Brandeis University Admissions

The Brandeis University Office of Admissions recognizes that some admitted students may wish to defer their admission to pursue personal goals. Students admitted to Brandeis as first-years may defer enrollment for one year following the procedure outlined below. 

In order to defer enrollment to Brandeis, students must submit a Deferral Request Form, which can be found in your DEISconnect account underneath "Thinking of Taking a Gap Year?". Recent examples of reasons for admissions deferral requests included military service obligations, medical conditions, travel, and religious and research opportunities.

The Office of Admissions processes deferral requests on an ongoing basis, and students will be notified via their DEISconnect account when their deferral has been reviewed. If you decide to apply for a deferral of admission, there are several critical factors to note as you enter this process. 

Request Deadline

The deadline for requesting a deferral is May 15. To request a deferral, you must submit your enrollment deposit by the deadline stated in your admission letter. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Samantha Epstein at samanthaepstein@brandeis.edu.

Deferral Deposit

You will be required to submit a nonrefundable deferral deposit of $800, in addition to your enrollment deposit, and it will be credited toward the first semester of tuition. Students who qualified for a reduced or waived enrollment deposit may qualify for a reduced deferral deposit. Once the deferral request is reviewed and approved by the Admissions staff, you will receive a notice via your online account with instructions on how to pay the deferral deposit. The deferral deposit must be received by June 1. 

Notification

After the Deferral Request Form and deposit have been received, you will be notified via your online account that the deferral has been granted. If you apply by May 15, you will be notified by June 1. 

Students may defer admission for one year. Brandeis does not offer the option to defer for one semester. Deferrals beyond one year are only approved in the case of obligatory military service fulfillment. If you wish to extend your deferral beyond one year, you must reapply for admission. If you were admitted to Brandeis under an Early Decision round, you are expected to uphold your commitment and return to Brandeis following your gap year.

Exclusions

Students admitted as transfers, visiting students, or admitted from the waitlist may not defer enrollment.

Financial Aid

If you have been approved to defer your enrollment by the Office of Admissions, you will not be required to submit the remaining documents required to verify your financial aid eligibility. The Office of Student Financial Services will reach out in the winter with instructions to complete a financial aid application.

If you received a need-based financial aid award, you must reapply for financial aid for the following year. The CSS Profile, the FAFSA, and copies of student and parent Federal Income Tax Returns will be required. Because eligibility for financial aid is determined each year based on current tax and asset information, you are not guaranteed the same financial aid award that was offered with admission. If your family's financial situation remains the same, however, Brandeis will make every effort to renew the initial award offer.

If you have received a merit scholarship, you will receive the same scholarship amount after your deferral. However, any additional program components of your scholarship cannot be guaranteed each year.

Expectations

We regard a deferral of admission as a mutual commitment. We agree to hold a place for you in the class, and you agree to enter Brandeis one year later than your original offer of admission. We expect that you will not apply to other colleges during your gap year and that you will not enroll at another college as a degree-seeking candidate. We also require that you not hold a deferral at another institution.