An ACADEMIC FRESH START is provided for undergraduate students who have gained maturity through extended experience outside higher education institutions and have demonstrated better than average academic performance following their return to the University of Memphis. It allows for the calculation of the applicant's grade point average and credit hours toward graduation to be based only on work completed after returning to college. Preliminary information and application forms may be obtained from the Office Academic Status and Retention. Requirements to be satisfied by a student requesting an Academic Fresh Start toward a baccalaureate degree are as follow:

• Separation from all academic institutions for at least four years.
• Formal application must be made prior to completion of 24 semester hours of earned graded course work following the readmission or admission to the University of Memphis. (NOTE: A student must complete at least fifteen (15) semester hours prior to applying for an academic fresh start.)
• Developmental studies courses (DSP) will not count toward the 24 semester hours of earned course work.
• The applicant must complete at least 6 semester hours of earned graded course work within one semester.
• Only courses for degree credit may be counted.
• At the time of application for ACADEMIC FRESH START, the student must have a GPA of at least 2.50 for all work attempted after returning to college.
• Formal application describing the academic degree plan must be submitted to the Office of Academic Status and Retention Services. (NOTE: The student should schedule an appointment in order to submit the applicationand academic plan with Academic Status and Retention (ASR) the semester prior to completing 24 semester hours. The application can be found on the Forms link.)
• After the academic plan is reviewed, the Office of Academic Status and Retention Services will instruct the student of the process to forward the plan to the appropriate college dean for approval.

Upon approval by the college dean, the student will be granted an Academic Fresh Start. It may be granted once. The student’s permanent record will remain a record of all work; however, the student will forfeit the use for degree purposes at the University of Memphis, any college or University credit earned prior to the four-year separation indicated above. The date of the fresh start will coincide with the date of re-entry following prolonged separation, and the permanent record will note that a fresh start was made and the date of the fresh start. The record will also carry the notation, “GPA and credit totals are based only on work beginning with that date.” That date will be treated as the date of entry in determining which Catalog may be used for graduation.

The University of Memphis honors academic fresh start completed at other accredited institutions of higher education.