How to defer your offer

Before you apply to defer

Be aware that courses are under continual review. If you apply to defer, your course may be revised, discontinued or cease to be accredited during your deferment. If this happens, we'll make every attempt to provide the original program. If this isn't possible, we reserve the right to offer you a place in an equivalent or near-equivalent course. For some courses, your progress may be delayed if you commence your course mid-year, depending on the areas you wish to study. This will need to be discussed with your Course Coordinator.

Graduate research candidates: deferral may affect the availability of academic supervision and any scholarships awarded. This may need to be approved by the Board of Graduate Research.

Stand-Alone 1 year Honours Programs: Can be deferred, however you need to advise the Honours Supervisor before deferring to ensure that your supervision arrangements can be accommodated upon your return.

Who can defer?

You can defer if:

• you haven't started your course or completed a subject
• the census date for the subject/s you're enrolled in hasn't passed
• you're not a recipient of a Postgraduate Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).

Our student FAQs can assist you to identify the difference between deferral and leave of absence.

Can my course be deferred?

Most La Trobe courses can be deferred.
Please refer to the table below to see if your course can not be deferred. Courses can normally be deferred until the next available intake. If there is no midyear intake you must defer until the following year.

• Short courses, single-subject enrolments and Cross-Institutional study: deferral not available, applicants will need to reapply.
• If you have transferred courses and need to take leave from your studies, you can apply for a Leave of Absence (not a deferral)
• Open University Australia (OUA) students need to contact OUA directly to arrange this.
• Master of Teaching (excluding Nexus): Deferral is not available
• Diploma of Teacher Education (Excluding Nexus): Deferral is not available

Applications for deferral must be submitted by the Census date of your course. Late applications will not to be processed.

Offers for Term intakes

• Offers made for Term 5, Term 6 and Summer, cannot be deferred to Term 1, Term 2 or Semester 1.
• Offers made for Term 1 or Term 2 cannot be deferred to Term 3

How to defer

• Domestic applicants: complete the online Deferral form. Once your form has been submitted, you will receive an email confirming the outcome of your request.
• International students: submit your request through the online application portal by clicking the 'Defer Offer' button.
• Graduate research candidates: complete the Application to Defer form and submit via email:
  • Local graduate research candidates email admissions.grs@latrobe.edu.au
  • International graduate research candidates email international.GRS@latrobe.edu.au