VIII. Withdrawal/Readmission

A. Withdrawal

  1. Withdrawal from the Institute will not be permitted after 60 percent of the academic term has passed, except in cases of hardship as determined by the Institute Undergraduate Curriculum Committee or Graduate Curriculum Committee, as appropriate. With the exception of part-time graduate students, students who withdraw from the Institute and receive all grades of "W" will not ordinarily be permitted to re-enroll the following term. A student may withdraw from the Institute via the Student Information System by the posted deadline in the official Academic Calendar. All holds on the student's record must be cleared prior to withdrawal.
  2. Students who cease attendance without withdrawing via the Student Information System receive grades of "F," "U," or "I" for their ongoing courses.
  3. Permission and/or formal resignation are not required when a student has completed an academic term and does not register for the following term.
  4. See Regulation V.A.3 for further information on grading as it relates to withdrawal.

B. Readmission

  1. Any student who is not enrolled for three or more consecutive terms (counting Summer Session) must apply for readmission. This application, with all the pertinent supporting information, must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the deadline for the academic term for which readmission is requested. Deadlines are listed below.
    Term Date
    Fall July 1
    Spring December 1
    Summer April 1
  2. Applications received after these deadlines will not be accepted.
  3. Readmission is not guaranteed. Schools/Colleges must recommend readmission for any student wishing to return in majors under their jurisdiction.
  4. The readmission policy supersedes the change of major policy. No School/College is obligated to readmit a student even if that student is within their limit for requesting a non-restricted change of major. Once readmission applies, the change of major process is not applicable including the non-restricted change of major.
  5. Any student who has attended any other college or university should plan their readmission process in a way that allows ample time for their official transcript(s) from any other institution to arrive at Georgia Tech. If official transcripts have not been received prior to the last day of the Registration Period, the student seeking readmission will not be allowed to register.
  6. Any student in good standing who is not enrolled for one single term will be allowed to re-enroll without applying for readmission to the Institute. This regulation makes no distinction among Fall Semester, Spring Semester, and Summer Session.
  7. A student who is on academic warning or academic probation and who does not enroll for two terms may have a registration hold placed on their account.  If a hold is placed, the student will be notified and the hold must be cleared by their major school. For example, if a student is placed on academic probation at the end of the Fall Semester and fails to enroll by the close of the Registration Period for the Spring Semester, a registration hold may be set, and it must be cleared by the student's major school before they can register for any future academic term.
  8. A student who has been dropped once for unsatisfactory scholarship usually will not be readmitted. A student who seeks an exception to this rule must have been out of the Institute for at least one term and have had a conference with the major school concerning the readmission. The Readmission Application Deadline for a student who has been dropped is two months prior to the published Readmission Application Deadline for the academic term.
  9. A student who is dropped a second time for unsatisfactory scholarship will not be readmitted to the Institute.
  10. A student who is on expulsion, defined as permanent separation from the Institute, is not eligible for readmission.
  11. Students are readmitted under the current catalog that is in effect at the time of readmission. If a student wishes to follow the degree requirements from a catalog in effect prior to the term of readmission, she/he must make a request to the major school. There is no guarantee that such a request will be granted, and readmitted students should be prepared to follow the degree requirements as outlined in the current catalog. Programs of study that have been deactivated or terminated are not available for readmission. Students who were enrolled in a program of study that has since been deactivated are eligible for readmission to the Institute; however, they must select an active program at the time of readmission. Once a decision is made to no longer admit students to a program of study due to an impending deactivation or termination, readmission is also not allowed.
  12. Any student, except a part-time graduate student, who withdraws during an academic term and wishes to return the following academic term must complete a Petition to the Faculty for consideration. This petition must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar before the deadline for the academic term for which readmission is requested.
  13. Students may be eligible for academic renewal. See below for more information.
    1. University System of Georgia undergraduate students who have been readmitted or reinstated after a period of absence of three (3) calendar years or longer are eligible for academic renewal. Academic renewal for the student signals the initiation of a new grade-point average to be used for determining academic standing. This provision allows University System of Georgia degree-seeking students who earlier experienced academic difficulty to make a fresh start and have one final opportunity to earn an associate or bachelor's degree (BR Minutes, June, 1995, p. 7). The complete policy is available online at: www.usg.edu/academic_affairs_handbook/section2/handbook/2.5_grading_system/
    2. The application for academic renewal shall be considered as a petition to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.

