Academic Policy 1520.40

Student or Student's Spouse Called into Military Service -- Notification Responsibilities, Readmission Procedures and Eligibility

I. Purpose. The University of Arkansas acknowledges that students may be temporarily unable to attend classes or be required to suspend their studies to perform military service. Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 504.2 addresses student’s ability to request refunds of applicable tuition and fees, be issued incompletes, or continue their current classes through distance education or other alternative formats during the semester they, or their spouse with dependent children residing in the household, was required to perform military service. FPP 504.2 also addresses tuition and fees assessed upon readmission. Academic Policy 1520.30 addresses options for a student or a student’s spouse who is called into military service to continue for the semester of activation through distance education.

Through Academic Policy 1520.40, the University encourages such students to resume their education once a military service obligation ends and therefore adopts processes to ensure the timely readmission of such students. In compliance with federal regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the University of Arkansas will promptly readmit service members with the same academic status as they had when they last attended or were accepted for admission to a program that was interrupted due to a military service obligation.

This policy addresses students’ responsibility to notify the University of their military service obligations and intent to return to their studies. The policy also addresses readmission procedures, as well as certain conditions under which their eligibility for readmission under this policy may terminate.

II. Definitions:

The following definitions apply to this policy and Academic Policy 1520.30:

Military service (or service in the uniformed services)—Voluntary or involuntary service in the armed forces, including service by a member of the National Guard or Reserve on active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard duty under state or federal authority.

Student’s spouse the legal spouse of a service member activated for military service who has dependent children residing in the household.

Service member—someone who is a member of, applies to be a member of, performs, has performed, applies to perform, or has an obligation to perform, service in the uniformed services.

Appropriate officer—A warrant, commissioned, or noncommissioned officer authorized to give such notice by the military service concerned.

Armed Forces—the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

Active duty—full-time duty in the active military service of the United States. Active duty includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned.

III. Student Responsibilities- Notification Requirements

The student must notify the University of Arkansas of their military service and intention to return to University of Arkansas as follows:

Notification of military service. The student (or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense) must give oral or written notice of such service to the Registrar’s Office and the Veteran and Military-Affiliated Student Center as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances. This notification should be provided no later than 60 days of being activated or deployed by the military. The University of Arkansas defines “activated or deployed by the miliary” to include eligible students or student’s spouses who are in pre-deployment status. No advanced notice is required if precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice. In these cases where circumstances prevent a student from providing that notification, the notification should be provided as soon as practical as determined by the facts of each individual case, but no later than three years after the completion of the period of service or two years after the period needed for recovery for students who are hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of military service.

Notification of intent to return to University of Arkansas. The student must give oral or written notice of their intent to return to the University of Arkansas within three years after the completion of the period of service to the appropriate admissions office and the Veteran and Military-Affiliated Student Center. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service must notify the University of Arkansas within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but is subject to the University of Arkansas’ established returning student general practices.

The cumulative length of the absence and of all previous absences from the University of Arkansas for military service shall not exceed five years.

IV. Readmission Procedures

The appropriate admissions office will promptly readmit the student with no application/readmission fee at the beginning of the next semester or term after the student provides notice of intent to reenroll, unless the student requests a later date, or unusual circumstances require the University of Arkansas to admit the student at a later date. It is the policy of the University of Arkansas that a qualifying service member will be readmitted at the beginning of the next semester or term even if that particular program is at the maximum enrollment level. Returning students should be aware, however, that progress towards some degree plans require specific course sequencing and some courses are not taught each semester. Likewise, licensure requirements may require completion of degree plans in a specified period. Additional approvals may be required by the licensing agency.

The University of Arkansas will admit the student with the same academic status, which means

to the same program to which the student was last admitted. If that exact program is no longer offered, the student will be offered admission to the program that is most similar to that program. In these cases, the student may be offered admission and agree to enroll in a different program;
at the same enrollment status (e.g. academic career). If the student wants to enroll at a different enrollment status, they must follow all standard requirements for that new status;
with the same number of credit hours previously completed. If the student is readmitted to a different program, the completed credit hours may not be transferable, and
with the same academic standing (e.g., with the same satisfactory academic progress status) the student previously had.
Graduate students shall receive an automatic time extension to complete their graduate degree equivalent to the time since their prior enrollment. Students may be required to demonstrate the currency of their knowledge in accordance with the Graduate School’s time extension policy.
Note: Students who have attended another institution since last attending the University of Arkansas must provide transcripts from those institutions to the University. Those records may affect the student’s status at the University.

V. Termination of Readmission Eligibility

Pursuant to 34 CFR § 668.18(h), a student's eligibility for readmission to an institution by reason of such student's military service terminates upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

(1) A separation of such person from the Armed Forces with a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge.
(2) A dismissal of a commissioned officer permitted under 10 USC § 1161(a) by sentence of a general court-martial; in commutation of a sentence of a general court-martial; or, in time of war, by order of the President.
(3) A dropping of a commissioned officer from the rolls pursuant to 10 USC § 1161(b) due to absence without authority for at least three months; separation by reason of a sentence to confinement adjudged by a court-martial; or a sentence to confinement in a Federal or State penitentiary or correctional institution.

12/03/2024