The Office of Admissions at the North Carolina Central University School of Law will consider the requests of admitted applicants who wish to defer their enrollment for one academic year. Deferral requests are granted on a case-by-case basis and are usually granted only for an unforeseen change of circumstances. A deferral request is not automatically granted. When making a deferral request, the admitted student should explain in detail the reasons for seeking the deferral and their plans for the deferral year. If granted, an admitted applicant would receive a one-year deferral. 

Admitted applicants who wish to defer admission must submit a deferral request in writing to the Assistant Dean for Admissions no later than June 15 of the year for which they have originally been admitted. Those applicants seeking a deferral must have paid their nonrefundable, enrollment deposit by the deadline indicated on their admissions letter. 

If the deferral is granted, the students must contact the Office of Admissions by February 1st to reactivate their admissions application and to confirm their enrollment in the fall. To reactivate the admissions application, the deferred student must provide an update about any character fitness issue that has occurred after the deferral was granted. It is imperative that deferred applicants disclose any character fitness issues that may have occurred between the date of deferment and the reactivation of the application for admission. 

Upon receipt of the confirmation of the enrollment, the Assistant Dean for Admissions will be review the updated character and fitness issues, if any, and will confirm that the deferred student is still eligible to enroll. Also, it is the responsibility of the applicant to notify the Office of Admissions, in writing, of any change to personal information, i.e., name change, mailing address, phone number.

While the Office of Admissions may grant a deferral request, scholarship awards and need based aid are not deferred. Students who receive a deferral and plan to seek need-based aid must submit a FAFSA and submit an application for NCCU Law financial assistance for the year they plan to enroll.

If the Office of Admissions grants the deferral request, then the student must agree to not enroll in any for-credit or degree-seeking course of study during their deferral year. If an applicant does enroll in a course of study, the offer of admission will be rescinded and the student must reapply.

While considering each request, the Assistant Dean for Admissions may consult with the admissions staff, the admissions committee, or the Dean. After a thorough review, the Assistant Dean for Admissions shall respond to the deferral request in writing. In rare cases, the Assistant Dean for Admissions may require a personal interview before making a final decision.

Please send your written request via email to: law_admissions@nccu.edu with subject line of “Deferral Request”.