Deferral of Admission

If you are thinking about delaying the start of your studies, you may want to consider requesting a deferral to hold your spot. 

A deferral of admission may be an option if you choose to delay your studies for a variety of reasons. If granted a deferral, you will put your Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission on hold to enable you to join us in a future semester with ease. Please note, not every program is eligible for a deferral. You cannot defer your Offer of Admission if you are planning to attend another institution during the deferral period. You will need to reapply. In addition, a Deferral of Admission will only be granted one time. Please see Deferral FAQs below.

Before submitting a deferral request, ensure that you meet all of the following requirements:

  1. You have met all of your admission conditions on time.
  2. You accepted your Offer of Admission on time.
  3. You paid your non-refundable confirmation deposit on time.
  4. Your Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission has not expired.
  5. You are not currently registered in courses at Lakehead University.

If you meet all five requirements, please continue and submit a deferral of admission request. 

Note, you will need your myPortal username and password in order to access the form. If you cannot access myPortal, please contact helpdesk@lakeheadu.ca. 

Deferral FAQ:

When will I know if my request for a deferral was approved? 

Deferral requests are reviewed on a rolling basis. Once we reach a decision, we will inform you via email. A decision can take up to 4-6 weeks, depending on the time of year.

My request for a deferral was approved. When will I receive my new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission? 

We will issue a new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission once we start accepting applications for the entry point you selected. For example, your new Letter of Acceptance/ Offer of Admission for Fall 2024 entry will be available in October of 2023 (i.e. when we start accepting applications for Fall 2024 entry).

Why was my request for a deferral denied?

You did not satisfy all of the above requirements. All deferral decisions are final. If you are interested in attending Lakehead at a later time, we encourage you to reapply for admission consideration once the application opens for your desired entry point.  

What programs are ineligible for a deferral?

Programs within the Faculty of Engineering are ineligible for deferrals.

If you received an offer to the Juris Doctor, do not complete this deferral process. Please connect with the Faculty of Law to determine whether your deferral request will be considered. Similarly, if you received an offer to the One-Year Social Work or Year Three Social Work programs, do not complete this deferral process. Please connect with the School of Social Work to determine whether your deferral request will be considered.