FOI_25-245 Deferral due to Singapore National Service

Date of response: 27 August 2025

We have now considered your request of 18 August 2025 for the following information:

I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding deferred entry to the A100 Medicine programme at University of East Anglia
Specifically, I would like to know:
Question 1. Whether applicants who have been offered a place on the Medicine programme are permitted to defer entry for two academic years (rather than the standard one year) in cases where they are required to undertake compulsory National Service in Singapore.
Question 2. If so, what conditions or procedures must be met in order to request and secure such a two-year deferral.
Question 3. If not, whether any exceptions have ever been granted in past admission cycles for this reason.

Clarification received 18 August 2025:
Further to my previous correspondence, I would like to clarify and expand on my request for information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding deferred entry to the A100 Medicine programme.
My query relates to prospective applicants who are deciding whether to apply to the University.
Specifically, I would like to know:
Question 1. Whether applicants to the A100 Medicine programme are permitted to request a deferral of two academic years (rather than the usual one year as in UCAS application) in cases where this is required due to compulsory National Service (NS) in Singapore.
o For context: all male Singaporean citizens are legally required to complete approximately two years of National Service after pre-university education.

Our response:

On this occasion it is not possible to provide any of the requested information. In line with your rights under section 1(1)(a) of the Act to be informed whether information is held, we confirm that the University does not hold any recorded information for whether applicants to the A100 MB BS Medicine programme are permitted to request a two-year deferral in cases where this is required due to compulsory National Service in Singapore. The University do not have any recorded information for this, however, outside of the Act, if a student requested a two-year referral, for any reason, we would not be able to permit this, and such a request would be declined.

Question 2. At what stage in the admissions process a deferral request may be made:
o Must applicants indicate this intention at the time of the UCAS application (e.g., in the personal statement or elsewhere or a direct email by the applicant),
o Or can it only be requested once a conditional offer has been issued?

Our response:

Any request for deferred entry must be submitted at the point of application via UCAS.

Question 3. If two-year deferrals are not normally permitted, whether any exceptions have ever been granted in past admission cycles specifically for Singaporean applicants undertaking National Service.

Our response:

On this occasion it is not possible to provide any of the requested information. In line with your rights under section 1(1)(a) of the Act to be informed whether information is held, we confirm that the University does not hold any recorded information for whether exceptions have ever been granted in past admission cycles specifically for Singaporean applicants undertaking National Service. No two-year deferrals have been granted in past admission cycles for this reason.

Question 4. The procedure and conditions, if any, for applying for and securing a two-year deferral to accommodate National Service obligations. And how applicants can seek when applying in October. 2025 for a 2028 entry
As UCAS only allows four applications to Medicine, it is critical for applicants to know in advance which universities are able to consider a two-year deferral before finalising their choices. I would therefore be grateful for clarification on the above.

Our response: