Reinstatement

Petitioning for Reinstatement for Exploratory or Major Changing Students

Petitioning for reinstatement after academic dismissal is a process that takes time and reflection. If you are uncertain what you want to major in or are considering changing majors you may submit an Exploratory Reinstatement Petition.

Students who have not already been admitted into Education, Kelley School of Business, Nursing, or O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs cannot be reinstated into those schools, but instead may petition as an exploratory student. However, if you have been dismissed from a school and wish to return to that school you should use that school’s process.

The following academic schools will consider reinstatement petitions from students who were dismissed from other academic units on campus:

Exploratory Reinstatement Petition deadline for the spring term: November 1

If the deadline has past and you want to make a case to be considered to return, please email vpuerec@iu.edu.

Reinstatement Petition Review Process

Petitions are reviewed by a Reinstatement Committee and there is no guarantee of approval.

Reinstatement Committee decisions are based on a comprehensive review of:

  • The content and quality of the reinstatement essay
    • Consider the essay as you would a graded assignment. Follow the directions and address all the essay questions listed in the petition form.
    • You will be asked to articulate: What have you done to address the issues that led to your academic difficulties? What have you learned or accomplished during the time you were not attending IUB? What are your academic and long-term goals and what is your plan to reach those goals?
  • Grades earned at another college or university if you have enrolled elsewhere since dismissal (when grades are submitted to support the petition, a CGPA > 2.5 with no grade below a C in the most recent semester or two is required)
  • How many credits of coursework would need to be completed with a grade of B to raise the overall GPA to 2.0?
  • Majors you are considering (majors you are exploring should be realistic/accessible)
  • Any other relevant information in the academic record, including number of terms since dismissal, incompletes, etc.
  • Any additional and pertinent information you chose to provide
    • Employment history (if you have been working since dismissal we encourage you to include a resume with your petition)
    • Volunteer work
    • Letters of recommendation
    • Extenuation circumstances

IU Bloomington's Fresh Start grade forgiveness policy may be an option to consider if you have been away from IUB for three years or more. If you have been dismissed and qualify for Fresh Start, you still need to submit a Reinstatement petition and be approved for reinstatement in order to be eligible to return. 

Qualified students should discuss their unique situations with an advisor before submitting a Fresh Start application. Students will need to enroll in classes before fresh start is applied.