu.edu.

How to defer your admission:

• If you haven’t registered for classes, you’ll get an email with instructions when the deferral window opens as noted on the chart above.
• If your study permit is rejected, or you are facing exceptional circumstances and you haven’t deferred before, email vancouver-admissions@fdu.edu with supporting documents. Exceptional circumstances may include mandatory military service, a family or medical emergency.  These will be decided on a case-by-case basis.  Failure to be financially prepared to start your studies or failure to be prepared to travel on time if you received a study permit more than 30 days before the expiry of your Letter of Acceptance will not be considered as exceptional circumstances.

What Happens Next?

If your deferral is approved, you will be sent a new Letter of Acceptance within 30 business days, as noted on the chart above.

If you are not eligible to apply for a deferral or your deferral is not approved, but you still want to pursue studies at FDU Vancouver, you must submit a re-application for admission.  A new tuition deposit for the new application cycle will be required to get a new Letter of Acceptance.

Important Additional Information

• Once a deferral is approved and a new Letter of Acceptance is issued, you must have a study permit rejection letter corresponding to the most recent Letter of Acceptance issued to be considered for any tuition deposit refund.
• If you receive a study permit rejection while waiting for the deferral Letter of Acceptance, you must inform the Admissions office immediately. Once the deferred Letter of Acceptance is issued, you will only be considered for a tuition refund if you can show a study permit rejection letter corresponding to the most recent Letter of Acceptance.
• If you are going through a judicial review with IRCC, FDU Vancouver will hold the processing of your deferral until you receive a decision. If approved, FDU will issue a new Letter of Acceptance for the next available term. If your case is dismissed, you can apply to be considered for a refund. Students must notify FDU upon receiving the judicial review response within 45 days. Information on Judicial Review can be found on the IRCC website here.
• Full details on the FDU Vancouver Refund Policy can be found here.