Leave of Absence or Deferral of Assessment

There are two types of deferral a student may apply for:

• Leave of Absence* – when a student wishes to postpone an entire year of study and return the following year to repeat that year in full.
• Modular Deferral – when a student applies to defer one or more individual modules within an academic year from one exam sitting to the next, but not the full year, eg a student defers two 10‑credit modules from Semester 1 (Winter) 2026 exam session to the Repeat (Autumn) 2026 exam session.

A medical deferral will defer both the grade and the associated fees for a module.  A non‑medical deferral will defer the grade only; however, the student will still be liable for fees as a repeat student.

There are currently two separate forms available, depending on the type of deferral being requested. Both forms can be accessed on this page (scroll of the bottom of the page).

Deferral Application Requirements

• The student must be registered on the relevant programme/module/ year before a deferral can be considered.  A student cannot defer a year or module for which they are not registered.
• A student cannot defer a module they have already passed.
• A deferral can only be applied for for the current academic year.  You cannot make a multi-year application.

Deferral Application Stages:

• The student downloads the relevant deferral form from this page (scroll to the end of the page)
• The student completes the form in full, signs it, and dates it.
• The student provides a covering note (email format is acceptable) outlining the reason for seeking the deferral or leave of absence.
• For medical deferrals or medical leave of absence, supporting documentation—such as a doctor’s letter—must be submitted with the application.  A medical deferral will defer both the grade and the associated fees for a module.  A non-medical deferral will defer the grade only; however, the student will still be liable for fees as a repeat student.
• The completed deferral application should be submitted to the relevant Faculty Administration Office for processing. Contact details are available below.

A complete deferral application includes:

• A fully completed application form
• A covering note explaining the reason for seeking the deferral
• Relevant supporting documentation (eg doctor’s letter), where applicable

Any application that does not include all required documentation will be returned to the student for completion and resubmission.

What’s next?

• The students’ application will be considered by the Faculty and the Registrar
• The student will be informed in writing via email whether the deferral has been granted or not

• If a deferral is granted on serious medical grounds the student will pay only the difference in fees between the year deferred and the year returned.
• If a deferral is granted on non-medical grounds, the student will be liable to pay repeat fees if the deferral is sought after 31st October of the current year.

For any query on fees, please contact the Fees + Grants Team on feesgrants@iadt.ie and they will be able to advise you.

Deferrals are granted for one academic year at a time.  If you need to defer your place for an additional year, you will be required to submit a new application along with updated supporting documentation, such as a current medical certificate or doctor’s letter.  Please see section on How to Apply for a deferral above.

Please note that all deferral requests are considered at the discretion of the  Institute on a year‑by‑year basis.  Approval of a deferral in one year does not guarantee that further deferrals will be granted.

• Deferrals are approved at the discretion of the Institute
• Deferrals will not be considered if the stated reasons do not match the supporting evidence.
• You cannot defer any module you have already passed.  Once your grades are entered for Semester 1, Semester 2, or the Repeat (Autumn) session, any modules you have passed can no longer be deferred.  You may only defer modules you have failed or modules that do not yet have a grade recorded for you.
• Non-medical deferrals may incur additional fees on the students return to college

Please email your completed form to the correct email address.