We understand that life sometimes gets in the way of your plans, so if for any reason you need to defer your start term, here are a few policies that you need to be aware of:
How do I request to defer my admission to Illinois Tech?
- Students must first submit their $300 enrollment deposit in order to request to defer their admission to a future term. You can find instructions for submitting your enrollment deposit here.
- Students must request to defer their admission through their application tracker or by contacting their admission counselor in the Office of Undergraduate Admission no later than the add/drop deadline each semester. The add/drop deadline can be found on Illinois Tech’s academic calendar. You can find your admission counselor on the university’s website.
How long can I defer my admission?
- Students can defer for up to a maximum of two semesters or for one full academic year.
- If a student does not enroll within the maximum deferral period of two semesters, they must reapply for admission to Illinois Tech.
Am I allowed to take courses at another college or university during my deferral period?
- First-year students may not take courses at another institution during their deferral period.
- If a student takes courses during the deferral period, Illinois Tech reserves the right to ask the student to reapply for admission and to provide updated transcripts for any new coursework.
- Transfer students are permitted to continue taking college courses during their deferral period.
- However, transfer students must submit updated transcripts for any courses that they take during their deferral period so that they can be evaluated for transfer credit and to ensure that they are still admissible to Illinois Tech. Undergraduate admission reserves the right to rescind admission if a student’s academic performance declines significantly during the deferral period.
I am a recipient of the Chicago Difference Scholarship. Am I allowed to defer my admission to a future term?
- Chicago Difference recipients must begin courses during the semester for which they applied in order to maintain their scholarship.
- In the event that a student awarded the Chicago difference scholarship chooses to defer to a future term, they will forfeit their scholarship and receive an alternative financial aid offer.
What will happen to my scholarships?
- If a student fully adheres to the deferral policy listed above, they will maintain the same scholarships that were offered upon admission.
- If a student does not follow the terms of the deferral policy listed above, Illinois Tech reserves the right to ask the student to reapply for admission. The same scholarships are not guaranteed the second time that a student is admitted.
What happens after I request to defer?
- Did you register for any courses? If so, you are required to withdraw from your courses before the add/drop deadline in order to avoid being charged tuition for them.
- Do you have a housing and food contract? If so, please contact Residence Life and cancel your contract. Contract cancellations may be subject to cancellation fees as per Residence Life policy. To learn more, contact housing@iit.edu.
- You will receive an official letter from Illinois Tech that states that your deferral has been approved, along with a reminder of the deferral policy, for your records.
- Stay in touch with the Office of Undergraduate Admission during your deferral period! Our staff can assist you in connecting with experiential learning opportunities to enrich your gap-year experience and to keep you updated on any new developments at the university.