APU Student Handbook
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Last Revision: January 30, 2024

Readmission to APUS

Disenrolled Students: If you previously were disenrolled after not taking courses for 12 months, or had voluntarily decided to leave the university, your academic status will display as DISENROLLED in your ecampus  and you can apply to be readmitted by using the online form provided. This form is located within your ecampus by hovering over ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS and clicking on the link for All Forms under the UNIVERSITY FORMS menu. 

Dismissed Students: If you were dismissed from the university for any reason, including low GPA, your academic status will reflect the status and type of dismissal in your ecampus, and you will need to appeal for readmission by using the online form provided. This form is located within your ecampus by hovering over ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS and clicking on the link for All Forms under the UNIVERSITY FORMS menu. 

Please see more information in the Adverse Actions and Appeals sections of the handbook. 

Readmission after Disenrollment

You may apply to be readmitted by submitting the Readmission Application or Degree Change Form located under the ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS dropdown under the ALL FORMS section of your ecampus. Once your request is reviewed, you will be sent an email within 3 business days outlining any remaining admission documentation that must be submitted before we can complete your readmission. You can review these documents within your Document Log by hovering over the “ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS” tab, and select “Document Log” under the “MY STATUS AND RECORDS” column.  This review will be based on the requirements published in the Student Handbook at the time you submit your readmission request.

Effective April 1, 2017, to verify the identity of and protect the privacy of APUS students, identity verification will be required of all students applying for readmission.

Identity can be verified by submitting the following documents:

  • For non-military applicants: a color legible copy of a valid government issued photo ID such as a driver license, state ID or passport.
  • For undergraduate military and veteran applicants: a government issued JST or CCAF; APUS will order the JST on behalf of the student.
  • For master's military and veteran applicants in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard: a JST will be requested on your behalf.
  • For master's military and veteran applicants in the Air Force: a legible color copy of a valid government issued photo ID is required.
  • For graduates of public safety academies: academy issued documentation of completion of a post-certification program OR a legible color copy of a valid government issued photo ID (driver license, etc.).
  • For international applicants: a legible color copy of a driver license, foreign military ID or passport.

Once readmitted, you will fall under the program requirements, admission and transfer credit policies as outlined in the APUS catalog at the time of your readmission. This may mean that the courses needed to complete your program have changed, which may require you to take additional courses in order to graduate.

All Military Students and Veterans: APUS requires that all current and prior military students submit a Transfer Credit Application, regardless of previous college experience, in order to maximize your transfer credit.  APUS will obtain your Joint Services Transcript on your behalf for evaluation.

All Veteran Students and Those Using VA Benefits: Effective September 22, 2016, most students who are veterans or who use veteran’s benefits to pay for tuition will be required to review, sign and send in a Veteran Student Acknowledgement form prior to enrolling in courses. Veterans who are applying to doctoral programs are exempt from this requirement.

Please see the Student Handbook section on Getting Admitted to APUS for further details on current admission policies.

What you need to know about Readmission

Appealing Policy

If you were very far along in your program, and want to appeal university policy that would readmit you under the current catalog version, you must submit an official appeal requesting a Readmission Exception prior to submitting the Readmission Application in your ecampus. This appeal form is located in the University Forms section of your campus. We are unable to reset your program back to a previous catalog once you have been readmitted, so it is important that you appeal this BEFORE you make any form submissions to update your program or readmission. If you have already submitted the Readmission Application and it has been processed, you can no longer appeal this university policy. This information is also listed boldly on the Readmission Application. Failure to have read the instructions on the form before you submitted it does not constitute grounds for appeal of this published process, so make sure you read any forms before you submit them.

Transfer Credit

If you previously had transfer credit awarded by APUS, or had already submitted a Transfer Credit Application, APUS will review all of your submitted transcripts again at no charge within 21 days of your readmission. Questions regarding previous TCE awards may be directed to [email protected].

Program no Longer Offered and Changing Programs

You are unable to be readmitted into a program which is no longer offered at APUS. If your program is no longer offered or you are looking to return to a new program, submit a Degree Change Form located under the ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS dropdown under the ALL FORMS section of your ecampus. Once you submit this form, your readmission request will automatically begin. Questions regarding previous programs may be directed to [email protected].

Program Deadlines

If you have a program deadline that has already expired or will expire in less than a year, you’ll need to arrange for a program deadline extension or a new program enrollment before the Readmission Application can be processed. Questions regarding program deadlines may be directed to [email protected].

Certificates and Minors

You will not be able to sign up for a certificate and/or minor with your program during the readmission process. If you want to add a certificate or minor onto your degree program after being readmitted, you will need to contact your Academic Advisor who will help ensure that your selection will be approved by your School. Questions regarding minors and certificates may be directed to [email protected].

You May Be Denied Readmission to APUS

  • If you already attempted at least 6 semester hours at APUS and have an undergraduate GPA below 2.0 or 3 semester hours and have a graduate GPA below 3.0. Attempts include all W and all final grades A-F.
  • If you had previous Code of Conduct violations on your record.
  • If your previous academic record at APUS would not allow you to succeed in completing your degree within the 150% attempted vs. earned credits to be eligible for graduation.
  • If you had an inordinate number of course drops, program changes, disenrollments, or financial aid cancellations on your previous record at APUS.
  • If you were previously denied admission to APUS for any reason.

If you are denied readmission, or are not able to submit the Readmission Application due to your previous academic record, and wish to appeal, you should submit your official appeal using the Academic Appeal Request form in the University Forms section of your campus. All appeals will only be accepted in writing. Your appeal will be denied if your previous failing grades were due to not submitting any work in the classroom after the first week.

All appeal decisions will be sent to your primary email address on record. If your appeal is denied, you will have 30-days to request a second level appeal. If the second level request is not received within 30-days from original denial, the denial decision will be final.  Any decision taken by an executive academic committee will be considered final. If you were previously denied for an appeal, you will no longer be eligible to appeal for further consideration of readmission.

Readmitted under the Academic Probation Policies

If your appeal for readmission is approved and your GPA is below the required minimum, you will be reentering under the current catalog requirements and placed on academic risk or academic probation, and follow those policies, depending on how many courses you have attempted.

Military Students and Readmission

In accordance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, military students will be readmitted without academic penalty for having been absent from the university due to military service.

  • This applies to any military students who are called to active duty/deployment for more than 30 consecutive days.
  • This does not apply to students who are in current courses, as these courses should either be dropped or extended by the students to accommodate their deployment schedule.

To ensure your current place in your program is held if you are leaving the university for more than 12 months, military students need to:

  • Before Leaving: Submit a Program Hold Request Form to let us know their intent to be absent by following the published process to go on Program Hold from the university-either by submitting the online form or by contacting the Registrar’s office by phone or email to request us to process the Program Hold for them to entirely avoid being withdrawn from the university.
  • Military students who have not taken courses for 12 months will be automatically placed on a Program Hold.
  • Upon Returning: Submit a Program Hold Return Request form, which can be found in your ecampus by hovering over ACADEMIC PLAN & FORMS and selecting on All Forms under the UNIVERSITY FORMS menu. If you did not submit the Program Hold request, you should submit an official appeal using the Academic Appeal Request form to be readmitted as legacy to the previous catalog version of your program with a copy of your deployment or active duty papers. Military students who wish to be readmitted on their previous catalog despite not having informed the university of their absence must follow directions to NOT submit the standard Readmission form.

For more general information regarding the readmission process, please contact [email protected].