The University of Texas at Arlington

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Academic Fresh Start

Texas Senate Bill 1321, entitled "Right to An Academic Fresh Start" allows a person who is a resident of Texas to apply for undergraduate admission and not have coursework completed 10 or more years prior to the date of anticipated enrollment included as consideration in the admission decision. This allows undergraduate students to begin a new course of study with a clear academic record.

Note: This is an all or nothing option. You are not able to pick and choose which courses to ignore and which courses to count. If you choose the "Academic Fresh Start" option, you will not receive any credit for any courses you took 10 or more years ago.

This means that

• Courses taken previously cannot be used to fulfill new prerequisite requirements.
• Courses taken previously cannot be counted towards your new degree.
• Courses taken previously will not be counted in your new GPA calculations.

The provision does not affect coursework completed between the 10 year prior date and the new enrollment date.

Even if you choose the Academic Fresh Start option, you must still complete the usual admissions process, including providing information on all colleges or universities previously attended and providing official copies of transcripts from all schools you attended. Nothing in the law prohibits a public university from applying standard admissions requirements.

Students under the Fresh Start provision must still meet the criteria for the Texas Success Initiative unless they have met one of the exemptions. The Academic Fresh Start provision does not affect Texas Success Initiative exemptions claimed on the basis of college credit earned prior to September 1989.

Additional notes:

• Academic Fresh Start may be claimed only upon application to UT Arlington and will not be applicable to currently enrolled UT Arlington students.
• Once enrolled, Academic Fresh Start may only be requested upon application for readmission to the University. Students can apply for readmission and request Fresh Start only after resigning for one calendar year. The Fresh Start application must be completed and granted prior to re-enrolling.
• Once the "Right to an Academic Fresh Start" provision has been claimed, and the student has enrolled, the provision cannot be reversed.
• An applicant may use the Academic Fresh Start provision only once at UT Arlington.

Applying for Fresh Start

Students must submit an application for Fresh Start prior to enrollment at the University, preferably at the time they apply for admission or re-admission. Students will not be granted Fresh Start until they have completed their admissions file and been admitted to the University.

Download and print an Application for Fresh Start (PDF). The application should be completed and signed. It can be mailed to the Admissions office:

The application may also be completed at the Admissions office during regular office hours. The office is located in Room 110 of Davis Hall at the corner of Cooper Street and S. Nedderman Drive. Visitor parking is available.

Acceptance of Fresh Start Application

The final authority on applying or interpreting Texas Education Code 51.931, Right to an Academic Fresh Start is the UT Arlington Director of Admissions. When the Fresh Start application is approved, the UT Arlington Registrar's office will be notified and upon enrollment, a message will be posted to the student's academic record indicating admission has been granted through the Academic Fresh Start provision. If the student was previously enrolled at UT Arlington, the grade point average will be changed on the academic record for any coursework completed here 10 or more years prior to the re-enrollment date. The original courses or grades will not be considered in the grade point average, but they will remain on the UT Arlington academic record.

Effect on Financial Aid

Academic Fresh Start clears only your academic record. When deciding your eligibility for financial aid, the school must still count all prior credits earned.

Students who earned a graduate degree prior to enrolling as an undergraduate under the Academic Fresh Start option will only be eligible for aid available to graduate students.

Please contact the UT Arlington Financial Aid office at 817.272.3561 if you have any questions.

Effect on Post-Graduate or Professional Programs

Admissions staff for master's, doctoral, or other professional degree programs at public universities shall consider only the grade point average of the applicant established by the course work completed after enrollment under Academic Fresh Start, along with any other criteria the institution uses in evaluating applicants for admission into the postgraduate or professional program.

Credits and GPA earned prior to the student's Academic Fresh Start will not be used to evaluate applicants for admission into the postgraduate or professional program.

Note, nothing in the law prohibits a public university from applying standard admissions requirements.

Questions???

To ask questions, you may contact the Office of Admissions by phone at 817.272.6287 or by e-mail at beamaverick@uta.edu.