Graduate Admissions Deferral policy

Applicants who have been admitted to a graduate program and are unable to begin their studies in that specific term can request a deferral. A deferral is only intended for students who are unable to begin the program. 

You may not defer if you have started your program. If you've attended any classes or started Graduate Assistantship work, you must complete a withdrawal form.

Key Considerations

  • Applicants may only defer one time, up to one year from their original start term.

  • All applicants who defer will be required to create a new application and Graduate Studies will waive the application fee for the new term. Applicants should await instructions via email before submitting a new application.
  • Applicants may change their route (example: thesis to course or course to thesis) but if they would like to be considered for a different program (i.e. original application was to MSc Electrical & Computer Engineering and they wish to apply for MSc Computer Science), they will be required to pay the application fee again. 

How to Submit a Request

  1. Please download the PDF form here and complete all required fields.
  2. Please send the completed form to gstudent@lakeheadu.ca.
  3. When the application is available for the new start term, you will receive an email with instructions on how to complete the new application and avoid paying the application fee. We ask that you do not create the new application until you receive the instruction email. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How is my deferral request considered?

If approved, the deferred application will be included with all new applications received for that desired intake date and the applicable academic department will make a decision on the new application. 

Note: Select programs allow for students to defer their offer to a new start term but will still be required to reapply. 

What happens to my funding?

If you received an offer of funding, you must email the Graduate Funding Officers at funding.grad@lakeheadu.ca to inform them that you will be deferring. Funding cannot be deferred, but you will be considered for funding if admitted to the new term.

If I defer, do I need to obtain a new Provincial Attestation Letter?

If your deferral is approved, a new Letter of Acceptance (LOA) will be issued to you. After you accept the updated LOA in the application portal, you will receive details about Lakehead's Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) process and the next steps to follow relevant to your case. At this time, Lakehead University is issuing PALs with an expiry date of December 31, 2025. These may be used for visa applications submitted before that date, even if your intended start term is in 2026. Please note that PALs are limited in number, and we cannot guarantee availability when your application is reviewed.

Note: Provincial Attestation Letters are only applicable to student joining Lakehead University on a study permit.

Can I change my route during the deferral process?

Applicants may change their route (example: thesis to course or course to thesis) but if they would like to be considered for a different program (i.e. original application was to MSc Electrical & Computer Engineering and they wish to apply for MSc Computer Science), they will be required to pay the application fee again. 

Do I need to pay for another application?

All applicants who are approved for deferral will be required to create a new application and Graduate Studies will waive the application fee for the new term. 

We ask that you do not create the new application until you receive the instruction email.