Deferral Info and FAQ

Admitted students may request a deferral (sometimes referred to as a gap year) to postpone their enrollment to RISD. Refer to the following information about our deferral policies. 

Please email admissions@risd.edu if your contact information changes at any time prior to or during your deferral. You may also update your information in your applicant portal.
 

For first-year students

You may defer your admission for one year pending the approval of the Admissions Office. Deferrals are granted from fall semester to fall semester; it is not possible for first-year students to start in the spring. 

The deadline to request a deferral is May 15. Requests submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis and should be emailed to admissions@risd.edu. Applicants admitted from the waitlist are not eligible to defer their enrollment.

As a deferred applicant, you may take college courses during your one-year deferral, but you may not matriculate full-time to an institution and/or complete the equivalent of a full year of college coursework (approximately 24–30 credits). If you complete more than 21 credits during your deferral, you need to re-apply to RISD as a transfer applicant and your admission is no longer guaranteed.

To request a deferral of admission, you must first submit your non-refundable enrollment deposit by the deadline stated in your letter of admission to RISD. Once submitted, you should access your applicant portal and follow the prompts to defer admission. The request must include a brief statement about your intentions during the deferral period.
 

For Brown|RISD Dual Degree students 

Brown|RISD Dual Degree (BRDD) students may request a one year deferral by submitting their request to both Brown and RISD in compliance with the deadlines and protocol established by each institution. The deferral must be approved by both institutions in order to maintain your spot in the BRDD program. Students on an approved deferral are expected to comply with the deferral policies of both institutions. You can learn more about Brown University’s deferral policy here.

For transfer students

Transfer admission to RISD depends on a department’s capacity to welcome new students and it varies from year to year. Consequently, the general policy is that admitted transfers are not able to defer their enrollment. This is almost always the case.

In very rare circumstances, however, admitted transfer students may be able to defer their enrollment. If approved, the deferral period would be one year. All transfer deferral requests should be sent to Admissions first. The request will then be sent to the respective Department Head for review. Similar to first-year students, the non-refundable enrollment deposit should be submitted by the deadline stated in the offer letter before the request can be approved. 

For graduate students

You may request a one-year deferral from your Graduate Program Director (GPD). Your GPD will determine if the department has the capacity to grant your deferral request. This is determined on a case-by-case basis, but will not be considered past June 1. If your request is granted you are required to pay the enrollment deposit by April 15. Please send all deferral requests to your GPD and admissions@risd.edu. You will be informed of the outcome of your request in your applicant status portal. 

Two-year deferrals

Nearly all deferrals are for a period of one year from the start term indicated in the letter of admission. In the case of extenuating medical circumstances or compulsory military or religious commitments, we may grant a two-year deferral. Deferrals will only be processed one year at a time, and the deferred student should submit their second deferral request to Admissions when prompted to do so. The maximum deferral for any incoming student is two years. Admissions must review and approve all requests.

For currently deferred students

Please contact us at admissions@risd.edu if you have questions or need to update your record.