Graduate Academic Fresh Start

Program Policy

The Graduate Fresh Start Program aims to provide students who did not perform well in their initial graduate studies an opportunity for a fresh start in fulfilling degree or certificate requirements. 

A graduate student who has not been enrolled at TWU for at least 24 months before readmission may petition the Dean of the Graduate School to remove from their graduate cumulative grade point average all grades earned during the student’s prior enrollment at the University. Consequently, upon re-enrolling through the Graduate Fresh Start Program, students automatically relinquish the right to apply any previous graduate coursework, including transferred credits, toward their current degree requirements. Only courses undertaken after readmission will count toward the current degree requirements. 

• If the applicant is seeking readmission to the original program, this petition must be approved by the original degree program advisor, college dean, and the Dean of the Graduate School. 
• If the student wishes to enter a different graduate program, a separate application for that program must be submitted and approved by the relevant academic department and college before readmission is granted. This petition must be approved by the new degree program advisor, college dean, and Graduate School dean. 

Upon successful readmission via the Graduate Fresh Start Program, students must adhere to the following conditions: 

1. Enroll within one year (12 months) of the granting of the petition. 
2. Maintain good academic standing according to the current graduate school policies.
3. Probation and suspension policies are similar for Graduate Fresh Start students, with the exception that any suspension will lead to automatic dismissal from the University. 

All hours attempted and all grades earned before and after Graduate Fresh Start will remain on the student’s official, permanent academic record (transcript). Graduate Fresh Start affects only the cumulative graduate grade point average. It will not remove evidence/documentation of the student’s overall academic history at the university. 
A student may exercise the Graduate Fresh Start option only once, regardless of the number of times the student enters or attends a graduate degree program at TWU. 
To be considered for Graduate Fresh Start, students must submit this petition for reinstatement to the coordinator of their graduate program and provide a compelling justification for reinstatement. Applicants must explain how the circumstances that previously impeded their academic performance have improved. 

Students must submit all materials required for full admission to the program (e.g., GRE scores, recommendation letters, statement of purpose, and so on). Students must be fully admitted to a program to participate in Graduate Fresh Start. No provisional or conditional admission is allowed.

A student should carefully review this to ensure that the program's terms are understood. If the student agrees to the provisions of Graduate Fresh Start, they should sign the acknowledgment form and submit it to the Graduate School. All required documents to support the admission application must also be submitted. For those applying to the Graduate Fresh Start Program, the university catalog in effect at the time of application will govern their academic requirements. The Graduate Fresh Start option is tied to the admission process and may only be requested at the time of readmission.