Deadline for Deferring Admission

This is a quick reminder that students who have been admitted to undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Engineering still have time to complete an Admission Deferral Request Form to defer the start date of their program until September 2022. Admission Deferral Request Forms will be accepted until August 14, 2021 at 4:00 pm.

There are many ramifications to requesting an admission deferral. Here are a few things you should know if you are considering requesting an admission deferral:

1. Deferrals are automatically granted for 1 year provided that all Grade 12 courses have been completed in the past two years. Requests for a deferral of more than 1 year are considered on a case-by-case basis. For example, admission can be deferred by 2 years or 3 years to allow for compulsory military service, participation in extracurricular activities, or compassionate leave on a case-by-case basis. In the very rare occurrence of a 3 year deferral, students may be required to retake one or more Grade 12 courses in preparation for university.
2. Some scholarships may not be deferred. President’s Scholarships and Merit Scholarships are automatically deferred. Other entrance scholarships are not always eligible for a deferral. Prior to requesting a deferral, you should contact Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA) at safainfo@uwaterloo.ca to find out whether your entrance scholarships can be deferred.
3. During a deferral, students agree to not enroll in post-secondary courses at any institution. Enrolling in a post-secondary course (in-person or online) voids your offer of admission unless prior permission has been granted. Students wishing to enroll in a post-secondary course during their deferral should first contact the Registrar’s Office to ask for special permission to do so. Approval is done on a case-by-case basis. Enrolling in high school courses is generally permitted.
4. Students that defer their start date will be permitted to enroll in the engineering program for which they were admitted. No re-application is necessary. Students on a deferral simply need to log into their Quest account prior to April 1st, 2022 to accept or decline their deferred admission offer.
5. We do not have the ability to allow deferred students to directly transfer into other engineering programs of their choosing. Students wishing to transfer engineering programs can withdraw their acceptance and apply for a new program of study through OUAC. We do not penalize students for withdrawing and applying to a new program.
6. For information on residence deposits paid to reserve a Fall 2021 residence, students are encouraged to contact Campus Housing.
7. All other questions regarding deferrals should be directed to the Admissions Office at myapplication@uwaterloo.ca.

In the Fall 2021 academic term, some courses will be delivered in-person, some courses will be delivered using a combination of in-person delivery and online delivery, and some courses will be entirely online. By the Winter 2022 academic term, we expect all core engineering courses to be delivered in-person. Plans are subject to change as deemed necessary. The University of Waterloo is working closely with the Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services to keep our university community safe.

I will end this blog post by extending my heartfelt congratulations to all recipients of Sandford Fleming Foundation medals during our recent virtual convocation ceremonies. Co-operative Proficiency medals are awarded to the top student in each stream of a program based on a score that combines work term evaluations and grades in upper-year course work. Academic Excellence Award medals are awarded to the top student in each stream of a program based on a score for grades in upper-year course work. These recipients exemplify what it means to be an exceptional co-op student. An image of a Sandford Fleming Foundation Academic Excellence Award medal is shown below:

The Sandford Fleming Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that supports engineering education on campus. The foundation relies upon endowed funds and an optional student fee to ensure that engineering students have access to enrichment activities. In addition to scholarships and awards, the Sandford Fleming Foundation supports provincial and national engineering competitions, student travel for educational exchanges and international competitions, and other student-led initiatives.

We are very proud of our recent graduates and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.