Readmission

Readmission

Starting in Fall 2025, the Registrar no longer requires most students to apply for readmission if it has been less than a year since they were last enrolled. If you have been away for less than a year and you were not administratively suspended by the Dean of Students Office, you should contact your major advisor to talk about classes and get your PIN so that you can register. 

Note that students who graduate and want to return to work on a second degree will need to apply for readmission even if they have been gone for less than a year. 

Please note: If you are a returning graduate student, please visit the Graduate School readmission page for more information. 

If you intend to earn a second undergraduate degree but you have never been a student at App State, you should apply as a transfer student

Who must apply for readmission?

These students must apply for readmission:

  • Students with any GPA who have not been enrolled for more than a year

  • Students who have been administratively suspended through the Dean of Students Office

  • Students who are returning under Academic Renewal or a forgiveness program

  • Students who graduated and are returning for a second degree

You can find the readmission application link on the Registrar’s website. You will also need to be advised as part of readmission. The readmission process isn’t difficult, but it can take some time, so be sure to pay attention to the deadlines and don’t wait until the last minute. 

How do I complete readmission advising? 

As part of the readmission process, you must complete advising. If you are in good academic standing (GPA above 2.0), you may talk to your assigned departmental advisor to complete the advising requirement. Please ask your advisor to leave a note in DegreeWorks verifying that you have been advised, or ask them to email casadvising@appstate.edu to confirm advising. If you are in good academic standing and you want to change to a major in another college, please contact that college to find out what their procedures are for readmission advising. 

Some CAS readmission students may choose to or be required to meet with an advisor in the CASSH office. You should meet with a CASSH advisor if

  • it has been more than ten years since you were last at ASU or if your catalog has expired

  • your GPA is below 2.0

  • you want to change to a CAS major that is in a different department from your current major

  • you are in good academic standing and want to change to a CAS major from another college

  • you cannot get in touch with your assigned CAS faculty advisor

Please note that you must be in good academic standing to officially change your major. 

What if I am returning to complete a second degree? 

Second degree seeking students will need to be advised in the CASSH office. Second degree students who earned their first degrees at App State will only need to complete major requirements to earn the second degree (General Education, free electives, and any required minors will be considered complete). 

Students whose first degree is from another school will need to complete any required minors at App State in addition to major requirements but will not have to complete General Education or free electives. Second degree seekers who have never been enrolled at App State should apply as transfer students. 

Second degree students with expired coursework (courses that are over ten years old) should apply for admission/readmission as early as possible because the review of old coursework may take some time. Please see the sections on catalog and course expiration below. 

Degree Completion

Can I take courses at another institution to complete my degree?

Students may sometimes take courses at other institutions to meet degree requirements; however, all residency requirements must be met (see below). Students should fill out the Visiting Coursework Request in their Appalnet accounts to request permission to take the courses elsewhere to confirm that the courses will transfer back to App State. We also recommend that you discuss taking courses at another school with your advisor or a CASSH advisor as well. 

Some departments require that certain courses be taken at Appalachian State and not as transfer courses. If you wish to take courses at the 3000 level or above at another school, you must get the approval of the course department before you fill out the Visiting Coursework Request. You can read full instructions for filling out the Visiting Coursework Request on the Transfer Admissions and Engagement website. 

What are the residency requirements for graduation?

Students must meet several residency requirements to earn a degree from Appalachian State. These include:

  • 25% of the degree must be met through courses taken through Appalachian (a total of 30-32 hours, depending on the size of the program)

  • 18 hours in the major must be courses taken through Appalachian

  • 9 hours in the minor must be courses taken through Appalachian

Note: The previous rule requiring that 50 hours of your degree must come from a four-year school has been discontinued, but you must still meet all the residency requirements outlined here. 

What if I've been away for a long time?

Students may return after an absence to complete a degree or earn a second degree. However, coursework and catalogs expire after 10 years, and academic departments change their curricula in order to stay up to date with developments in their fields. This means you may have more coursework to take than you remember. Review the policies regarding catalog and course expiration below and contact the CASSH office if you have questions about completing a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Catalog Year Expiration

When does my catalog expire? 

Your catalog year contains the set of requirements you must meet to earn your degree. Your assigned catalog year is usually the term you first started at App State. Each catalog expires after ten years. If your catalog is ten or more years old, you must move to a catalog that has not expired and that corresponds to a term in which you were enrolled in classes at App State. If you have not been a student in the last ten years, you will have to move to the catalog that is in effect during your first term back. This may drastically affect the requirements you must meet to graduate (see Coursework Expiration below).

If you are a native second degree seeking student, you may choose to follow the catalog year from your first degree (if it has not expired) or you may move to the catalog in effect during your first term back. If you stick with your old catalog year, make sure you have enough time to complete your second degree before the catalog expires. 

Coursework Expiration

What happens if some or all of my coursework is expired? 

Just as your catalog can expire, your coursework also expires after ten years. Expired coursework must be reviewed and approved by your major department or the General Education program before it can be used to meet degree requirements. Old coursework that is not approved can still be used as free electives to help you earn the total number of hours you need to graduate. 

This policy applies to new App State students who have transfer work that is older than 10 years and to native App State students who have had a break in enrollment and whose coursework has expired while they were away. 

How is expired coursework reviewed? 

All expired coursework is reviewed upon entry or re-entry to the University. For courses in your major, minor, or certificate, the CAS department that houses the program will review your coursework to determine its eligibility towards your degree.

Academic departments vary in the way they review old coursework and in the criteria they use. The CASSH office will communicate with academic departments to document any expired courses that are approved to meet degree requirements. 

The Office of General Education will review your general education coursework to determine if it can be used to meet current graduation requirements. In some cases, students may need to take additional General Education courses to graduate since course descriptions and the Gen Ed curriculum have changed over the years. 

How can I avoid having additional coursework expire? 

Any expired coursework that is approved for use in the degree will be considered current if you stay continuously enrolled in fall/spring semesters until you complete your degree. Furthermore, if you stay continuously enrolled in fall/spring semesters, any other old coursework you may have will not be considered expired as it reaches the ten-year mark. However, if you withdraw from or skip a fall or spring semester and have to apply for readmission, any coursework older than ten years is considered expired and must be evaluated or reevaluated and approved before it can count in your major. If you have old coursework, it’s best if you can stay enrolled until your degree is completed since even coursework that has previously been approved may not be approved at a later time if you have another stop-out.