Gap Year

Admitted students have an opportunity to request a Gap Year or Gap Semester if they have post-secondary plans prior to enrolling in college, such as:

• Community service or mission work
• Cultural exchange or travel
• Employment
• Military Service
• Other - Discuss with your Admission Counselor

All Gap Year or Gap Semester requests are reviewed by individual request and are not guaranteed. 

Important Eligibility Information

Students admitted for the fall may request a Gap Semester or Gap Year, subject to the exceptions below.

• Students admitted to both SMU and the Cox School of Business for the fall are eligible to request a Gap Year only.
• Students admitted for spring entry are eligible to request a Gap Year only.

College Coursework and Enrollment at Other Institutions

Students approved for deferred enrollment may not take college courses for credit at another institution during their gap semester or gap year. If you enroll at another college or university during the deferral period, you will need to reapply to SMU as a transfer student. Applying as a transfer student may affect departmental scholarships or other awards you received as a first-year student.

Enrollment Deposit

If your deferred enrollment request is approved, you must submit a $1,000.00 nonrefundable advance tuition deposit in addition to your $800.00 enrollment deposit to reserve your place for the approved entry term. The deposit will be credited to your SMU student account when you enroll.

Learn More

To learn more about eligibility and the request process, contact Joe Francisco at jfrancisco@smu.edu. If you're interested in learning more about Gap Semester, review what spring entry could look like for you.