Scholarship Deferral Requests

Per the scholarship agreement, all scholars must maintain full-time (12+ credits) enrollment or a minimum of 6 credits for transfer scholars each semester in order to receive their scholarship. If a scholar falls below full-time status for any reason without receiving permission from the Scholarship Review Committee, all future iterations of their scholarship will be discontinued.

Scholars planning on not enrolling during the fall or spring semesters may request a scholarship deferral prior to the beginning of the intended semester. A scholarship deferral allows the student a one-time, one semester of non-enrollment from UMBC while maintaining their scholarship eligibility upon their return. A scholarship deferral will only be granted by the Scholarship Review Committee under certain circumstances, such as medical conditions or co-op experiences. To request a scholarship deferral, scholars must submit the Scholarship Deferral Request Form.

The following information is required in order to complete the deferral request. Feel free to review the documents prior to accessing the on-line form.

  1. Scholarships Deferral Request Statement – Please submit a detailed statement in the box below regarding the reason you are requesting to defer enrollment for the semester.
  2. Supporting Documentation – You are highly encouraged to include any relevant supporting documentation, if applicable.  Documentation supporting the extenuating circumstance(s) listed in your deferral statement (i.e. hospital visits/bill, death certificate, etc.). Time frame(s) on your documentation should support the circumstance described in your statement.
    1. Please note: The contents of this request are confidential, however, we are concerned for your well-being. In an instance where someone’s well-being appears at risk, our staff will consult with the appropriate UMBC personnel.

Now accepting Spring 2026 Deferral Requests.

Scholarship Deferral Request Form

Please note: If you have problems viewing the form, please try opening the form in IE or Firefox. New students should also upgrade their myUMBC account before accessing our electronic forms.

Decisions regarding deferral requests will be sent to each student via email within 7-10 business days of their submission.

  • Scholarship Deferral Request – This form should be completed prior to the start of the intended semester, if you are planning on fully not enrolling in an upcoming semester(s).
  • Scholarship Withdrawal Request – This form should be completed is you are planning to withdraw from courses during the semester, that would put you below the requirements of your merit scholarship agreement.
  • Scholarship Discontinuation Appeal – This appeal should be submitted at the end of the semester following notification that your scholarship was discontinued due to not meeting your scholarship requirements. Students have a small window to appeal this decision to explain the extenuating circumstances that caused them to not meet the requirements of their scholarship. The appeal window following your discontinuation notice is the only period to appeal for your scholarship to be reinstated, regardless of if you improve academically in future semesters.
List the first semester that you will be deferring from the dropdown selection, and you can use the text box to explain when you plan to return to UMBC.

If your Scholarship Deferral request is approved, your scholarship will not be applied towards the deferral semester, and will be available upon your indicated return semester. The end term of your scholarship will be extended by the # of semesters approved for deferral. Contact our office for further information.

New Students: Looking to defer a semester?

If you aren’t able to attend UMBC for the semester you were admitted, you must defer your admission with the Admissions office and request to defer your scholarship with our Scholarships Unit.

STEP 1: Sign and accept your scholarship agreement via the steps here.

STEP 2: Contact Admissions to defer your admission.

STEP 3: Submit your Deferral Request above to the Scholarships Unit. A decision regarding your request will be sent to you within 2 weeks of submission.

Please note that if you fail to complete all three of these steps, your scholarship will not be available to you upon your return.

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