Deferral of Admission

If you are thinking about delaying the start of your studies, you may want to consider requesting a deferral to hold your spot. 

A deferral of admission may be an option if you choose to delay your studies for a full year. 

If approved, you will put your Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission on hold to enable you to join us in the future with ease. Please note, not all programs are eligible for a deferral.  A Deferral of Admission will only be granted once.

You cannot defer your Offer of Admission/ Letter of Acceptance if you are planning to attend another institution during the deferral period. You will need to reapply.

Please see Deferral FAQs below.

Note, if you are interested in an alternate semester of entry within the same calendar year, we ask that you amend your application.

Before submitting a deferral request, ensure that you meet all of the following requirements:

  1. You are requesting to defer for one year (e.g., Fall 2025 to Fall 2026).
  2. You have met all of your admission conditions on time.
  3. You accepted your Offer of Admission on time.
  4. You paid your non-refundable confirmation deposit on time.
  5. Your Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission has not expired.
  6. You are not currently registered in courses at Lakehead University.

If you meet all the requirements, please continue and submit a Deferral Request Form. 

Deferral FAQ:

When will I know if my request for a deferral was approved? 

Deferral requests will be reviewed after final grades are received. Typically students will be notified if their deferral request has been approved by the end of October. Once we reach a decision, we will inform you via email. 

My request for a deferral was approved. When will I receive my new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission? 

A new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission will be extended once we begin accepting applications for the entry point you selected. For example, your new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission for Fall 2025 entry will be available in October of 2024 (i.e. when applications open for 2025 entry).

Why was my request for a deferral denied?

You did not satisfy all of the above requirements or you are requesting to defer to another semester within the same calendar year (e.g., 2025 winter to 2025 fall). If you need to amend from a winter/spring start to fall, refer to the section on how to amend your offer. Note, all deferral decisions are final.

If you are interested in attending Lakehead at a later time, we encourage you to reapply for admission consideration once the application opens for your desired entry point.  

How can I amend my application to be considered for an alternate semester within the same calendar year?

  1. Log into your OUAC application
  2. Select "Edit My Application" OR within the "My Choices" section select the edit icon (top right)
  3. Within My Choices you can edit the details of a program you have applied to by selecting the edit icon (bottom right)
  4. If you already have an offer of admission/accepted an offer, you will need to withdraw your choice.
  5. Under Program Details, alter the expected date of enrolment to the desired date of enrolment (i.e. 2025 Fall (September)) and click "Save Program"
  6. A pop-up screen will confirm changes and indicate "All changes have been saved".

When you are done making changes, go to "Review and Payment" to verify your changes. Your edits will appear in the Review Summary. If your edits have been made correctly, continue to the Declaration and select "I Verify and Agree".

What programs are ineligible for deferral?

If you received an offer to the Juris Doctor, please connect with the Faculty of Law to determine whether your deferral request will be considered.

Similarly, if you received an offer to the One-Year Social Work or Year Three Social Work programs, do not complete this deferral process. Please connect with the School of Social Work to determine whether your deferral request will be considered.

Are there costs associated with submitting a deferral request?

The cost to defer an offer of admission is $50, paid when you submit the Deferral Request Form. Deferral request fees are non-refundable.