How to Apply for Readmission after a Withdrawal
The information provided in this section outlines the processes associated with readmission to MIT after a withdrawal. As the Faculty Rules and Regulations state (section 1.73.5), "the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) shall act with power on applications for readmission at the undergraduate level after a Voluntary, Medical, or Required Withdrawal." Our deans coordinate many facets of the readmission process on behalf of the CAP.
General Information Applicable to Readmission from All Types of Withdrawals
Students who have been away from MIT for the requisite amount of time on a Voluntary, Medical, or academic Required Withdrawal are eligible to apply for readmission. The readmission process has been designed to verify that students are ready to return successfully to MIT.
No application for readmission to the undergraduate program shall be considered from any applicant who has received a bachelor's degree or equivalent from another institution or who is a candidate for such a degree at another institution. The readmission guidelines comply with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA), a law designed to protect students who leave school for military service.
Deadlines
Deadlines for submitting the readmission application are June 15 for the Fall semester and November 15 for the Spring semester. Supplemental material will be accepted until July 1 for the Fall semester and December 1 for the Spring semester. Readmissions are generally not processed for IAP or the Summer semester. Applications for readmission will not be reviewed until all materials are received and the application is complete. Readmission deadlines are firm, and requests to extend the deadline or to accept late applications will be denied.
Application Process
A student on withdrawal should make an appointment with one of our deans to discuss readmission, and complete the undergraduate application for readmission. A student requesting to return from a second academic Required Withdrawal should also contact the staff to CAP.
Download the Undergraduate Application for Readmission from this site or obtain a copy from S3 staff in 5-104. The application describes all supplementary materials that are required to support the application. In addition to contacting us, a student who previously declared a major should should contact the Undergraduate Academic Administrator for that major and the former faculty advisor (or, if applying to return to a different department, the Undergraduate Academic Administrator in the department in which registration is being requested) to discuss his/her situation.
First-year students should also contact the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming. The dean reviewing the readmission application may consult with the student's academic department before acting on the readmission request.
Application Review
Applications for readmission are considered on a rolling basis. The Readmission Committee includes three S3 Deans. The Readmission Chair, a S3 dean appointed by the Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, convenes the meetings.
The Readmission Chair is granted the authority to decline consideration of readmission applications when the decision is clear, based on the initial review. Specifically, the Readmission Chair may decline to consider applications of students on Medical Withdrawal who did not access treatment or had insufficient treatment based on the assessment of the clinicians, or students on Required Withdrawal who did not earn grades of B or better in challenging courses.
All readmissions recommendations will be forwarded to the Chair of the CAP for final approval.
Students will be notified of readmission decisions via email on or around August 10th for a Fall return and January 10th for a spring return. The department and the advisor will also be notified of the decision, as will the Registrar, Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, MIT Health Plans, MIT Medical, Dean for Student Life, Housing, Dining Plans, Subcommittee on the Communication Requirement, and MIT Card Services. Readmitted students will be provided with a list of recommendations to help make the transition back to MIT successful.
A student denied readmission will be provided with the reasons for the decision and a list of expectations that must be met before another application for readmission will be considered.
As a reminder, readmission is not guaranteed. The Readmission Committee encourages students to develop contingency plans in the event that their application for readmission is denied.
Important Offices To Contact
A returning student is responsible for initiating contact and obtaining relevant information and deadlines from offices such as Student Financial Services, the Housing Office, and the International Students Office. An application for financial aid must be submitted by April 15, prior to the intended academic year of return.
A student returning after a withdrawal must also receive financial clearance from Student Accounts and from Student and Parent Loans, both in Student Financial Services. Any unpaid balance must be settled before a student will be able to register. Furthermore, any student with a hold of any type on their registration will not be able to register until the hold is lifted.
A student who has been in undergraduate housing for less than eight terms may request to return to undergraduate housing on a space-available basis. However, housing is not guaranteed.
As stated in the Rules and Regulations of the Faculty in section 2.84, “A student who does not graduate within ten years of first entry will normally be expected to fulfill the requirements of the class with which he or she graduates”. However, subjects previously taken to satisfy the General Institute or Departmental Requirements may be counted toward current requirements with the permission of the organizations and offices that administer those requirements. Students who do not graduate within ten years of their original date of entry should contact the Executive Officer of the Committee on Curricula (CoC) in the Registrar's Office, his/her faculty advisor and/or departmental administrators, and a S3 dean to determine the degree requirements.
Additional information about important offices to contact and information to consider when applying for readmission can be obtained from S3 (and, in the case of Academic Required Withdrawals, from the staff to the Committee on Academic Performance).
This is a brief summary of the necessary steps to apply for readmission:
- Download and complete the Undergraduate Application for Readmission (PDF document). Applications are also available from S3 in 5-104. Note important information on the Undergraduate Readmission Checklist included with the application.
- After your application is complete, make an in-person or phone appointment with a dean in S3. Call 617-253-4861 to schedule.
- Click on one of the links to the left for complete information on:
In addition to the informational content provided on this site, complete details on the readmission process can be found in the MIT Undergraduate Withdrawal and Readmission Guide (PDF).
