What's the difference?
If you have been placed on academic suspension or academic dismissal at CU Boulder and want to return to main campus classes, you will need to request to be reinstated. If you were away from CU Boulder for more than 3 semesters, you will, in addition, need to complete a readmission application.
If you were taking courses through the Division of Continuing Education, you are not considered as having been "away" from CU Boulder. In this case, you do not need to complete a readmission application.
If you were away for more than 3 semesters and you are in good academic standing, you only need to submit the readmission application to the Office of Admissions. A separate reinstatement petition is not required. See the readmission procedures section at the bottom of this page.
I'm on academic suspension and I want to return to CU Boulder. What are my options?
Academic Suspension Reinstatement Options
After academic suspension, there are multiple pathways students may pursue to earn reinstatement. Students on academic suspension may pursue any of the following options to earn academic reinstatement:
- Students may enroll in classes through CU Boulder’s Division of Continuing Education (evening or online courses) to raise their cumulative CU GPA, and are eligible for reinstatement when they have reached a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher. Students on academic suspension who enroll in Continuing Education classes must maintain a 2.300 term GPA or above for each fall or spring term enrolled in Continuing Education to avoid being placed on Academic Dismissal (see below).
- Students on academic suspension may enroll in Summer Session classes to raise their cumulative CU GPA and are eligible for reinstatement when they have reached a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher.
- Students may enroll in courses at another accredited academic institution. To be reinstated to main campus, the cumulative CU GPA combined with the grades and credit hours resulting from all work done at other institutions after academic suspension from CU must average a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher. This is referred to as a “virtual GPA”. Note: after reinstatement, transferable coursework will be applied as appropriate to the degree, but grades in transferred courses will not be calculated into the cumulative CU GPA. For that reason, students who are reinstated based on a virtual GPA will have two semesters in which to work on raising their cumulative CU GPA to a 2.000 or above.
- Students may take at least one academic year (three consecutive terms including a fall, spring and summer term) off with no enrollment at any institution. After returning, the student will have the same cumulative CU GPA as when they were suspended but will have two terms, in addition to summer, to raise their cumulative CU GPA to a 2.000 and be in good academic standing.
Academic Suspension Reinstatement Process
Students on academic suspension who return to good academic standing by earning a CU cumulative GPA of 2.000 or above based on coursework taken through Continuing Education or through Summer Session classes will have their hold automatically removed (typically done three business days after the final grading deadline of that most recent semester) and no petition process is needed. Students may contact their academic advisor, or Academic Operations at asoperations@colorado.edu or 303-735-5591 with additional questions.
Students on academic suspension who take coursework at another institution outside the CU system should provide the A&S Academic Operations Team with a reinstatement petition, as well as an official transcript of all coursework completed elsewhere. The official transcript must include final grades for the most recent term of enrollment; an interim report or in-progress grades will not be accepted.
Students on academic suspension who have taken at least one academic year off with no enrollment at any institution, should provide the A&S Academic Operations Team with a reinstatement petition.
I'm on academic dismissal and I want to return to CU Boulder. What are my options?
Academic Dismissal Reinstatement Options
Students placed on academic dismissal beginning fall 2022 and later may enroll in Summer Session classes to raise their cumulative CU GPA and are eligible for reinstatement when they have reached a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher.
Students placed on academic dismissal spring 2022 or earlier may pursue any of the following options offered to them at the time of academic dismissal to earn reinstatement:
- Students on academic dismissal may enroll in Summer Session classes to raise their cumulative CU GPA and are eligible for reinstatement when they have reached a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher.
- Students may enroll in courses at another accredited academic institution. To be reinstated to main campus, the cumulative CU GPA combined with the grades and credit hours resulting from all work done at other institutions after academic dismissal from CU must average a cumulative CU GPA of 2.000 or higher. This is referred to as a “virtual GPA”. Note: after reinstatement, transferable coursework will be applied as appropriate to the degree, but grades in transferred courses will not be calculated into the cumulative CU GPA. For that reason, students who are reinstated based on a virtual GPA will have two semesters in which to work on raising their cumulative CU GPA to a 2.000 or above.
Academic Dismissal Reinstatement Process
Students placed on academic dismissal who return to good academic standing by raising their cumulative CU GPA to a 2.000 or above by taking coursework through Summer Session classes should email the A&S Academic Operations Team, asoperations@colorado.edu, or call (303) 735-5591 to request reinstatement and ask to have the dismissal hold removed.
Students placed on academic dismissal spring 2022 or earlier who take coursework at another institution outside the CU system must contact the A&S Academic Operations Team to request reinstatement, and will be required to submit an official transcript of all coursework completed elsewhere. The official transcript must include final grades for the most recent term of enrollment; an interim report or in-progress grades will not be accepted. Please contact the A&S Academic Operations Team, asoperations@colorado.edu, or call (303) 735-5591, for more information about the reinstatement process.
Readmission Process
If a student has not been active at CU Boulder for 3 or more semesters, they may need to apply for readmission to the university through the admissions office.
The admissions office will accept an application, even though a student may have a suspension notation on record. However they cannot process the application until reinstatement is granted. Please be sure to submit your readmit request well in advance of the semester for which you plan to return.