Medical School Deferral Request Letter + Deadlines

Medical School Deferral Request Letter + Deadlines

Yes, at all seven schools whose policies we checked: once, for one year, by written request before a fixed deadline. Those deadlines run from May 1 (Zucker Hofstra) and May 15 (West Virginia) to June 1 (Maryland, Arizona, Washington State) and 30 days before orientation (California Health Sciences, a DO school).

A deferral request is not a polite note about a gap year. The policies set it up as a deal: the school holds your seat, and you promise a specific plan and, at most of these schools, an application to that school only next cycle. Write the letter as that deal. If you are still deciding whether to take a gap year at all, the gap year before medical school data is the place to start; this page is for the applicant who already holds an acceptance.

Every school policy quoted below was re-checked on November 7, 2026. Several pages state no cycle year, and Hofstra's policy was last revised in August 2013, so confirm the deadline with the admissions office before you write.

Deferral deadlines and conditions at seven schools

For fall 2027 entry, Hofstra's May 1 falls on a Saturday and West Virginia's May 15 on a Saturday (our arithmetic). Send the request a few working days early.

Three lines in these policies change how you write:

"The request must state the reason for requesting a deferral and the applicant's proposed plans for the duration of the deferral. If the deferment is granted, the deferment must be used for the reasons stated."

That is Zucker Hofstra. Your plan becomes a condition of the seat, so name only a plan you will carry out.

"Applicants who are accepted from the Waitlist are not eligible for deferment."

That is Maryland. If you need a deferral there, it has to follow an initial acceptance.

"Deferment requests should not be made to delay a decision in the given acceptance timeframe or to wait for an admission offer from another medical school."

That is California Health Sciences. A deferral is not a way around the AMCAS traffic rules for 2027 or the DO deposit schedule.

Which reasons work

The reasons fall into three groups, and the letter differs for each.

• A dated opportunity that cannot move. West Virginia names "research, academia (graduate studies, scholarship), or service programs". Arizona names "A meaningful educational opportunity (i.e. Fulbright, Rhodes, or Marshal [sic] scholarship". CU Anschutz names "a Fulbright Scholarship opportunity, or acceptance to the Peace Corps". The letter needs the program, the start and end dates, and proof the offer is yours.
• Hardship or illness. Washington State names "Newly diagnosed and/or severe medical condition" and "Unanticipated personal, family or financial hardship". Arizona names "Illness" and "Unanticipated family hardship". Hofstra requires a physician's documentation of "the nature of the illness and the projected date for recovery and subsequent matriculation". The letter states the fact, the documentation and the return date. It does not argue.
• Military service. Hofstra, Arizona and Washington State all name it.

Our view: ask only when your reason sits in one of these groups and you can attach a document that proves it. A wish to travel, rest or gain general experience is not on any list we found. Washington State tells applicants who are "contemplating the pursuit of other academic degrees or travel" to delay applying instead, and Arizona says the same.

The countercase: if you are unsure you want this school, a deferral is the wrong tool. Five of the seven (West Virginia, Maryland, Arizona, Washington State and CU Anschutz) restrict you to their school next cycle or forfeit the seat if you apply elsewhere. Turning down an acceptance to reapply is the honest route, and it is a different decision.

The rules you accept while deferred

• One school next cycle. West Virginia: "The applicant is restricted to apply to only WVU SoM for the next entering class. Violations of such an agreement are considered to be a violation of admissions processes and will result in an investigation." Maryland, Washington State and CU Anschutz say the same in their own words.
• A new AMCAS application. Arizona and Washington State say AMCAS requires one; Washington State sets October 1 as its deadline. Washington State and CU Anschutz say you do not repeat the secondary, pay the AMCAS fee or re-interview. Arizona waives the AMCAS fee only if you apply to Arizona alone.
• Paperwork first. CU Anschutz: "You must complete all required paperwork in the year you are accepted and pay the non-refundable deposit." At USC Keck, the first background check "MUST be successfully completed, and the admission offer finalized prior to the Office of Admissions considering a request for deferment", and a second check follows.
• Reactivation. Hofstra wants a letter "on or before January 31 of the following year reaffirming their intent to matriculate". Arizona expects you to notify it by June 1 of the deferred year and send "a statement of activities during the deferral year" with transcripts.
• Residency is frozen. CU Anschutz: "Your residency status is determined at the time of acceptance and will carry forward through graduation."

Applying to other schools during your deferral year breaks the agreement, so if your plans change, withdraw from the deferred seat first and then reapply. What carries over into that reapplication is covered in what carries over for reapplicants.

Send-or-not check before you write

1. Deadline. Is the school's date still ahead? If you were accepted after it, does the policy give a late window (Washington State gives two weeks)?
2. Reason. Does your reason fit a group the school names? If not, stop.
3. Proof. Can you attach the offer letter, the sponsor's letter or the physician's note?
4. Dates. Does the plan end before the next orientation?
5. Exclusivity. Will you apply only to this school next cycle? If not, stop.
6. Paperwork. Have you returned the forms and deposit the school requires before a deferral can be considered?

