Accepting, Deferring, or Declining a University Offer in Australia and New Zealand

First, read the offer and its deadline

When offers arrive, the most important first step is to read each Letter of Offer in full — including the course, campus, start date, indicative fees, the deposit required, and the date by which you must respond. The response deadline is firm, so diarise it immediately.

If you are weighing several offers, line them up side by side and compare on the criteria that matter to you (course fit, cost, location, outcomes). You generally can hold more than one offer while you decide, but each has its own acceptance deadline.

How to accept an offer

Accepting an offer usually means signing and returning the acceptance section of your Letter of Offer, paying the required deposit or initial tuition, and completing any enrolment steps the university specifies.

For international students, accepting and paying is what leads the university to issue your Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE in Australia) or the documentation you need for the next stage. The CoE and student visa application are separate steps handled after you accept — this guide covers the post-offer step that comes before them.

• Sign and return the acceptance section of the Letter of Offer
• Pay the deposit or initial tuition exactly as the university instructs
• Complete any required enrolment or document steps
• Keep receipts and confirmation that your acceptance was received
• Check the university's refund terms before paying any deposit

How deferral works

If you cannot start in the offered intake, many universities allow you to request a deferral to a later intake instead of declining. Deferral is requested through the university and is granted at its discretion, subject to its policy.

There may be limits on how long you can defer, and the deferred offer may be subject to the next intake's requirements or fees. Ask the admissions office about its deferral policy, any deadline to request it, and how your deposit is treated. A deferral can also affect your visa timing, so plan the new start date carefully.

• Request the deferral through the university before the acceptance deadline if possible
• Confirm how long you can defer and to which intake
• Ask whether the deferred offer keeps current fees and conditions or adopts the new intake's
• Clarify how any deposit already paid is handled
• Remember a later start date shifts your CoE and visa timeline (verify on the official immigration site)

Declining gracefully and handling multiple offers

If you will not take an offer, decline it promptly and politely through the university's stated process. Declining offers you do not want frees up places and keeps your records clean, which matters if you are choosing between institutions.

When holding multiple offers, accept the one you want, then decline the rest before their deadlines. Avoid accepting and paying deposits on several courses at once — it can be costly, and some deposits are non-refundable. Confirm each university's refund and withdrawal terms before you commit money.

• Decline unwanted offers through the university's official process
• Accept only the offer you intend to take, then decline the others
• Avoid paying multiple deposits unless you have confirmed refund terms
• Note that some deposits are non-refundable — read the terms first

What happens after you accept

Once you have accepted and paid, the university completes enrolment and (for international students) issues your CoE or equivalent documentation. That is the gateway to the student visa stage.

Visa and CoE requirements are decided by the immigration authorities. This is general information, not immigration advice — verify the current rules on immi.homeaffairs.gov.au (Australia) or immigration.govt.nz (New Zealand) before relying on any timeline.