Accept or defer your offer

QTAC sends offers via email. You can only receive one offer per offer round, for your highest eligible preference.

Follow the instructions in the offer and respond before it expires.

You'll have the option to:

accept, decline or defer the offer outright
accept, decline or defer the offer conditionally, with no change of preference
accept, decline or defer the offer conditionally, with change of preference.

Note that the option to defer is only available on Semester 1 offers. Read more about deferring.

If you received an offer to your preferred UQ program, you can accept outright, which means you won't be considered for future offer rounds. You can then focus on getting ready to study with us.

Conditional acceptance

Conditionally accepting means you are reserving the offer while still being considered for higher preferences. If you conditionally accept your offer, you'll be guided through what to do next in the QTAC application portal.

If you receive an offer in a later round, the offer you conditionally accepted will be lost.

Expired offers

If your offer has expired, you may be able to reinstate it yourself, up to a certain date before classes start. Check the offer to see if this option is available to you, and the latest date it can be reinstated.

What if I didn't get an offer?

QTAC provides some general advice for what to do if you don't receive an offer. If you've read through the advice and are still unsure, you can:

contact QTAC and submit an enquiry, or
contact us to discuss your pathway options.

Deferring your offer

If you don't want to start uni right away, you may be able to defer your offer and start your program in 12 months.

If you're a domestic student, you're eligible to defer if you have:

received a Semester 1 offer for a UQ program
not yet enrolled in courses for your UQ program
not already deferred your offer – you can’t defer the same offer more than once.

You can only defer a Semester 1 offer for 12 months. If you want to start your program in Semester 2, you should apply for the Semester 2 offer round. See QTAC application dates.

Semester 2 offers can't be deferred.

How do I defer?

Respond to your offer through QTAC by the specified date, and select the option to defer.

After you've responded to your offer, we will send you a confirmation email in April. While your studies are deferred, you may still receive some emails from us.

If you've already accepted your Semester 1 offer but now want to defer, contact QTAC.

During deferment

If you've deferred your studies, you're not officially a UQ student. This means you can't:

attend classes
access the library or student support services
access UQ systems and online student resources
receive a UQ student card.

Your deferred offer will be cancelled if you enrol in study at bachelor level or higher at any tertiary institution (including UQ) while you're on deferment.

If your program is discontinued during the deferment period, you won't be able to start studying this program. We'll contact you about alternative study options, and you may have to reapply through QTAC for a different program.

Starting study after deferment

To start Semester 1 study after your deferment, you must enrol in at least one UQ course by early December in the year before you start studying. If you don't do this, your deferred offer will be cancelled.

We'll email you with information before enrolments open in mid-November.

If you've received an offer to study at UQ, congratulations!

Make sure you read your offer letter carefully for specific information about how to accept your offer and any conditions you need to meet.

Students under 18 years of age

If you're under the age of 18, your parent or legal guardian will also need to complete the acceptance document included with your offer letter.

If your parent or legal guardian won't be accompanying you while you study at UQ, you need to apply for our International Student Supervision Program to satisfy your student visa requirements.

If you need to, you can request to defer, interrupt or withdraw from your studies.

Deferring your studies

To defer your studies means to delay the start of your program to a future semester.

If you want to defer, you can request to change your start date when you respond to your offer in UQ applications.

If you've already accepted your offer, you'll need to send a deferral request to your unique application email address. You can do this by replying to the confirmation email you received when you submitted your application. If you don't have that email, see how to contact us about your application. In your request, include:

the reason you want to defer
your preferred semester to start at UQ.

Interrupting studies

If you've started your program and you want to take a break, you'll need to apply for an interruption.

An interruption is different to deferring studies and you must seek advice from your faculty before applying.

Interruptions will affect your study plan, and approval will depend on your reasons for applying. Taking an interruption can also affect your student visa.

Withdrawing from studies

Dropping a course or dropping out of a program is called withdrawing. You can withdraw from a single course, several courses or your entire program.

You must seek advice from your faculty before withdrawing. Changing your study load can affect your student visa. Academic or financial penalties may also apply.