Cross-College Policy

The undergraduate colleges at The University of Iowa offer an academic forgiveness policy, referred to as ReStart. The UI undergraduate colleges share the four Restart policies below; other policies may vary.

1. A student requesting ReStart must make a ReStart request from the UI college in which the student was previously enrolled during the semester(s) requested for ReStart.
2. The above college of the student's previous enrollment will make the decision about whether the semester(s) in question will qualify for ReStart.
3. All other decisions about coursework, requirements, and credit hours are left to the college from which the student plans to graduate.
4. Each college will abide by the ReStart decisions made by another college.

Below is the ReStart policy for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. (Students interested in the policy of another UI undergraduate college should contact that college directly.)

CLAS ReStart: Overview

If you are returning, or have returned, to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences after an extended absence (4 consecutive years or more), you may use the CLAS ReStart option to request removal of one or more of your previously completed CLAS academic sessions (i.e. semesters or winter/summer enrollments)  from future grade point averages and degree considerations. 

If you have already graduated from The University of Iowa, you are not eligible to use the ReStart option whether for a second degree, teacher certification, or any other purpose. (See Returning to earn additional majors or Returning to CLAS for successive baccalaureate degrees.)

Students are strongly advised to visit with staff in the Office of Academic Programs and Student Development (120 Schaeffer Hall) to discuss the ReStart option as soon as feasible and before submitting a ReStart request.

Eligibility

The following are required for any CLAS student to be eligible for ReStart:

1. You must not have graduated from the UI.
2. You must not have enrolled at The University of Iowa for at least 4 academic years.
3. You must be free from any unresolved holds placed on your enrollment by the Registrar or other UI offices.
4. You cannot have previously used the ReStart option.

ReStart policies

1. The student must meet the above eligibility requirements.
2. CLAS approval of the student’s petition for the ReStart option is not guaranteed; see the required procedures below for additional information.
3. All courses taken and credit hours earned during the ReStart sessions will remain visible on the student's permanent record, but will be marked to show that they have been removed from computations of grade point averages.
4. The option applies only to academic sessions a) completed while enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and b) prior to the extended absence from the University.
5. The ReStart option does not apply to individual courses, but only to entire sessions.
6. No tuition will be refunded for sessions included in a ReStart.
7. The ReStart option cannot be applied to courses taken at another institution.
8. Semester hours earned in a session covered by the ReStart option will not be counted toward the 120 hours required for graduation.
9. If a CLAS General Education requirement was completed in a session now under the ReStart option, the College will consider, on a case-by-case basis, accepting that GE requirement as satisfied. The acceptance of previously completed GE requirements is not guaranteed.
10. Any course in a ReStart session that previously fulfilled a requirement for the student’s major will be reviewed by the appropriate department for a decision as to whether or not the course may now be counted as fulfilling the requirement in question. The acceptance of previously completed requirements for the major is subject to review by the department.
11. Marks of W received during a session covered by the ReStart option will not count toward the CLAS limit of 5 Ws.
12. Second-Grade-Only options received during a session under the ReStart option will not be counted toward the CLAS limit of 3 SGOs.
13. Courses previously taken during a ReStart session and repeated after the student returns to UI will not be counted as duplicative or as regressive.
14. Students may use the ReStart option only once.
15. Once applied, the ReStart option is not reversible.
     

Procedures for requesting ReStart

If you are not currently enrolled at The University of Iowa, you must file an application for re-entry to The University of Iowa before submitting a ReStart application or before requesting a review of your academic records for consideration of the ReStart option. You must meet the published deadlines for admission to the UI.

If you were dismissed from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for not  meeting CLAS academic standards, you must meet with an associate director in the Office of Academic Programs & Student Development (120 Schaeffer Hall) to discuss reinstatement and the ReStart option. 

If you are currently enrolled in CLAS or in any other undergraduate college within The University of Iowa and would like to complete your degree within CLAS, you must submit the ReStart petition form, along with a personal statement addressing the problems you encountered in the ReStart semesters and describing your proposed path to degree completion. You must meet the published deadlines for admission to the UI, including reinstatement deadlines.

The ReStart option is not guaranteed. It may be granted only after careful consideration and review of your academic record by the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Curriculum. 

PLEASE NOTE
Other colleges within The University of Iowa, as well as other educational institutions outside the UI, may read student transcripts differently and recalculate grade point averages to include sessions that CLAS has removed under the ReStart option. 

For more information about CLAS ReStart, please contact the Office of Academic Programs & Student Development.