• The Deferral Request should include the reason for deferring enrollment and details about how the time will be spent during the gap year.
• Deferrals are valid for one academic year only. Semester deferrals are not possible.
• Students may not matriculate in another full-time degree-granting program during the deferral period. However, a student may elect to take courses at another academic institution as a temporary or visiting student. Note: DKU cannot guarantee the transfer of credit for any external courses.
• Financial awards, both merit scholarships and need-based aid, are not guaranteed to remain the same and will be reevaluated upon reconfirmation of admission the following year.
• The applicant is required to formally accept the offer of admission and submit the non-refundable deposit to secure their seat in the following year’s class.
Students who are offered admission to Duke Kunshan University may request a deferral of their enrollment by contacting the Office of International Enrollment Management and submitting the Deferral Request Form. The form includes a personal statement explaining the reason for deferral. The admissions committee will consider all deferral requests and provide a decision in a timely manner.
Requesting a Deferral:
• Accept the offer of admission by submitting the Decision Reply Form found in the DKU Applicant Portal.*
• Submit the $1,000 enrollment deposit by the deadline stated in the admissions offer letter and complete the Deposit Payment Confirmation Form in the DKU Applicant Portal.
• Notify the Office of International Enrollment Management of the intention to pursue a deferral via email to ug-admitted@dukekunshan.edu.cn.
• Complete the Deferral Request Form found in the DKU Applicant Portal.
*Requests to defer may be submitted prior to accepting the offer of admission and paying the deposit. If the deferral request is approved, it is considered conditional until the offer of admission has been accepted and the enrollment deposit has been received.
Key Dates:
• Priority will be given to deferral requests submitted prior to January 15th for Early Decision students and May 15th for Regular Decision students. Later deferrals will be considered on a case by case basis until the first day of orientation week.
*Please refer to DKU academic calendar
• Decisions will be communicated within 2 weeks of submitting the Deferral Request Form. The applicant will receive a notification via email and the decision letter will be placed in the DKU applicant portal.
Deferred students must adhere to the following guidelines:
• During the deferral period, students may not matriculate in another full-time degree-granting program.
• It is the student’s responsibility to ensure DKU has their correct email address. Changes to an email address should be sent to ug-admitted@dukekunshan.edu.cn.
• Deferred students will be required to reconfirm their intention to enroll at DKU no later than February 1 of the following year. A form will be shared with the deferred student via email to collect this information. The student will also be required to describe the activities pursued during the deferred year, and provide an explanation if these activities differ from the original intention.
• For coursework taken outside a degree program, students should submit an official transcript at the time of reconfirmation. If courses were taken, final enrollment is contingent upon verification and review of official academic records from any institutions that were attended since the time of the first application and prior to enrolling at DKU.
• A Duke Kunshan University student may receive a maximum of 8 credits taken elsewhere prior to matriculation. All courses must be pre-approved by academic affairs for transfer credit. Please see our UG Bulletin for more details.
• While there is no guarantee that financial awards will remain the same, DKU will try to offer a similar level of aid when possible. Financial awards will ultimately be subject to the availability of institutional funds and a reevaluation of the CSS profile. Students who are interested in need-based financial aid will need to reapply for aid by completing a new CSS Profile through the College Board.
• Admission can be revoked if the deferred student does not meet the terms herein.
If a deferral request is denied, the student has the option to commence studies in the entry term to which he or she has been admitted or withdraw their application and reapply for a future academic year.
Last Updated: October 21, 2020
Approved by the DKU leadership on December 10, 2020