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Graduate Studies Deferral Requests

Applicants admitted to Graduate Studies who are unable to begin their studies for the term admitted to may submit a request for a deferral.

Deferral Requests

  • Reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the department, School of Graduate Studies, Dean of the Faculty the program is associated with and the Registrar’s Office.
  • Not guaranteed and decisions are at the discretion of Nipissing.

Approvals

  • Approvals are not transferable to any other graduate studies program.  If you change your mind as to what program you are interested in, you will need to apply for admission consideration as a new applicant.
  • Applicants approved to defer are not eligible to attend any postsecondary institution during the deferral period. If you attend an accredited postsecondary institution after being granted a deferral (without prior approval), your deferral will be rescinded. Once a deferral is rescinded you will be required to reapply for admission consideration to Nipissing as a new applicant and be required to disclose all new academic information.
  • Once approved, tuition deposits (if applicable) will be moved to your next start term. Any tuition paid will be refunded and you will be deregistered from your courses.

Eligibility

Deferral requests are typically granted for exceptional or extenuating circumstances.  Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Unforeseen illness or medical condition
  • Financial issues
  • Study permit issues (i.e., Denial, delay in processing)
  • Work or volunteer opportunities related to future career goals
  • Studies for religious or cultural reasons

Deferrals will not be granted to attend another grad studies or professional program.

Next Steps

Before submitting a deferral request you must have:

  • Accepted your offer of admission. See your offer of admission letter for information on how to accept.
  • Met all conditions of your offer and have no outstanding documents required. You should check WebAdvisor regularly to track receipt of required documents. Login information is provided in your acknowledgement package that is mailed and/or emailed to you. A checklist of required documents will appear under Important Documents – Outstanding/Received under the Prospective Student menu. Please allow up to 7 business days for any documents received to be reflected on WebAdvisor.
  • Reviewed the information in the tab below that best fits your applicant category.

Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident Applicants to a Masters Program OR Applicants to MEd and PhD Programs regardless of Status in Canada

This following information applies to:

  • All applicants to Nipissing’s MEd and PhD programs (regardless of citizenship); and/or
  • Applicants to Nipissing’s Masters programs who are a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
Masters Deferrals

Application Open:  May 1

Application Closed:  August 31

Deferral Period

Deferrals are typically granted for one year (September to September). One term deferral requests may be considered.  Please note if you are requesting a deferral to a term that is not a regular intake for your program, we may not be able to accommodate your request. If this is the case, your request will also be considered for the next available intake.

Processing Timeline

Deferral requests will be processed in July and August. If you have not met the conditions of your offer by August 15 you will have your request denied. Decisions will be emailed to you using the email address that you provided on your application. The email will contain all the conditions for your deferral to remain valid. All deferral requests will be responded to by September 5.

PhD Deferrals

Application Open:  April 1

Application Closed:  May 16

Deferral Period

Deferrals are granted for one year (July to July).

Processing Timeline

Deferral requests will be processed in April/May. If you have not met the conditions of your offer by May 15 (unless you have received prior approval for a later date) you will have your request denied. Decisions will be emailed to you using the email address that you provided on your application. The email will contain all the conditions for your deferral to remain valid. All deferral requests will be responded to by June 1.

Application:  Graduate Studies Deferral Request Form

Funding

Any scholarship and/or funding you may have received is not guaranteed for the next intake. The committee will review your application along with all other applications and determine if you will be eligible for scholarship and/or funding opportunities.

Additional Information

  • Do not submit a deferral request unless you are sure that you will be unable to attend Nipissing in the fall.
  • Ensure that you update your email address if it has changed from the one provided on your application. This can be done by logging into WebAdvisor.
  • Nipissing University reserves the right to request additional information to support your deferral request. All information and documentation will remain confidential and will be reviewed for your request for a deferral only.
  • Do not use this form if you are a current Nipissing student and wish to take a leave of absence from your studies.  Please reach out to the School of Graduate Studies for more information. All current Nipissing students should be aware of the Continuous Enrollment policy and  Leave of Absence request procedures.
  • While Nipissing does not anticipate suspending admission to any of our graduate programs, nor can we anticipate the availability of your supervisor for the next intake please note that the availability of programs and/or supervisors in future intakes is subject to change. If admission to your program is suspended during the deferral period for the next intake or your supervisor is unavailable, we will do our best to offer you alternate options.

International Applicants to a Masters Program except MEd

The following information is for applicants Masters programs at Nipissing (except MEd) that are studying in Canada (on a study permit) or studying or have completed studies in another country (no status in Canada).

International applicants who have accepted an offer of admission and would like to request a deferral should email internationaladmiss@nipissingu.ca or use the deferral request process within your application.

Funding

Any scholarship and/or funding you may have received is not guaranteed for the next intake. The committee will review your application along with all other applications and determine if you will be eligible for scholarship and/or funding opportunities.

Additional Information

  • Deferral requests should only be requested by the applicant only.
  • Do not submit a deferral request unless you are sure that you will be unable to attend Nipissing in the fall.
  • Ensure that you update your email address if it has changed from the one provided on your application.
  • Nipissing University reserves the right to request additional information to support your deferral request. All information and documentation will remain confidential and will be reviewed for your request for a deferral only.
  • Do not use this form if you are a current Nipissing student and wish to take a leave of absence from your studies.  Please reach out to the School of Graduate Studies for more information. All current Nipissing students should be aware of the Continuous Enrollment policy and Leave of Absence request procedures.
  • While Nipissing does not anticipate suspending admission to any of our programs, please note that the availability of programs in future intakes is subject to change. If admission is suspended during the deferral period for the next intake of your program, we will do our best to offer you alternate options.
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