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S4 Blog: Deferring Your Start: How to Request It and What Changes on Your I-20
Plans change: a visa appointment slips, a change of status is still pending, or you need more time. A deferral moves your start to a later intake, but it must be confirmed by the school.
Send your admissions advisor a written request from your applicant email, naming the intake you want and asking about your deposit and documents. A phone call alone may not be recorded or accepted. Then confirm the new date against your status timeline before you rely on it.
How to request a deferral
Why a phone call is not enough
Schools track decisions in their systems. In the call patterns we reviewed, a student had phoned to defer but the school still needed a written confirmation, and another school was about to close an application because it had not heard back. A missing written reply can mean a closed file or a new application.
If the school says it will close your application
Reply in writing before their deadline, saying whether you are continuing or deferring to a named intake. Copy your consultant.
What changes on your I-20
The start date on the I-20 must match when you actually begin, so the school issues an updated I-20. For transfer students, the release date must be re-planned. For a pending change of status, confirm with your consultant whether USCIS needs the update.
Deposit
At many schools the deposit carries over, but it is school-specific. Get the answer in writing.
Status timing: do this check first
A later start can break a transfer window or grace period. Study in the States says transfer students generally must begin the new program at the next available start within five months of the earlier of the release date or program completion. A deferral can affect that. Check dates with your DSO and consultant before sending the request.
Missed intake
Most partner schools run several starts a year, so another intake is often close. First check your status dates; they decide which start date is safe.
Next steps
Draft your email today. Include the intake, your question about the deposit, and your consultant in copy.
Disclaimer: General information, not legal advice. Deferral may require additional immigration steps; confirm with your DSO.
Send your admissions advisor a written request from your applicant email, naming the intake you want and asking about your deposit and documents. A phone call alone may not be recorded or accepted. Then confirm the new date against your status timeline before you rely on it.
How to request a deferral
- Email your advisor from the address on your application.
- Name the intake (for example, "the January start") and your program.
- Ask: Does my deposit carry over? Do my documents remain valid? Will I get an updated I-20? Is there a deadline for this request?
- Copy your consultant so the request is not missed.
- Keep the school's written reply.
Why a phone call is not enough
Schools track decisions in their systems. In the call patterns we reviewed, a student had phoned to defer but the school still needed a written confirmation, and another school was about to close an application because it had not heard back. A missing written reply can mean a closed file or a new application.
If the school says it will close your application
Reply in writing before their deadline, saying whether you are continuing or deferring to a named intake. Copy your consultant.
What changes on your I-20
The start date on the I-20 must match when you actually begin, so the school issues an updated I-20. For transfer students, the release date must be re-planned. For a pending change of status, confirm with your consultant whether USCIS needs the update.
Deposit
At many schools the deposit carries over, but it is school-specific. Get the answer in writing.
Status timing: do this check first
A later start can break a transfer window or grace period. Study in the States says transfer students generally must begin the new program at the next available start within five months of the earlier of the release date or program completion. A deferral can affect that. Check dates with your DSO and consultant before sending the request.
Missed intake
Most partner schools run several starts a year, so another intake is often close. First check your status dates; they decide which start date is safe.
Next steps
Draft your email today. Include the intake, your question about the deposit, and your consultant in copy.
Disclaimer: General information, not legal advice. Deferral may require additional immigration steps; confirm with your DSO.