Reinstatement to a Ph.D. Program

Students who withdrew or were discontinued from a Ph.D. program may seek reinstatement to the same program, using the application instructions detailed below. Students who withdrew or were discontinued who wish to apply to a different Ph.D. program complete the regular admissions application.

Reinstatement is at the discretion of the faculty admissions committee of the graduate program. If a student was discontinued after achieving candidacy, a graduate program may, at its discretion, ask the graduate school to reinstate the student with pre-candidacy status. Generally, reinstatement with a return to pre-candidacy status is requested when the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field has changed substantially since the student was last active in the program, although other reasons pertain as well.

Former students begin the reinstatement process by consulting with their graduate program office to learn the program’s requirements for applying for reinstatement. The Application for Reinstatement to a Ph.D. Program is an online form. A uniqname and password are required to apply for reinstatement. Please create or reactivate your uniqname before beginning the Reinstatement Application process. If you do not have an active uniqname or affiliation with the university, you will need to follow the uniqename process for alumni. Reinstatement applicants will need to be prepared to complete or include the following:

• Reinstatement Application (general demographic and program status questions)
• Conduct Code and Residency Questions
• Narrative responses to the following questions:
  • Why did you discontinue your study in the Ph.D. program?
  • How have your experiences since your last enrollment provided you with additional skills, interests, and motivation to return to doctoral study?
  • Why have you decided to return to doctoral study?
  • Include a timeline with approximate dates detailing when you plan to complete each step of your doctoral degree coursework, preliminary exams, research, analysis, writing, defending, and finishing, as appropriate.
  • If you were on academic probation your last term of enrollment, provide a statement noting the reason for lack of academic progress, explaining how conditions that produced poor performance have changed and your specific plans for improvement now.
• If a student’s last status was a leave of absence for medical reasons, the student is required to have their current health care provider complete a Reinstatement Supplemental Information Form for Leave of Absence for Medical Reasons and submit it directly to the Rackham’s Leave of Absence Coordinator. A recommendation by a medical reviewer is required to return from a leave of absence for medical reasons.
• Graduate programs may have additional requirements or questions.

In November 2013, the University of Michigan instituted background screening for all incoming doctoral students before they may receive an appointment as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI), Graduate Student Staff Assistant (GSSA), or Graduate Student Research Assistant (GSRA). If your request for reinstatement is granted, you will receive an email message from General Information Services (GIS, who conducts the background screening process) requesting information to conduct the screening. Any questions should be directed to Academic Human Resources.

Reinstatement Fee

There is no fee to apply for reinstatement. If your request for reinstatement is granted, you are required to register in Rackham during the next fall or winter term. At the time of registration, a reinstatement fee will be assessed if you were discontinued in spring 2012 or later. Graduate programs granting reinstatement are responsible for covering at least 50% of the reinstatement fee. The reinstatement fee equals one-quarter of the prevailing Rackham candidacy tuition rate for each fall and winter term since being discontinued.

Reinstatement Fee Estimator

The Reinstatement Fee Estimator uses existing tuition rates and is meant as an estimate only. The actual reinstatement fee is calculated using the Rackham candidacy tuition rate as set by the U-M Board of Regents for the term a student is first registered following reinstatement.

Reinstatement Fee Estimator

Reinstatement Fee Grant

The Reinstatement Fee Grant can be awarded to cover the student’s portion of the Reinstatement Fee (up to 50% of the reinstatement fee) and the graduate program provides at least 50% of the reinstatement fee. Ph.D. students, who are experiencing financial hardship or who discontinued after exceeding the leave of absence for medical reasons, are eligible to apply for a Reinstatement Fee Grant. As a part of the Reinstatement Fee Grant application, students may be requested to provide supporting documentation of financial hardship.

Resources

• Reinstatement Policy
• Checklist for the Reinstatement Application Process
• Reinstatement Application
• Reinstatement Supplemental Information Form for Leave of Absence for Medical Reasons
• Reinstatement Fee Grant application