Can I take a year out and hold my place?
If you have been offered a place via CAOand want to take a year out, you should follow the procedure below. View full Deferral Request - UCD Registry
Please note that it is not always possible to defer entry. For example in order to ensure adequate places for next year’s applicants, there is a limit on the number of deferrals which can be granted in any course. For many courses, all of the places available for deferral will be filled during round 1.
What do I need to do?
When you receive your CAO offer:
- Do NOT accept the offer via CAO.
- Apply for a deferral using this form, setting out the reason(s) for the request.
- The request must be received by UCD Registry Admissions no later than5 pmon the daybefore the reply date shown on the offer notice. Requests will only be accepted from the applicant, with the correct CAO number and if they are from the email address on file from CAO.
- The request must include your name, CAO application number and course code.
- We will let you know the decision in time to allow you to accept should the decision be negative (expect a decision at least 1 hour before the time acceptances close).
- In order to take up the deferred place, you must re-apply through the CAO by 1 February of the following year, placing the deferred programme as the first and only preference. (It is possible to delay application until 1 May on payment of the late application fee).
You must notify us of your new number. - If you follow these procedures, your offer will issue in Round A which normally goes out in early July and must be accepted by the reply date.
- Please note course content can change from year to year so you should check the propsectus for the following year to ensure the options you are interested in will still be available.
Conditions
Please note: if you are granted a deferral it will no longer be valid if:
- You accept/defer a later offer through CAO.
- You attend a third-level institution in the intervening year (a one-year course such as QQI-FET course may be allowed).
In either case, you can, of course, re-apply via CAO and compete for a place in the normal way.
I have already accepted - can I still defer?
If you have already accepted, it may still be possible to defer up to the second week of trimester. You must contact us immediately explaining why you wish to defer now. It is very urgent that you do so because if you’re deferring, the place needs to be made available to somebody else.
After the second week of trimester, deferral requests will only be considered in very exceptional circumstances, e.g. serious medical grounds (as it is then too late to offer the place to anyone else). NB your student status will be updated to withdrawn if the deferral is granted.
How do graduate students defer?
Deferral information for graduate students is available here.
I am an undergraduate but not via CAO. How do I defer?
- Undergraduate applicants who have applied direct (Non-EU applicants) and who wish to defer – please contact UCD Global.
- As transfers are subject to availability of places in a given stage/semester, deferrals are not available to transfer applicants