Do schools offer deferment?

[Amerijump44]

I was just wondering if you guys have seen situations where a school has allowed someone who has been accepted into a program to defer to the next year and what were the reasons. I have been accepted to 2 programs and waitlisted at 2 programs. I would love to go this year however I just learned that my wife and I are pregnant and that the due date is in mid-August (first week of 3 of my programs). This is the best news we have ever gotten however the timing could not have been worst for school. We would be moving to a new state, new apartment, new town, no friend/family support, new doctors, and all the financial stuff that goes with it all. I want to make every effort to go this year especially with a few acceptances already, but I need to do what's best for my family and moving would be hard. What have you guys seen in terms of deferment, and do you think my situation has grounds for a deferment?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DSDPT2022]

That's honestly a great question for the school's you've applied to and have been waitlisted at. There was someone on a reddit forum last year that was deferred to another year because they had a grandparent who was a primary guardian they needed to take care of but I think it's rare and on a case per case basis.

Good luck and Congratulations to you and the wife.

 

[dobsonek]

There is a girl in my cohort who was accepted to the cohort before mine, but ended up getting pregnant and deferred her acceptance for a year so she didn’t have to give birth during the first semester. I think it’s worth asking the programs you’re accepted to, as no one can really answer the question accurately except for their admissions committee.

 

[caly02]

I turned a school down recently due to financials I just couldn't make it work this year. The admissions director asked me if I had any interest in deferring instead so I submitted a little blurb to the admissions committee about why I need to defer this year. I think it is totally worth reaching out to all of the schools individually and seeing what they say because every school has different policies some allow it, some have very strict criteria for when they allow it and some don't allow it at all. Congratulations on the kiddo and goodluck!