Deferring your offer to the next academic year

In general, you cannot defer your place to another academic year.

• If you want to start your course in a different term of the same academic year, see Changing your start date.
• If you want to start your course in the next academic year, you will need to submit a new application and pay the application fee again. A new application does not guarantee an offer of a place. 

Exceptional circumstances

We will only consider a request to defer entry to the next academic year if:

• You have met the academic, financial and language conditions of your offer; and
• One of these circumstances has prevented you from taking up your place:
  • Disability, where the need for delay is because of your disability
  • Pregnancy or maternity leave
  • Paternity leave
  • 1-year military posting
  • Serious health issues or treatment (evidence from a health practitioner is required)
  • Short-term crisis involving a dependent child or family member, where you are the sole carer
  • Sudden and unexpected loss of financial support (you will need to show that you had finance in place when you met your finance condition, that this has subsequently been lost, and that you will have access to finance in the next academic year) 
  • Sudden and unexpected travel restrictions or other arbitrary actions by a third party preventing entry to the UK (late issue of an ATAS certificate or visa will not, in general, be accepted as an exceptional circumstance)

Requests will not be considered if:

• You have not met your academic, financial, or English language conditions
• You are unwell but still able to start your course by the final start date
• You did not receive College accommodation

Inconvenient or difficult circumstances that do not prevent you from starting your course as planned, even if related to one of the reasons above, are insufficient grounds for deferral.

Important considerations

Before requesting a delay, please be aware: 

• Approval is not guaranteed and is at the sole discretion of the University
• Your supervisor, course content, or College allocation may change or not be available in future years
• Only one delay is permitted
• You may need to meet new or reopened offer conditions (e.g. English language or financial requirements)
• You will be charged the course fee for the new academic year, which may be higher

If your request to defer is declined, your existing offer will be withdrawn. Therefore, make a request only if you are unable to take up your existing offer.

How to request deferred entry

To request deferred entry to the next academic year:

1. Contact your Department to explain your situation. You must have their agreement before submitting a formal request. You will also need to provide an email address for your contact in the Department. 
2. Complete our online form and send supporting evidence to pg.appeals@admin.cam.ac.uk. The form will ask you to:
   • Confirm which of the exceptional circumstances applies and demonstrate why this prevents you from taking up your place
   • Provide evidence that the issue arose after your application 
   • Show that the issue will not affect your ability to start in your proposed academic year
3. The form should be submitted as soon as possible, and must be submitted before 9 November for PhD applicants and 7 October for all other applicants. 

What happens next

• The Postgraduate Admissions Office will review your request and consult your Department
• Your College will be asked to make a matching delay
• If you have Cambridge funding, the funder will be asked to make a matching delay 

If any of these parties do not agree, your request to defer may be refused.