Six yeses mean send. Any no means matriculate or decline.

Sample deferral request (constructed)

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's letter. The applicant, school and program are invented. It is 207 words, including the subject line.

Subject: Deferral request: Maya Okonjo, AAMC ID [number]

Dear Dr. Haldane,

I am requesting a one-year deferral of my matriculation at Lakemont College of Medicine, under the policy that asks for requests in writing by June 1.

On April 22, I was offered a Clinical Research Fellowship at the Brightwater Cancer Institute, running July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028. The fellowship funds one year of work on a trial of early palliative care referral in rural clinics. It is offered once, with a fixed start date, and the Institute cannot hold it for a later year. I have attached the offer letter and my supervisor's confirmation of the dates.

During the year I will coordinate patient enrollment at two sites, complete the institute's research ethics training and help draft the trial's first interim report. I will send you a summary of the work and any transcripts before I matriculate.

Lakemont remains my only choice. If the deferral is granted, I will submit the AMCAS deferred application to Lakemont only, keep every condition of my acceptance and matriculate in August 2028. I have already returned my acceptance forms and deposit.

Thank you for considering this request. I can provide any further documents you need.

Sincerely, Maya Okonjo

Why it works against the policies above: the opportunity, dates and proof come first (West Virginia's "compelling reason", Hofstra's "reason" and "proposed plans"). The plan names tasks the school can check later (Arizona's statement of activities). The last paragraph makes the one-school promise that five of these policies require.

Constructed hardship variant

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's letter. It replaces the second and third paragraphs above and is 62 words.

In March my father was diagnosed with a condition that requires full-time care through at least spring 2028. I am his only family member in the state. I have attached a letter from his physician describing the care plan and its expected length. I am requesting a one-year deferral so I can provide that care and begin medical school in August 2028.

A hardship letter states facts, attaches documentation and gives a return date. It does not describe feelings at length or ask the committee to weigh how hard the year will be.

If the deferral is denied

CU Anschutz states its rule plainly: "Decisions made by this committee are final and cannot be appealed." You then have three choices:

• Matriculate on schedule and decline the opportunity.
• Decline the acceptance and keep the opportunity. Use the steps in how to decline a medical school acceptance so the seat is released cleanly.
• Decline now and reapply later. Arizona says "Reapplication will be competitive with all other applicants", and Washington State says reapplicants' "consideration for an interview or an acceptance in a subsequent application cycle is not guaranteed."

Do not resend the same request with new adjectives. A second request only makes sense if the facts changed, such as a new document or a corrected date.

Questions about deferring medical school

Can you defer a medical school acceptance for a gap year?

Not for an open gap year at the schools we checked. Each policy names specific reasons, and Arizona and Washington State tell applicants planning travel or other degrees to delay applying instead.

Can you apply to other medical schools while deferred?

Not without losing the seat at West Virginia, Maryland, Arizona, Washington State or CU Anschutz. Their policies limit you to that school next cycle or forfeit the deferral.

Can you defer a DO school acceptance?

California Health Sciences allows a one-year deferment for "extenuating or unexpected circumstances", requested at least 30 days before orientation. Check each college's catalog; the AACOMAS deposit schedule still applies while you decide.

Is a waitlist acceptance eligible for deferral?

Not at Maryland, whose policy says so directly. Other schools on this page do not address it, so ask the admissions office before you accept from the waitlist.

Review the writing you send next

Get a free Quick Review of your deferral request against GradPilot's medical school letter of intent and interest rubric, the closest match for this letter. It reads whether the letter ties a named feature of the school to your reason for attending and whether the commitment you state matches what the letter backs up. For the reaffirmation or activities statement a deferred school asks for later, the medical school update letter rubric reads what has changed since your application.

More guides for accepted applicants are in the medical school essays hub and on the medical school review page.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Deferral Request Policy (last revised 8/2013): May 1 deadline, reasons, documentation, January 31 reaffirmation, background check.
• West Virginia University School of Medicine, Deferral Policy (revised September 2025): May 15 deadline, two-week decision, reasons, WVU-only application.
• University of Maryland School of Medicine, Your Path to Medical School (no year stated): June 1 deadline, focused plan, Maryland-only reapplication, waitlist ineligibility.
• University of Arizona College of Medicine, Deferral of Admission Policy (no year stated): June 1 deadline, reasons, new AMCAS, forfeiture, activation.
• WSU Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Deferral of Admission Policy (dated 12/05/23): deadlines, reasons, October 1 AMCAS deadline, exclusivity, reapplication.
• University of Colorado School of Medicine, Accepted Student Checklist (class entering 2026): deferral window, examples, requirements, residency status, final decisions.
• California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine, COM Deferment of Admissions (catalog © 2026): reasons, 30-day deadline, one-year limit.
• Keck School of Medicine of USC, Criminal Background Check and Toxicology Disclosure (no year stated): background check before deferral review, second check.