Whether you left school voluntarily or involuntarily, you might find yourself wondering what is needed to be readmitted to a university. Most schools give students the chance to take a semester off without missing a step, and many schools do not consider attendance of the summer session mandatory. This means that you might stop taking classes after the spring semester and come back the following spring without any problems. The steps you need to take before going back to school depend on why and how you left.
Why Take a Break from College?
People tend to think that students start school, spend their time working and graduate within four years with a degree, but this isn’t always true. Some students find that they need to take a step back or take some time off after an illness in the family, a death or a personal problem. According to Psych Central, author Marie Hartwell-Walker, an Ed.D graduate, recommends that students take time off when they feel stressed all the time, they aren’t sure what they want to do in the future or they have family or personal problems that keep them from devoting themselves to their work.
What If You Left Involuntarily?
Students needed to be readmitted to a university after leaving involuntarily may experience more problems than students who voluntarily took time off might. One common reason why colleges and universities ask students to leave is because of academic problems. Many colleges require that students maintain a minimum grade point average. If you fall below that GPA, the school will put you on academic probation. If you do not bring your grades up, the school may expel you. Going to community college or another school and taking some classes that bring your GPA up may help you get back in school.
Filling out an Application
Even though you were a student in the past, you can’t expect to just show up and enroll in classes prior to the next semester. This school will likely consider you a new student, which means you will need to complete the application that all incoming students complete. Some schools offer an application for students coming back to school. This sometimes requires that you get a letter of recommendation from a previous teacher or that you take one of the standardized tests again and submit your scores before going back to school.
Contacting the School
The best way to find out the items needed to be readmitted to a university is with a call to the school. You need to contact the school and find out if there are any notes on your record that will prevent you from enrolling or if you need to pay back any money. You may find that you owe tuition from a previous semester or that you owe financial aid that you must pay before going back to school. The college can also inform you of whether it will place you on academic probation before you come back and help you find out whether you still qualify for financial aid.
Related Resource: Early Admission to College
Regardless of why you decided to take a break from college, you may still have the chance to go back. The requirements and items needed to be readmitted to a university depends on the policies of the school and why and how you left the school.