I didn't even ask for deferral. I only asked if they would let me allow with delay start. I applied in October for August term as they only had one intake for that particular graduate program. They offered me a place in July which was way too late for visa application. I only asked them if I proceed with visa application and if my application was successful I could definitely attend my class from September. The class was to start from 1st of August. In reply, the university said: "You have 2 options, [a] We will refund your application fee + deposit = 800 CAD or defer your admission until next year.''
Now, I realised how hard it is to get admission into universities. So I said...hell ..I will wait a year!
They didn't charge me anything extra. I attended my program Last Summer Aug 2017.