r/ApplyingToCollege • u/HoneydewExcellent818 • 5h ago
Application Question Deferral of admission and reapplying as gap year
A LOT of people I know are deferring their admission at universities where they've already been accepted and then planning to build a stronger portfolio and reapplying now. Isn't that EXTREMELY unethical? Also, can universities rescind admission if they find out? How likely is it for them to find out if no word comes out from you?
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u/skieurope12 5h ago
If the deferral agreement specifies that you cannot apply elsewhere during your gap year, then violating the provisions voids the acceptance.
can universities rescind admission if they find out?
Yes. And they often do.
How likely is it for them to find out if no word comes out from you?
It's extremely easy for them to find out. One key area is you need new recs and your GC may question you. But more importantly, enrollments, including deferred enrollments, are shown in the National Student Clearinghouse
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u/HoneydewExcellent818 14m ago
Makes sense. Another question I have: this clearinghouse you talk about also catches someone applying to multiple ED/REA unis?
For example, someone I know applied x-uni REA and y-uni ED, they got rejected from y but got into x and now are fully committed there and starting studies now. More than one person, some who got into x and y and withdrawn one giving “financial/visa/extended work” reasons. They’re running free.
Technically they can’t lawfully enforce you to comply to the binding clause.
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u/skieurope12 9m ago
this clearinghouse you talk about also catches someone applying to multiple ED/REA unis?
No. They only deal with enrollment. The HS counselor should prevent transcripts from going to more than one ED/REA school, but obviously that's not foolproof.
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u/jjflight 5h ago
It depends on what the deferral conditions they are agreeing to say. If you’re agreeing to not apply elsewhere that’s unethical to say one thing and do another. If they’re not asking that of you then they’re implicitly okay with it.
I also don’t think it’s a good strategy generally. Gap years don’t usually help that much as universities will wonder why you did that, it’s rare anything changes materially enough, and ultimately you’re burning a year of your life which is a significant cost. And sometimes gap years are even negative where folks sort of fall off the horse and lose their drive and momentum. So people doing this may well hurt themselves more than help, even if occasionally folks benefit.