<p>I realize now that this issue is geared toward music majors so am reposting it here (sorry if this is against list rules).</p>
<p>If a student wants to defer admission for one year to School A for whatever reason (was accepted) yet decides to attend School B, is there any risk that the student's status at School B and/or their financial aid would be at risk? I was told that there may be risks associated with deferring -- if there is no financial commitment to defer and the student can then decide after one year at School B whether it is the right school or whether the student wants to reconsider School A, is this okay to do or is it not advised? If the latter, can you shed some light on why. Thanks.</p>
<p>In what I thought was usual, Westminster Choir College offered to hold DD’s place and merit award for a year in case she changed her mind. This was after she had declined their offer. She never took them up on it but it does not hurt to ask. The worst case is they say no. Then you have to audition as a transfer.</p>
<p>We had a friend who was accepted at both Columbia and NEC. She chose to defer Columbia for a year and attend NEC to see if she liked the Conservatory atmosphere. Columbia agreed to this.</p>
<p>I know of someone who deferred Harvard (or maybe Harvard deferred him? - Harvard sometimes admits kids but has them wait a year before coming) and went to NEC for a year. The reason may be that it is the student has not entered an BA program? I don’t think this student could have gone to Princeton, for example, and then gone to Harvard based on a deferral.</p>
<p>In reading the op’s post again (for the fourth time), I am still unclear, and the initial answer I gave may be wrong.</p>
<p>What is unclear in the post is the timing, and I think the OP is confused by terminology.</p>
<p>You cannot defer two schools.
You cannot defer one and “test drive” the other. In so doing you have chosen matriculation, and are at least ethically bound to withdraw any agreed deferral.</p>
<p>Scenario 1, as I now understand the post:
-Student has acceptances at both A (aid unclear) & B (aid).<br>
-Student chooses NOT to matriculate at EITHER for fall 2010. (Gap year, medical or other reason)
-Student defers admission to A from fall 2010 to fall 2011 with proper formal notification.(if allowed, not always the case especially with audition based admits, talent awards academic merit and need based aid will may not be the same, you have to confirm prior to arranging deferral) Once A is deferred, School B SHOULD be out of the picture.
-Student accepts and matriculates at B for fall 2010 for a one year test ride.</p>
<p>You cannot defer admissions at more than one school, nor can you defer one and matriculate at another. To the best of my knowledge this is not ethical nor is it allowed. If the assumption is by deferring A, matriculating at B and B doesn’t work out, you can use your deferred status to start fresh at A, it violates a number of standard admissions practices, may well be seen as fraud and could result in dismissal. </p>
<p>or is the OP asking:</p>
<p>Scenario 2: (effectively my initial answer, with the A & B now in their proper position as the OP’s post presented them. My initial reply reversed them, but the premise is still the same.) </p>
<p>-Student has acceptances at both A (aid unclear) & B (aid).<br>
-Student chooses NOT to matriculate at A for fall 2010 and defers A.<br>
-Student chooses instead TO matriculate at B for fall 2010.
-Student CANNOT defer admission to A if he matriculates at B. If he matriculates at
School B, he is not deferring School A. He is choosing to attend B in lieu of A.
-If after a year at School B, and wants A, it is as transfer (not a deferral), requiring a transfer application, a new audition, and completely new aid if accepted.</p>
<p>Scenario 1 appears to be an attempt to game the system.</p>
<p>Scenario 2 appears to be legitimate confusion of the terminology, or the obligations of a student with multiple acceptances.</p>
<p>My feeling is the OP may need to clarify the question. I see additional scenarios beyond the two I presented existing within the question as presented.</p>
<p>Also, the OP asked “Why.”
Why (as explained above) = in compliance with the concept that one cannot “double commit” or “hold two spots” which is part of the rules governing all accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. and to which students submitting a common app “swear” via the ’ no two deposits ’ affirmation.</p>
<p>If both A and B are aware of the situation and agree to it in advance, there is no problem. Were that the case here, something tells me that it would not have been necessary for the OP to even ask the question. If someone who is granted a deferral by school A has a question about the consequences to said deferral because of a situation involving school B, then the place to go for answers is school A, not a forum like this one. If asking school A about the situation seems awkward, that means they already realize that a problem is likely to exist.</p>
<p>My understanding about deferrals is that you are required to sign something saying that you won’t enroll in another degree granting institution (or sometimes that you won’t enroll as a full time student). I could be wrong here (has happened at least a couple of times already today!), but my recommendation is that the OP read the paperwork very, very carefully before setting off on this path. Kid could lose their place in both schools in the worst case scenario.</p>