About Deferrals

We at OGS understand that our international students have experienced many obstacles this year, as visa delays and travel restrictions have interfered with study plans. This is a stressful situation, and advisors and leadership at OGS prioritize our students’ need and want to ensure that all students have the information that needed in order to make the best decisions about your education.

If you have decided that deferring is the best decision, below you will find some information about how to navigate that process and prepare your record to join NU for the following term.

Deferral Process

1 The first step in the deferral process is to communicate with your college/ program through your admissions contact. They will need to update your admissions record to reflect your new start date. Please see the links below to discover the process for your program.

**If you are a continuing student, you do not need to contact admissions. Please be in touch directly with your department.

2 After your admissions contact in your college/ program has confirmed your deferral, you will need to request a new I-20 with a new program start date. This is important because it will 1) prevent your SEVIS record from being cancelled if you are not in the US this term and 2) will allow you to travel with current and accurate documents.

  • Request a new I-20 
  • Requests for I-20s for programs starting in Spring/Winter 2025 terms will be available from OGS in Summer 2024.  
  • If you had previously paid for the I-901 SEVIS fee, you will be able to request SEVP to transfer that payment to your new SEVIS record once it has been created.