How does deferment work in university?
You are able to postpone admission to universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The practice of withdrawing from or rescinding your enrollment for one or more academic sessions is known as “deferment of admission.”
Deferring admission entails starting the admission process without going to school for a good reason. Deferring entrance is possible for one to twenty years. Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply for admission deferral at any Nigerian university.
After finishing their first-year clearance, newly admitted students can use their acceptance letters to defer their admission. Some students are learning for the first time that they may postpone their admission. Some people were unaware of the possibility of postponing the start of academic classes until a later time.
In general, all colleges, universities, and polytechnics are expected to have formal policies in place for students who might want to postpone admission for reasons determined by management.
This will assist stressed-out students in retaining their student status as well as in overcoming their worries so they can continue their studies at the same institution upon resumption when necessary. The deferral of admission is not, however, permitted by all universities.
Reasons to Postpone Admission
Delaying your admittance is a good decision if you truly cannot continue the academic term. The justification will be in your postponed admission letter, which needs to be accepted by your school’s registrar and admission office. Some of the reasons could include:
- Health Challenge
A health problem is a frequent reason for students to delay enrollment. Students must be in good health in order to meet the requirements of higher education. This is the only approach to dealing with academic stress. Students who are ill must wait to be admitted until they recover. It is financially difficult for students who can’t afford extra expenses like housing and tuition. You need to ask for a deferment if you can’t afford to pay for your education. You can combine your funds at this point to pay for school.
- Pregnancy
A valid justification for delaying admission to your school is pregnancy. It is optional because you can attend school while expecting. If a student does not want to combine having children and attending school, they can postpone enrolling.
- Lack of academic sponsorship
A good reason for the academic suspension is the absence of an academic sponsor. An academic sponsor is a person who handles your financial obligations while you are a student. Your sponsor can be a member of your family, such as your parents.
- Career
An occupation is a valid excuse for extending your return to school.
If a student secures employment during their academic career, they may choose to delay their return.
It’s vital to remember that when admission is postponed, the affected students will only have the option to resume their first-year coursework or their academic plans for the year of approval rather than being able to skip all of the classes and proceed to year 2.
In other words, you should pick up where you left off when class resumes. Although the recently admitted are well aware of deferring admissions, it’s not unusual to see students in the 200 or 300 levels postponing their classes for one or more of the aforementioned reasons.
However, some institutions exclusively offer these possibilities to 100-level candidates, some solely to returning students, and yet others may take into account both of these student groups.
Procedures to Follow to Defer Admissions
In general, these methods will apply to all colleges, polytechnics, and universities.
1. Visit the admissions office of the school.
You can do this as soon as admittance is granted. It’s crucial to arrive there a few weeks before the start of school.
2. Present your circumstances to the admissions officer.
The admissions officer will walk you through each step, including how to write the deferment letter, what costs to pay, what forms to complete, when the application deadline is, and when you may expect to start taking classes again if your request is granted.
Similar to this, a few schools that had pages specifically dedicated to the requirements for deferring admissions have provided us with hints as to what is anticipated of all institutions.
For instance, the administration at the University of Nigeria (UNN) instructs the concerned candidates to:
- Use your university email address to submit an email to the admissions office for readmission through your head of department.
- Using the designated email account, the admission officer sends the registrar minutes.
- The director of ICT receives the Registrar’s approval and forwards it for implementation.
- The request is forwarded to the appropriate unit for implementation by the ICT director.
Additionally, for the deferment in admissions, the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) directs students to complete the following steps.
- The applicant must verify his or her admission status and pay the acceptance fee as proof that they have accepted the admission offer.
- He or she must complete the online clearance process all the way to eligibility clearance.
- The following documents should be brought to the admissions office by the applicant if they have been cleared online for physical clearance.
- Candidates who the admissions office has approved are required to visit a bank to pay an N5,000.00 deferment fee (five thousand Naira only).
- Candidates should submit their bank statements to the university’s bursary office after making their payments in order to receive a receipt.
- After receiving a receipt, the applicant should go back to the admissions office to acquire a deferment of admission form, which should be properly filled out by the applicant and then given to his or her faculty officer for processing. The suggestion of a school may also result in a deferral of admissions.
Can a request for a deferment of admission be turned down?
Yes. If you file your deferral application, you might not always find the management sympathetic. Of course, approval is up to the authorities, even for the institutions accepting the deferments. The fact that they grant approval for someone on the basis of their health does not imply that they will grant you clearance on the same grounds.
And as you inferred from the foregoing, not all universities have policies in place for the postponement of admissions. You won’t be able to request a delay in this situation.
If your application’s justification is unsound or insufficient for acceptance, such as a financial justification that lacks a clear explanation of how you plan to obtain the funding if you resume in the next academic year.
Additionally, since most institutions won’t allow deferment for longer than a year, you might not be approved if you try to gain more than one year of approval.
if you are unable to satisfy the funding requirements for approval. For instance, before you depart on deferment, certain institutions may still require you to pay the entrance fee, the school fee (sometimes), and other dues for that year. You might not have a chance if you can’t make those payments.
A quick and simple way to postpone your admission
The procedures for deferring admission are listed below.
- Pay your application fee.
- Create an invoice for school fees.
- Pay your school’s tuition for the current academic year.
- Obtain first-year clearance.
- Visit the office of your department’s head (HOD).
- Tell your HOD that you want to postpone your admission.
- Collect the application for a deferment from your faculty officer.
- Complete the form.
- Write your letter of deferred admission.
- Send the deferment form and letter to the faculty, department, and office of your school’s registrar.
- Wait for your school’s admission office to approve you.
Summary
There are many reasons for delaying admittance, and the fact that you are here indicates that you desire to do so. There are a number of factors you should think about before delaying your admission. Your name must first appear on the admissions list of the school of your choice in order for you to defer admission.