UNC Charlotte Academic Policy: Readmission of Former Students

I. Executive Summary

This policy describes how former students may be readmitted to UNC Charlotte after graduating, suspension, or not enrolled in any courses for over 12 consecutive months.

II. Policy Statement

The following individuals must make application for readmission to the University prior to the semester or summer term for which registration is sought: a former student who has graduated, a former student who has been suspended for academic or disciplinary reasons, and a student who has not been enrolled for 12 consecutive months after the semester last attended at UNC Charlotte. (Example of the latter: last enrolled Fall semester 2022; not enrolled Spring or Fall 2023; to enroll in Spring 2024, students must apply in Fall 2023.) Readmission is not automatic; students applying for readmission must meet the requirements of the major in which they wish to return. Application should be submitted online at welcomebackniner.charlotte.edu in accordance with the published dates. Official transcripts from any institution attended during the student’s absence from the University must be submitted prior to enrollment.

FORGIVENESS POLICY

Undergraduate students who have a break in enrollment from UNC Charlotte for a minimum period of 24 consecutive months or undergraduate students who have a break in enrollment from UNC Charlotte for a minimum of one regular semester and earn an Associate of Arts (AA), an Associate of Science (AS), an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), or an Associate of Engineering (AE) degree are eligible for readmission with forgiveness. Students may be readmitted one time only under this policy. The forgiveness policy will be applied automatically upon readmission if the student is eligible. Students electing not to apply the forgiveness policy may request to waive the policy in its entirety at the time of readmission only. If a student is readmitted with forgiveness, only those courses for which the student has received a grade of C or above (or H or P) can be used for academic credit. Readmission under the forgiveness policy also resets the student’s W-limit hours (see UNC Charlotte Academic Policy: Withdrawal and Cancellation of Enrollment) to the full 16 hours. The GPA will be based only on the courses that return with the student and the courses taken after readmission. Eligibility for continued enrollment is determined as in the case of transfer students. To qualify for graduation with honors, a readmitted student must have a GPA computed on at least 48 hours taken in residence on which the UNC Charlotte GPA is based.

SECOND BACCALAUREATE MAJOR/ BACCALAUREATE MINOR
Students who have earned a bachelor’s degree from UNC Charlotte may apply for readmission into a program leading to a second major, minor, or second degree (see UNC Charlotte Academic Policy: Declaring Undergraduate Majors and Minors). Students readmitted for a second degree are not eligible for application of the forgiveness policy toward the first degree.

III. Definitions

  • College – An academic unit of the University. Each of the seven discipline-based colleges at UNC Charlotte represents an organization of related departments.
  • Department – A unit within a college representing a discipline. For example, the Department of English is in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
  • GPA (Grade Point Average) – A system of recording academic achievement based on an average of a student’s grades. The student’s semester GPA is an average of grade points earned during that semester, ranging from 0.0 to 4.0. Cumulative GPA is an average of all grade points earned in a certain degree program or university.
  • Readmission – Approval of the enrollment or admission of a former student.
  • Registrar – The official at the University who is responsible for maintaining student records. The Office of the Registrar plans and oversees registration, academic record maintenance, transcript preparation, graduation, a degree audit report system, and curricular records.
  • Semester or Term – A period of study, usually a third of the academic year (i.e., Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters). Fall and Spring semesters generally include a period of study of one 15-week and two 7-week half terms. The Summer semester generally includes one eleven-week and two five-week half terms. UNC Charlotte offers courses for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters, as well as varying term lengths associated with each semester.  For the definition of each term refer to the Office of the Registrar.

IV. Policy Contact(s)

V. History

  • Revised: March 20, 1997
  • Revised: February 20, 2014 [Updated with W-limit hour restrictions with new Withdrawals policy]
  • Revised: March 26, 2015 [Combined Associate Degree Rule and Two-Year Rule into new Forgiveness Policy]
  • Revised: June 3, 2015 [Added Associate of Engineering (AE) degree to allowable degrees under Forgiveness Policy]
  • Revised: May 6, 2019 [Added Welcome Back Niner info/website links]

VI. Related Policies, Procedures and Resources

VII. Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where is this policy referenced?
    The policy is published on the Academic Policies & Procedures webpage of the Provost website and in the Degree Requirements & Academic Policies section of the Undergraduate Catalog.
  • Can a student seek readmission for a major in which they have already earned a minor?
    Yes, a student who has earned a minor as part of already-earned baccalaureate degree may seek readmission for a major that is in the same subject as the minor.
  • Can reverse transfer students from North Carolina community colleges apply for readmission or forgiveness under this policy? No. The readmission and forgiveness policies do not apply to reverse transfer students who have maintained continuous enrollment with the University.