Second Start Readmission Policy

Undergraduates seeking readmission to The University of Arizona after an absence of at least three years may apply for the Second Start Readmission Program. When a returning student applies for readmission through Second Start, the student’s application and prior academic record are reviewed by the academic college offering the student’s program of study. If accepted by the college and the University, students are also accepted into the Second Start Program.

Once the conditions of Second Start are met, all grades earned for UA course work prior to the student’s absence will be disregarded in the student’s cumulative GPA; however, courses in which a C or better was earned will continue to fulfill degree requirements. Credit for those courses with a C grade or above will count as earned units toward specific requirements (e.g., General Education, the major or minor), class standing, and total degree units. But only the courses taken after Second Start is enacted will count toward the University Credit requirements.

Criteria for Enactment of Second Start

To qualify for the program, the following conditions must be met:

1. The student is pursuing readmission to an undergraduate degree program;
2. At the time the request is filed, a minimum of three years must have elapsed since the most recent UA course work was attempted;
3. The student must complete 12 or more graded units in the 12 months following the absence, with a minimum grade-point average of 2.500 for all courses completed in that interval.

Students may apply for Second Start prior to readmission and up until the last day of classes of the first term of readmission. The application form is available from the student's college advisor. Some colleges will require the program for conditional readmission. Recalculation of the student’s GPA won’t occur until after the student completes 12 graded units with a 2.500 GPA within the first 12 months.

If the student satisfies the conditions for Second Start, the Office of the Registrar will annotate the student’s permanent record to indicate that the Program was enacted. Once enacted, grades from all course work completed prior to the extended absence will be designated as not contributing to the GPA; courses in which a C or better was earned may count toward degree requirements (courses with grades below a C will no longer satisfy degree requirements).

Once Second Start is granted, a readmitted student must meet all requirements for the degree program and the University, including major, minor and University Credit requirements. Second Start may be granted only once in a student’s academic career and is not available to students who have completed requirements for a bachelor’s degree. When Second Start is enacted, it is permanent.

While Second Start allows for the GPA to be reset, grades from the previous enrollment will continue to display on the student’s academic record for an accurate academic history.

Students with absences of fewer than three years may still apply for readmission without Second Start. Note:  General Petitions requesting a shorter absence for Second Start will not be reviewed or granted.