Graduate Admission Deferral Information

The California State University Chancellor’s Office has allowed San Jose State University to provide a deferral of graduate admission option to students admitted for graduate study who face personal hardship that precludes them from attending any college or university in the semester they are to initially begin studies. Only one deferral request will be accepted per student for a given admission term. Note that we cannot guarantee that deferral options will be available in future terms. 

The available terms for deferral are Fall and Spring. Students deferring from fall can request the subsequest spring or fall term for deferral. Students deferring from spring can request to defer to the subsequent fall term, unless otherwise noted for a Spring-only program start. However, if a department offers their program only in the fall, the susequent fall term will be the default term for deferral. The decision to allow deferral is at the discretion of the program department.

Only one submission per student, per term is allowed. Please check your MySJSU account for an update of your deferral request in 3-4 weeks upon submission.

There are select graduate programs that are NOT able to defer students due to unique needs regarding staffing of their classes and specific curricular requirements to maintain the high quality of instruction. A list of these programs can be found after the FAQ section on this page.

Please review the following information for details about your options. The Deferral Request Form will become available at the bottom of this page during the open period.

Approved deferrals only apply to the original program you were admitted for. Deferral requests and approvals are NOT to be used to gain access into a different program. 

NEW for Fall 2025 only:

Special exceptions (for international students only) are being made for some programs which usually do not offer deferral:
MS Artificial Intelligence
MS Bioinformatics
MS Computer Engineering
MS Computer Science
MS Data Science
MS Software Engineering

Review will be based on specific criteria allowed by the department. Review special exception criteria below. Requests that do not provide details and/or meet the criteria will be denied.

• May I defer my admission into a subsequent semester?
  • Possibly. Admission deferral is available in some programs to eligible students. Yet, other programs are unable to offer deferral. A list of programs that do not offer deferral include: Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Master’s of Social Work (regular & special session), all engineering special session programs, M.S. Data Analytics (regular & special session), M.S. Human Factors/Ergonomics, and M.S. Occupational Therapy. 
• Why do some programs not offer admissions deferral?
  • Each graduate program has unique needs regarding staffing of their classes and specific curricular requirements to maintain the high quality of instruction. As a result, some programs cannot offer admission deferrals because of the adverse effect it would have on their ability to mount a high-quality program either this year or next.
• If my deferral request is approved, do I need to submit another Cal State Apply application?
  • No. There is NO NEED to use Cal State Apply if you are granted an admission deferral. Please wait for special notifications within your MySJSU account for admission deferral confirmation.
• My program offers admission deferral. Am I eligible?
  • Only a student admitted to a program offering deferral who is not enrolled in any coursework, who faces personal hardship which precludes them from attending any college or university, and meets deferral deadlines is eligible to submit a deferral request. An admitted student who has already enrolled for courses will not be able to defer until all courses are dropped. Additionally, an applicant who has not been officially admitted is not eligible for an admission deferral.
    
    Note: A refund and/or prorated charges may occur when courses are dropped. Please visit the Bursar’s website for university procedures regarding Refunds and Pro-Rata Charges.  
• What admission term can students defer into?

  • Spring admitted students can defer into the subsequent Fall semester, unless otherwise noted for a Spring-only program start. Fall admitted students can defer into the subsequent Spring or Fall semester. However, programs only admitting for the fall will only offer an option for the subsequent fall term. The partial list of programs not allowing deferral can be found below. Extending deferral past one year is NOT allowed due to the need to allow departments to properly plan for their incoming classes.

    NOTE: Deferral requests can only be allowed for one full year from a student's initial admission term. Beyond this year, a new Cal State Apply application must be used to be reconsidered for graduate education at SJSU.

• Will I be able to enroll into my initial admit term if I am approved for admission deferral for a future term?
  • No. An approved deferral will permanently deactivate your initial admission status and defer admission toward a subsequent term. Deferred students would no longer be eligible to enroll into courses for their initial admitted term.
• What are the deadlines to request a deferral?
  • See the submission dates at the bottom of this page. 
• What happens after I submit a formal request for admission deferral?
  • Upon receipt of your formal deferral request and careful consideration, you will be able to view the outcome of your request in the message center of your MySJSU account 2-3 weeks from the date of submission. Please note that an approved deferral request will permanently deactivate your initial admission status and defer your admission toward a subsequent term. We urge you to consider your options carefully and opt for a deferral request only if absolutely necessary, as this decision will be final and deferred students will no longer be able to enroll into courses after their request has been processed. Approved deferrals cannot be reversed.
• Will I get a new I-20 if my deferral request is approved?
  • Yes, we will work with you to defer your I-20 start and end dates. The deferral of I-20 dates would not typically require you to pay a new SEVIS fee. Those approved for an admission deferral, will be followed up with an amended I-20 planned to be sent electronically for secure delivery.

Programs NOT Offering Deferral

• All Engineering Special Session Programs
• All Master of Social Work Programs
• Artificial Intelligence (MS)
  • Special exceptions due to visa cancellations allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral term is Spring 2026 only.
• Bioinformatics (MS)
  • Special exceptions to international students allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral terms are Spring or Fall 2026.
• Computer Engineering (MS)
  • Special exceptions due to visa cancellations and extenuating circumstances for international students allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral term is Spring 2026 only.
• Computer Science (MS)
  • Special exceptions to international students allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral terms are Spring or Fall 2026.
• Data Analytics (MS) – Both Regular and Special Session
• Data Science (MS)
  • Special exceptions to international students allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral terms are Spring or Fall 2026.
• Human Factors/Ergonomics (MS)
• Human Factors/Ergonomics, User Experience (MS)
• Master of Design
• Occupational Therapy, (MS)
• Software Engineering, (MS)
  • Special exceptions due to visa cancellations and extenuating circumstances for international students allowed for Fall 2025 only. Allowed deferral term is Spring 2026 only.

Submitting Your Deferral Request

GAPE will only accept deferral requests during specific periods for each semester. The submission links will be active at the appropriate time.

You must use your SJSU account login to use the form.

After you submit your request, please allow 3-4 weeks for the decision status to appear in your MySJSU account.