Below is the official policy on gap years from the Admissions Office:
Carolina welcomes proposals from admitted undergraduate students who wish to defer their enrollment for one academic year in order to work, travel, or pursue some other extraordinary opportunity. Admitted applicants may also seek one-year deferrals for military service, required religious observance, or medical reasons. In seeking a deferral, admitted applicants agree not to enroll in any for-credit or degree-seeking course of study during their deferral year.
To request that we defer your enrollment, please write the Director of Admissions, Stephen Farmer, no later than July 1 of the year for which you have been admitted; if your deferral is granted, please write again by December 31 to confirm your enrollment.
Even if you are seeking a deferral, it is necessary for you to pay your enrollment deposit by the deadline indicated in your original admission letter and reply form. This enrollment deposit is nonrefundable and will automatically be applied towards your first-semester charges at the University. Application fees for University housing and registration fees for orientation typically are nonrefundable after May 1 and may not be carried over to the following academic year. Merit- and need-based aid awards are not transferable, and reapplication for scholarship and student aid funds is required each year.
Deferrals are considered on a case-by-case basis and are not automatically granted. In making your written request, please explain in detail your reasons for seeking a deferral and your plans for the deferral year. Because undergraduate students, with very few exceptions, begin their enrollment at the University in the fall, the deferral request should be for one full academic year.
Please address all correspondence regarding deferrals to Mr. Stephen Farmer, Associate Provost and Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Campus Box 2200 - Jackson Hall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-2200. Mr. Farmer and the admissions committee will review your request and respond in writing.
