Policy 2.4: Reinstatement  

I. Policy Statement

Students who do not maintain continuous enrollment or approved on-leave status may lose student status and must apply to return before resuming study. Undergraduate students return through the Registrar’s Returning Student Process. Students returning to a graduate degree program apply for reinstatement, which requires a non-refundable fee. Students who were enrolled solely in a graduate certificate or in a stacked degree apply for re-entry, which carries no fee. Reinstatement is not guaranteed; approval depends on University and School of Nursing (SoN) policies, program capacity, and evidence of the student’s ability to make timely academic progress. The same is true of re-entry and of undergraduate return.

The SoN follows UW Registrar and Graduate School reinstatement policies, with additional program-level review to ensure readiness to resume study.

II. Process

A. Undergraduate (A/BSN) Students

• Students who have been away for more than one quarter (excluding summer quarter) must complete the UW Registrar’s Returning Student Request Form. Withdrawing from one quarter and not attending the subsequent quarter constitutes an absence of two consecutive quarters, requiring submission of the form.
• To be eligible, students must not have obtained a degree in their last enrolled category (at UW or another institution).
• The University determines eligibility for return at its discretion, considering factors such as:
  • Space availability in the BSN program
  • Academic performance and activities during the absence
  • Prior disciplinary action, if any
• Completing the return: The Returning Student Process has numerous steps. After the request form is submitted and processed, the student receives confirmation from the campus registration team, clears any registration holds, meets with an academic adviser to plan the return quarter, and completes Enrollment Confirmation. Enrollment Confirmation requires a non-refundable fee and must be completed before the student may register.
• Deadlines: The Registrar publishes a request form submission deadline and a separate completion deadline for the remaining steps, for each quarter of return. Students who miss either deadline cannot return in the requested quarter.
• In addition to the University Returning Student process, students must notify their academic adviser, who coordinates review with the BSN Coordinating Committee (BSNCC).
• The BSNCC considers readiness to resume study, compliance with accreditation and licensure requirements, and program duration limits (UW School of Nursing Policy 1.5: Program Duration & Graduation Eligibility).
• Students returning after academic drop must follow additional rules outlined in UW School of Nursing Policy 1.1: Academic Performance and Progress.

B. Graduate (CIPCT, DNP, Certs, PhD) Students

Return to a graduate program is a two-stage process. The student first obtains School of Nursing approval, then submits the request to the Graduate School. Students returning to a graduate degree program request reinstatement; students who were enrolled solely in a graduate certificate or in a stacked degree request re-entry (UW Graduate School Policy 3.5: Graduate Student Status: Leave, Withdrawal, Reinstatement, and Re-Entry Policies, §3.5.5; Scholastic Regulation 102.7F). A student enrolled in both a degree program and a certificate program must submit a separate request for each.

School of Nursing Requirements (applies to all graduate programs)

• Students must consult their program contact before submitting a reinstatement or re-entry request in MyGrad:
  • CIPCT: Program Operations Specialist (uwcipct@uw.edu)
  • Certificates: DNP and Graduate Program Adviser (dnpadv@uw.edu)
  • DNP: DNP Program Adviser (dnpadv@uw.edu)
  • PhD: PhD Program Adviser (phdadv@uw.edu)
• Students submit a written reinstatement or re-entry request to the appropriate Coordinating Committee (DNPCC, M/PhDCC) by week 5 of the quarter prior to the requested reinstatement quarter. The request includes:
  • Reason for lapse in status
  • Specific plan for timely program completion (including milestones, if doctoral)
  • Statement of support from Faculty Adviser/Supervisory Committee Chair confirming willingness to continue mentoring the student
• The Coordinating Committee reviews the request and may require conditions for reinstatement (e.g., learning contract, revised academic plan, updated compliance documentation).
• The Coordinating Committee bases its decision on the student’s academic status when last enrolled, activities while away from the University, the length of the absence, the potential for successful completion of the program, and any other factors the program considers relevant.
• Final decision authority rests with the relevant Coordinating Committee.

Graduate School Requirements: Reinstatement (Degree Programs)

• Students who lose status (not registered and not on approved on-leave) must request reinstatement through the UW Graduate School via MyGrad.
• Eligibility requires:
  • Inactive matriculated graduate student returning to the same degree program
  • At least one completed quarter of UW graduate study
  • The degree program, and the specific track within it (if applicable), must be currently active
  • Approval from the graduate program
  • Within Graduate School time limits: six years for Master’s (CIPCT) and 10 years for doctoral (DNP, PhD), including on-leave and out-of-status quarters (see School of Nursing Policy 1.5). Where a student completed Graduate Non-Matriculated coursework later applied for credit toward the degree, the time limit commences at enrollment in the first such course (see UW School of Nursing Policy 2.5: Graduate Non-Matriculated (GNM) Enrollment)
  • International students: clearance from International Student Services (ISS) to process an updated I-20 or DS-2019 before registration deadlines
• Students choose the current or next quarter for reinstatement.
• After program approval, the Graduate School confirms eligibility and requires payment of the non-refundable reinstatement fee via MyGrad, due by 11:59 p.m. PST on the last day of instruction for the reinstatement quarter. The fee is set by the Graduate School and is subject to change.
• Students must register and maintain enrollment for the reinstatement quarter to regain active status.

Graduate School Requirements: Re-Entry (Graduate Certificate and Stacked Degree Students)

Students who were enrolled solely in a graduate certificate or in a stacked degree submit a Request for Re-Entry through MyGrad rather than a reinstatement request. School of Nursing review precedes the request in the same way it does for reinstatement.

• Eligibility requires an inactive matriculated student returning to the same graduate certificate or stacked degree program, at least one completed quarter of UW graduate study, and approval from the graduate program.
• The student must be within the program’s time-to-completion limit. Periods spent on leave or out of status count toward that limit (UW Graduate School Policy 1.2: Graduate Certificates, §1.2.1.1).
• No fee is required for re-entry.
• Students must register and maintain enrollment for the re-entry quarter to regain active status.

Notification and Revised Program of Study

• Students are notified of the decision in writing.
• Students approved for reinstatement may receive a revised program of study if degree requirements or curriculum have changed since last enrollment.
• A student who was in an Academic Alert or Final Academic Alert status when enrollment lapsed may be reinstated with that same status in place. The Coordinating Committee determines whether the prior status carries forward, applying the program’s academic performance and progress policy (UW Graduate School Policy 3.7: Academic Performance and Progress, §3.7.6).
• If approved by the Coordinating Committee, students complete the Graduate School reinstatement or re-entry request in MyGrad and pay the $250 reinstatement fee by the last day of instruction for the reinstatement quarter. Re-entry to a certificate program carries no fee.

III. Flowchart

IV. Limitations

• Reinstatement does not extend Graduate School or SoN time-to-degree limits (School of Nursing Policy 1.5).
• Reinstatement may not be possible if the program has reached enrollment capacity or if degree requirements have substantially changed.
• If reinstatement is denied, students may apply for admission through the standard application process.

V. Roles and Responsibilities Summary

Last updated: September 2026