The University of Arizona College of Medicine
Deferral of Admission Policy
With the limited number of positions that can be offered to prospective medical students, The University of Arizona College of Medicine expects that students accepted to the College of Medicine will matriculate in the year in which they are accepted. Thus, prospective students should only apply if they anticipate being able to accept admission in the year offered. However, under limited circumstances, accepted students may request a one-year deferral of matriculation for a maximum of one year. The request must be submitted in writing to the Assistant Dean and Executive Director of Admissions by June 1 of the acceptance year. Examples of circumstances for which deferrals may be granted include:
Illness
Unanticipated family hardship
A meaningful educational opportunity (i.e. Fulbright, Rhodes, or Marshal scholarship
Completion of military service
If a deferral is granted, to activate the acceptance for admission in the subsequent academic year, the deferred student must notify the Admissions Office no later than June 1 of the year of deferred matriculation. In addition, it is expected that the student will submit a statement of activities during the deferral year and official transcripts for any academic work attempted or completed since the commencement of the deferral year.
AMCAS requires all accepted students who are granted deferrals to submit a new AMCAS application for the year they will be entering. The deferred student is not required to pay a fee to AMCAS if they are committing to The University of Arizona College of Medicine and will not be applying to other schools during the application cycle. Note: If the student intends to apply to other medical schools, the deferred student is responsible for all AMCAS fees associated with their application and forfeits the deferred admission of the University of Arizona.
If students do not activate their acceptance to the University of Arizona College of Medicine after one year, their acceptance will be withdrawn. If they wish to reapply, they must complete a new AMCAS application, including new supporting documents and pay the required fees. Reapplication will be competitive with all other applicants. Again, students who are contemplating pursuing other academic degrees or travel should strongly consider delaying application until they are ready to matriculate if accepted into The University of Arizona College of Medicine.