Voluntary Terminations and Reinstatements (GAP 5.4)
Summary
Defines procedures for students who wish to voluntarily terminate study in a degree program, and for those who wish later to apply for reinstatement to active student status.
Rationale
Students may voluntarily decide to leave a degree program to which they have been admitted and in which they are registered. In the event that they subsequently wish to return to registered and enrolled status, they may file a request for reinstatement. Approval to return will be contingent on a number of considerations.
1. POLICY
1.1 Voluntary Termination of a Degree Program
Students who wish to terminate study in a graduate program should submit a properly endorsed Request to Permanently Withdraw from Degree Program form to the Office of the Registrar. This form authorizes the Registrar to close the student’s degree program and cancel the authorization to register. It must be received by the Registrar’s Office prior to the start of the quarter in which authorization to register is cancelled.
Students should discuss their plans with their department student services officer and adviser. International students holding F-1 or J-1 visas should discuss whether filing this form will affect their visa status.
Students who fail to be either enrolled by the final study list deadline or approved for a leave of absence by the start of a term are required to apply for reinstatement through the Graduate Admissions Office before they can return to the same degree program.
1.1.1. Discontinuing a Program via the Grad Auth Process
Students may also discontinue a program by selecting that option on the Graduate Program Authorization Petition (Grad Auth) when they are adding a new program. (See GAP 5.1, Changes and Additions of Degree Programs.)
1.2 Reinstatement after Voluntary Termination
To return to graduate study after the termination of a degree program, the student is required to apply for reinstatement (if returning to the same degree program) or admission (if applying to a different program). Both applications require payment of a fee.
1.2.1 Reinstatement to the Same Program
A completed and department-approved Application for Reinstatement in Graduate Study must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office, along with necessary documents and a reinstatement fee, on or before the first day of the term in which reenrollment is requested. After this date, the application will be processed for the subsequent term. Departments or programs may require earlier deadlines.
Students whose master’s program or doctoral candidacy has expired must have extensions of their programs or candidacy approved by their departments before reinstatement may be approved.
Applicants for reinstatement who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. registered permanent residents must have a current visa status that allows for study at Stanford University. Applicants who require an I-20 (for F-1 visas) or DS-2019 (for J-1 visas) must submit the application and Financial Resources Certification form three weeks prior to the deadline to allow sufficient time for I-20 and DS-2019 processing. See the Bechtel International Center web site for additional information on the processing of visas.
The decision to approve or deny reinstatement into the original degree program is made by the student’s department or program. Departments are not obliged to approve reinstatements of students. Reinstatement decisions are made at the discretion of the department or the program and may be based on the applicant’s academic status when last enrolled, activities while away from campus, the length of the absence, the perceived potential for successful completion of the program, and the ability of the department to support the student both academically and financially, as well as any other factors or considerations regarded as relevant by the department or program.
1.2.2 Reinstatement to Student Status in a New Degree Program
Graduate students wishing to be reinstated to active student status in a new degree program must apply to, and be accepted by, the new degree program.
The process for admission to graduate study at Stanford is explained on the Graduate Admissions web site, and is governed by the policy and procedures in GAP 2.1, Admitting Graduate Students to Matriculated Study.
Alternatively, a student may apply for reinstatement to the program in which they were originally enrolled, as described above, and then use the Graduate Program Authorization Petition (Grad Auth) to apply to a new program (see GAP 5.1, Changes and Additions of Degree Programs).
2. IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES
2.1 Requesting a Voluntary Termination of Degree Program
| PROCESS STEPS | RESPONSIBILITY | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Discusses plans for terminating study in a degree program with the department and adviser. Considers options including a leave of absence. | Student |
| 2. | Completes Request to Permanently Withdraw from Degree Program form and gathers necessary signatures. | Student |
| 3. | Reviews and either approves or denies the request. | Department |
| 4. | In the case of international students, reviews the request and advises the student of visa implications. If approved, conveys approval by signing the request form. | Bechtel |
| 5. | Mails or delivers the approved form to the Office of the Registrar. | Student |
| 6. | If the termination is approved, cancels the student’s program and authorization to register. | Registrar |
| 7. | Makes any necessary arrangements for housing, insurance, etc. | Student |
2.2 Reinstatement of Graduate Student Status in the Original Degree Program
| PROCESS STEPS | RESPONSIBILITY | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Completes and signs an Application for Reinstatement in Graduate Study and gathers the required signatures. | Student |
| 2. | Submits the application to the Graduate Admissions office, along with the following information:
|
Student |
| 3. | Considers the applicant’s academic status when last enrolled, activities while away from campus, length of absence, the perceived potential for successful completion of the program, the ability of the department to support the applicant both academically and financially, as well as any other relevant factors or considerations. Approves or denies the admission application and notifies both the student and Graduate Admissions. | Department |
| 4. | If approved, reinstates the student’s status in PeopleSoft in the original degree program. | Graduate Admissions |
| 5. | Files a study list by the deadline date for the first quarter of reenrollment. | Student |
2.3 Reinstatement of Graduate Student Status in a New Degree Program
See the policy and process in GAP 2.1, Admitting Graduate Students to Matriculated Study
| PROCESS STEPS | RESPONSIBILITY | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Completes all requirements to apply for admission to the desired graduate degree program. | Student |
| 2. | Approves or denies the application for admission to the new degree program, as for any other applicant for graduate study. | Department |
| 3. | If approved for admission, approves enrollment and matriculates the student in the new degree program. | Registrar |
