D1.9 Readmission
Updated: May 11th, 2012
Readmission applies to all students who have ever been registered as graduate students in any program at Berkeley, who have left the University due to a semester withdrawal or the completion of a graduate degree program; students registered in absentia do not need to apply for readmission.. No matter how long ago the student was registered as a graduate student, he or she must apply for readmission, not admission, when planning to re-enter the University.
It is important for students to note that a department is not obliged to readmit a student who has withdrawn for any reason, including an official medical withdrawal. Readmission is recommended at the judgment of the department, which assesses the strength of the student’s academic record in weighing its approval. Although a student may have left having made satisfactory academic progress, some departments weigh petitions for readmission against their pool of new applicants for admission, who may be stronger candidates. To apply for readmission, a student should submit the “Application for Readmission — Graduate Students” for the department’s Head Graduate Adviser to endorse, signifying the program’s approval, and forward it to Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall). The student must pay a readmission processing fee. Applications are available at the Registrar’s website (http://registrar.berkeley.edu/GeneralInfo/elecforms.html).
Students who wish to readmit to the same degree program after more than five years. In addition to completing a readmission application for the department’s approval, students who have been away from the University for more than five years must submit the same documentation to the department as those applying for initial admission. This documentation, including letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, copies of academic recommendations, transcripts of work completed in the interim, and any other internal department requirements, must be submitted by the deadline set by the department for new applicants. Students applying for readmission are likely to be in competition with new applicants for admission, but this is at the discretion of the department.
Students wishing to readmit to a different degree program and/or degree goal. To change their degree program upon re-entering the University, students must submit for the department’s review 1) the documentation mentioned above (official transcripts of all college-level work, a statement of purpose, three current letters of recommendation to the department, and any supplemental documentation the department requires), 2) an “Application for Readmission—Graduate Students,” (to which a processing fee is attached if approved) and 3) a “Petition to Change Major or Degree Goal. See Appendix AA101 in Chapter L, Section 1, of this guide.
Review of readmission applications. Once the department has made a decision, it forwards the “Application for Readmission,” signed by the Head Graduate Adviser and, if applicable, the “Petition to Change Major or Degree Goal,” to Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall) for its review, including a memo of explanation if there are any difficulties with an approved application. For example, a department may wish to readmit a student on probation. Final decisions on all applications rest with the Dean of the Graduate Division. After its review, the Degrees Unit will notify the student of the department’s decision and the Graduate Division’s concurrence to readmit or deny readmission. If a department decides to deny a student’s application for readmission in the case of a change of major, rather than forward the denied application to the Graduate Division for processing, a department may send the student a letter, with a copy to Graduate Services Degrees, informing him or her of its decision to deny.
Readmission on probationary status. Students should note that a department may request that the student be readmitted on probationary status if there is some question about the student’s ability to make good academic progress.
Readmission of students in lapsed candidacy. Approval of a student’s application for readmission does not automatically reinstate the degree candidacy of a student whose candidacy has been lapsed. The Head Graduate Adviser must write a letter to the cognizant Associate Dean, in care of the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall), and request that the candidacy of the student be reinstated. The letter should include a specific plan for completion of degree requirements. Please see Appendix A in Chapter L, Section 2, of this guide.
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