Readmission guidelines

Readmission is subject to individual degree program requirements. Contact the program department or consult the appropriate program portion of this bulletin for specific information.

Students who withdraw from all courses after the first week of the semester are considered to have been enrolled for that semester. A student who does not attend VCU for three or more successive fall and spring semesters (excluding summer sessions), must submit an application for readmission to the Office of Admissions. See the undergraduate readmission/continuous enrollment chart below for details on readmission and continuous enrollment. Students who have attended another institution and wish to return after the allowable absence period or who have been suspended since their last enrollment at VCU also must apply for readmission. This application must be made before the application submission date for the semester in which the student plans to return.

Students who wish to return to VCU after enrolling at another institution are considered readmission applicants and should submit official transcripts from the colleges attended since last enrolled at VCU. Students who attend another institution during periods of suspension from VCU are considered readmitted students for admission purposes. If readmitted, they assume their VCU GPA and academic status; any course work taken at another institution during the suspension will be evaluated according to regular procedures.

Readmission applicants who wish to change their majors may have to meet additional requirements for some programs. Applicants to the School of the Arts must submit supplemental materials as described in the application for undergraduate admission.

Students may apply for readmission to VCU for the semester following completion of the first suspension period (two semesters, one of which may be summer). Under certain circumstances, students may be considered for readmission from the second and final suspension after a period of five years. Students on second suspension who wish to return before the required completion of the five-year suspension period must appeal their readmission to the Academic Regulations Appeals Committee. Students should contact the dean’s office of the school or college from which they were suspended to initiate this process. For more information on suspension policies, refer to the section on continuance in academic programs.

Applicants who have been suspended from the university for nonacademic or disciplinary reasons are referred to the Office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs for pre-admission clearance.

Undergraduate readmission/continuous enrollment chart

A student who does not attend VCU for three or more successive fall and spring semesters, excluding summer session, must submit an application for readmission to the Office of Admissions. Students who have attended another institution and wish to return after the allowable absence period or who have been suspended since their last enrollment at VCU also must apply for readmission.

The semester appearing in the “Must return semester” column associated with the term in the “Last enrolled semester” column denotes when a student must return to remain in continuous enrollment. If an undergraduate student wishes to return after the “must return semester,” they are required to apply for readmission.

Summers are not included in the calculation of the allowable absence period. If a student chooses to return during the summer, the calculation of the allowable absence period is reset and begins anew with the following fall semester, thus summers are included under the “Last Enrolled Semester” column.