Teach For America Deferrals

Deferral requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Teach For America admissions team and the staff members of the applicant’s assigned region. Candidates granted deferrals are given a place in the corps in their assigned region the following year.

Deferrals are only granted to admitted applicants with serious emergencies or those who have a unique opportunity (ex: working on a political campaign, military service, and training for/participating in the Olympics) that will significantly add to their value in the classroom or to ending educational inequity.

If you have additional questions about deferrals, contact us.

Deferring Graduate School or a Job Opportunity for TFA

In some cases, admitted corps members who are accepted into graduate school programs or receive competing job offers may be able to defer those opportunities until after they’ve completed their two-year TFA commitment.

TFA partners with thousands of employers and more than 100 competitive graduate schools that recognize the unique knowledge and leadership TFA corps members gain from their time in the classroom. Our partners offer corps members a variety of benefits, including deferrals and scholarships.

Visit the alumni hub to learn more about graduate schools and employers that partner with TFA.