Withdrawal
Graduate degree programs should be completed without interruption. A student who discontinues graduate study for one or more academic terms, and is not on an approved medical leave or leave for National Service, must notify their department, which will in turn notify the Registrar to record the student as withdrawn from the Institute. The Registrar will wait 5 business days before completing this action, and will consult with the Office of Graduate Education to identify any considerations that may impact the student’s withdrawal. In some cases the OGE will contact the student directly for additional information. If residing in graduate housing, please contact graduatehousing@mit.edu immediately to notify them of your withdrawal and to initiate your housing termination process.
International students are mandated to notify the International Students Office.
Readmission
A request for readmission must be approved by the department graduate committee. The committee will consider the applicant’s past record, the length of the period of withdrawal, departmental resources expected to be available at the time for which readmission is requested, and any other relevant data. If approved, the department must send the student an official letter of acknowledging and approving their return and a letter with a brief funding plan for the returning student.
Once approved by the department, an application for readmission is available for the returning student to submit via our online application system. The student will be required to upload the PDF versions of the department approval and funding plan letters in order to complete their readmission application. An application fee of $75 is required if the returning student was unenrolled for 3 semesters or longer (not including the summer semester). If the period of interruption exceeds five years, the application must be approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Education in Office of Graduate Education.
Readmitted international students on F-1 and J-1 visas need a new Certificate of Eligibility (Form I- 20 or DS-2019) in order to re-enroll at MIT. Please direct your returning international students to the ISO website to start their visa processing.
Readmitted students will have their Kerberos (including their MIT email address and MIT ID) reactivated by IS&T. Please note it may take up to 5 business days for your returning student to gain full access to all MITSIS systems, including GradHousing, as the Kerberos reactivation process is an additional step in the process.
Degrees are not backdated; therefore, a student’s total program must meet the requirements and standards existing at the time the degree is granted. Requests for reactivation of graduate degree programs, including previously acquired academic credits, will be evaluated in terms of the length of the interruption.