C. Leaves of Absence

  1. Students may be eligible for an approved leave of absence. Interruption in enrollment due to circumstances outside the student’s control may qualify for an approved Leave of Absence. This may include, for example, required military service.
  2. It should be noted that an approved Leave of Absence would be effective in a future term (see item 12 for more details). Students on an approved Leave of Absence would not have to apply for re-admission and would be able to retain their email accounts during the approved absence. Prior to returning, the student would have to notify the Registrar’s Office so that the record could be reactivated for re-entry.
  3. The Leave of Absence would cover eligible students for at least three and no more than seven semesters (including Summer). If the seventh semester is a Spring term, students may opt to return in either the Summer or Fall term.
  4. Students who are on an Approved Leave of Absence may not attend class, live in campus housing, or access other campus services.
  5. The form to request an Approved Leave of Absence is on the Registrar’s Office website under the student tab, forms and student records.
  6. The Leave of absence may be used more than once, but for no more than seven total semesters during the student’s enrollment at Tech.
  7. Students who have been placed on academic drop or suspended or expelled for disciplinary reasons may not participate.
  8. Students must clear up any other issues such as registration holds or providing any requested documentation prior to re-entry. The Approved Leave of Absence does not override other considerations or restrictions on enrollment.
  9. Students should apply for the Leave of Absence as soon as possible. Applications for Leave of Absence will require review and signatures by the Office of the Dean of Students and the student’s major academic advisor.  Other signature approvals, such as the Office of International Education and Financial Aid may also need to be obtained.
    • Students should bear in mind the time limits as outlined in section 11 below in determining the anticipated date of return.
    • Readmission is required when three or more consecutive terms have been missed (which includes Summer). Once the student has made the decision that they will have to or need to be out for three or more consecutive term and the student wishes to return to Tech without being readmitted, the application for a Leave of Absence should be filed with the Registrar's Office.
    • The clock begins when the student does not enroll for a third consecutive term. The Leave of Absence Request would have to be for the third consecutive missed term to avoid readmission.
  10. The Leave of Absence cannot be approved retroactively.
  11. Students must file a Return from Leave of Absence form to return. If the leave exceeds the 7 semester time frame, the student must apply for readmission. The form is on the Registrar’s Office website under the student tab, forms and student records.
  12. The Leave of Absence, if approved, would be effective in a future term. It will not be approved to be effective in the term in which application is made. It in no way supplants or replaces any other policy. If a student needs to withdraw from classes within a given term, they should follow the withdrawal process and if a Leave of Absence is needed or desired, it would be effective for a future term or terms only as approved.
  13. Normally, students would not enroll in courses at another school while on Leave of Absence. However, students who wish to or need to take classes at another institution must obtain prior approval from the academic unit and from the Registrar to do so. Students who fail to obtain prior permission may forfeit their opportunity to transfer the credit back to Georgia Tech. In all cases, students on Leave of Absence should consult with their academic advisor for information pertaining to transfer-credit, the 36-hour rule, and other applicable rules and regulations.

D. Other Evidence for Readmission

Coursework pursued at another institution after withdrawal or dismissal for unsatisfactory scholarship from Georgia Tech may be considered as evidence for readmission. Please refer to the Registrar's website for guidelines regarding transfer credits: https://registrar.gatech.edu/records/transfer-credit.

E. Study Abroad

Any student in good standing who chooses to participate in an approved study abroad program for two or more terms must complete a Student Information Update Form with the study abroad coordinator prior to departure. This form enables the student to re-enroll for the term of "planned re-entry" without submitting a formal readmission application. It will be the student's responsibility to inform the study abroad coordinator of any change to her/his planned re-entry date.