Deferred Enrollment
Students who initially apply for and are admitted to a fall term may defer their enrollment to the following spring or fall term. Students who initially apply for and are admitted to a spring term can only defer their enrollment to the following spring term.
Deferred enrollment may be granted to first-year students for a variety of reasons—most commonly to allow a student to participate in non-academic/non-credit cultural experiences, perform community service, take part in a non-credit internship, or attend military basic training; for students with disabilities; for those who have chronic medical conditions; or for active-duty military personnel.
Any first-year student admitted in the Early Action or Regular Decision application periods may request to defer enrollment. Students admitted from the wait list are traditionally not eligible for deferred enrollment but will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Deferred enrollment may be granted for qualified admitted transfer students with disabilities or chronic medical conditions or for active-duty military personnel.
Students will not be granted deferred enrollment to enroll at another academic institution or to enroll in a program that grants college credit in the United States or abroad.
The Deferred Enrollment Process
1. Accept your offer and confirm your enrollment by the confirmation deadline
- Spring Term Confirmation Deadline: December 15
- First-Year Fall Term Confirmation Deadline: May 1
- Transfer Fall Term Confirmation Deadline: June 1
2. Submit the Deferred Enrollment Request Form
3. If deferred enrollment has been conditionally approved, you’ll receive a letter with next steps:
- Sign and submit the Deferred Enrollment Student Agreement by May 1 (or two weeks from the date of the pre-approval letter, whichever is later)
- Submit final transcripts by July 15
- Your final grades and coursework are reviewed, and deferred enrollment is formally approved
4. After the deferred enrollment period passes, update and submit the Record of Residence Form
- New information is reviewed for desired term of entry
5. Receive an email notification that your new admission offer is available in your Student Center
6. Accept your new admission offer in your Student Center and pay the deposit for the upcoming term
7. Follow your Admitted Student Checklist and transition to campus as a Badger!
Frequently Asked Questions
All official university communications will be sent to the campus email address that you have on file (@wisc.edu); you can verify what email address that is by navigating to your Student Center and following the instructions. While deferred, we recommend checking this account for communications from the university.
Students who initially apply for and are admitted to a fall term may defer their enrollment to the following spring or fall term. Students who initially apply for and are admitted to a spring term can only defer their enrollment to the following spring term. Deferred enrollment requests are not valid for beyond one year from the time the student was initially admitted.
Students must submit a completed Deferred Enrollment Request Form. The deadline to submit is the same as your deadline to confirm enrollment.
The deadline to submit a completed Deferred Enrollment Request Form is the same as your deadline for confirming enrollment.
In most cases, transfer and reentry students cannot defer enrollment. The University of Wisconsin–Madison also provides reasonable accommodations for qualified admitted transfer students with disabilities, chronic medical conditions, and for active-duty military personnel.
Transfer students who have confirmed enrollment and are unable to enroll at UW–Madison in the term specified on their acceptance letter due to one of the reasons listed above may request to defer enrollment.
Yes, but only admitted first-year students.
- Students will receive an acknowledgement email indicating whether or not their request has been conditionally approved. They will be prompted to submit their final high school transcript by July 15 and to submit the Deferred Enrollment Student Agreement by May 1 (or two weeks from the date of the pre-approval letter, whichever is later) and will be notified of next steps.
- After review of the student’s final grades and confirmation of successful completion of senior year, the appropriate deferred enrollment letter (either formal approval or denial) will be posted to the Student Center.
No. A student’s deferred enrollment is finalized upon successful completion of high school and submission of the Deferred Enrollment Student Agreement. At that point, admission is guaranteed for the desired term of entry if the student adheres to the Deferred Enrollment Student Agreement.
May 1 (or two weeks from the date of the pre-approval letter, whichever is later).
No. Students granted deferred enrollment are not required to submit a new application nor pay the application fee again.
All scored exams that have been sent to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment will remain in each student’s file.
Students who have not yet taken their placement tests should visit testing.wisc.edu.
Incoming first-year students are required to take both the Math and English placement tests. The world language placement test is optional prior to attending Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR).
Students granted deferred enrollment should take the placement tests and submit the placement test results to the Office of Admissions and Recruitment as soon as possible prior to attending SOAR for the new term.
Housing information will be sent a few days after the admission decision is made. Students will need to confirm their enrollment by paying their enrollment deposit via the Student Center by May 1 prior to the new term. Beginning in April, students who have paid the enrollment deposit will receive an email from the Office of Student Transition and Family Engagement inviting them to register for Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR).
Students who are deferring enrollment until the spring term will be required to attend Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR) in January. Students who are deferring enrollment until the fall term will be required to attend SOAR in the summer before they begin classes.
Students who have already applied for financial aid and/or scholarships will need to reapply for financial aid after they are admitted for the new term. They will also need to update their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Students who planned to live in the University Residence Halls should contact University Housing at 608-262-2522 or assignme@housing.wisc.edu to make new arrangements.
No. A student’s admission to the College of Letters & Science Honors Program will carry through to the new term of enrollment.