Defer one year possible for Calif-based public colleges?
Hello knowledgeable parents of college-aged children!
My daughter would like to do a gap year - that's great! But... should she apply to Calif-based public colleges now or later? We have heard that Cal State universities and UCs don't allow deferral. Just flat out don't. This would mean she would need to apply later (while she's living abroad in her gap year) which seems hard. Or perhaps you've heard about whether these schools do in fact offer one-year deferrals but they just don't advertise it?? She's an amazing student with high GPA, if that matters.
Sep 28, 2023
Parent Replies
The CSUs do not allow deferrals. They have so many applicants that they can't hold spots open for students for a year that could be filled by other students. It looks like some UCs do have deferred admissions or at least UC Davis does. She can check the campuses she is interested in to see what their policies are. She will probably need to apply the fall of her gap year to avoid applying twice. She should be sure not to take any college courses during her gap year or she will not be able to apply as a freshman.
My son took a gap year. He wasn't sure if he was going to or not and so he applied during his senior year and then again during the gap year. I think you are right that there are no deferrals for UC or Cal State system. I think the only thing that might be hard was coordinating letters of recommendation for his applications--but those weren't required for all schools (he applied to non-UC schools also).It's all on line pretty much so doing it from abroad seems doable.
I might suggest that your kid go ahead and apply this year so that she can see what it entails. She could stop short of hitting the submit button, for example. Is it possible that she would get in this year to her #1 school and then reapply next year and not get in? Yes. And the opposite could be true too. There is quite a bit more chance built into the system than anyone would care to admit.
I suggest you contact admissions at select campuses to get answers directly from the source.
One of my students decided to take a gap year after applying to colleges as a high school senior. He had to reapply as a first time freshman the following year.
One tip: to retain Friday year freshman vs transfer student status, avoid taking any college level courses (including community college) after high school graduation.
you can also contact the CSU and UC application support lines which are now both open and not yet too busy
UC (800) 207-1710
CSU calstateapply [at] liaisoncas.com 857.304.2087
Some do allow deferrals- UC Davis is one that definitely does. Best to check with the specific campuses that you are interested in. https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions/undergraduate/apply/deferred-enrollm…. You cannot get any academic credits during the gap year though.
My son recently did a (domestic) gap year and he ended up doing his applications during it. It was definitely harder that way, but the gap year experiences gave him more to write about in his essays and enhanced his application overall.
The UCs say they only give deferrals for military service or health issues, and I think that's pretty close to the truth. My daughter had a friend who did a gap year language program sponsored by the US State Department and she managed to get a deferral, but I don't think it was easy. My daughter wanted to do a gap year but her senior year grades were not on par with her usual performance (it was mid-pandemic online school). Because she'd have to apply to the UCs and Cal States with that on her record the following year, she decided not to jeopardize the choices she had and started college that fall.
UC Davis is the only one that allows a gap year. My niece went through the deferral process (2020 COVID HS graduate) and she’s now at Davis. It was her only deferral option but she seems happy there.