A petition to defer may be considered by the departmental admissions/fellowships committee only in the case of truly exceptional or emergency circumstances. Deferral, if granted, may have significant implications for a student’s funding (e.g., loss of a year of support) and the student’s funding letter may be revised to reflect this change. The graduate admissions/fellowships committee in consultation with the department chair reserves the right to grant or deny such petitions to meet the needs of the graduate program and department.