Undergraduate students seeking to return to SPU after academic dismissal must complete the following items to be eligible to petition for reinstatement: 

  • Meet with their academic counselor to develop a plan for reinstatement.
  • Take a minimum of two quarters away from Seattle Pacific University (can include summer quarter).
  • Enroll in at least 15 pre-approved transferrable credits at a college or university and earn at least a 2.5 GPA. (The 15 required credits cannot include more than four courses and must be taught in English). Courses must be pre-approved as sufficiently rigorous by the academic counselor. A Course Approval form is required.

This guide can help you understand more about becoming eligible for a reinstatement petition. 

Petition process

If students earn at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA in the 15 pre-approved credits, they are eligible to petition for reinstatement. The following materials are required for a petition:

  1. Course Approval Form must be approved by the student’s academic counselor before enrolling in classes elsewhere. 
  2. Academic Reinstatement Petition.
  3. Official transcript sent from the school the student has attended since academic dismissal.
  4. Re-Admission Application: only required for students who have not been enrolled at SPU for 4+ quarters. 
  5. Letter of reference from the student’s faculty advisor or a faculty advisor in the student’s intended major. (Not required for students who earn a 3.3+ GPA. See "Special exceptions" below.)

Deadlines

All petition materials (including transcripts) must be submitted by the deadlines listed below.

  • Autumn Quarter: Sept. 1
  • Winter Quarter: Dec. 1
  • Spring Quarter: March 1
  • Summer Quarter: June 1

*If the date is a non-business day, all materials must be submitted the business day prior.

Petition review and reinstatement timeline

Petitions are reviewed by the Reinstatement Committee within one week of the deadline, and the decision will be communicated by via email. Petitions for students who have earned at least a 3.3 cumulative GPA be reviewed by the academic counselor and students will receive communication and registration information from the academic counselor within 10 business days.

If reinstated, the student will be restricted to a minimum of 13 credits and will re-enter Seattle Pacific University under the current catalog year, meaning the student will be subject to any changes in degree requirements. A student will still be considered on academic probation level two upon re-entry until the SPU GPA is a 2.0 or higher. A reinstated student will be dismissed if he or she fails to attain either a quarterly GPA of 2.0 or higher or a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above by the end of the first quarter back.

 

Special exceptions to the typical petition process

Guaranteed reinstatement

If a student earns a 3.3+ GPA in the pre-approved courses and submits the required petition paperwork on time, the student is guaranteed reinstatement. All petition materials (must include final transcripts) will be accepted up to 10 days prior to the start of the quarter for which the student is petitioning. 

Academic renewal

If the student petitioning has not been enrolled at Seattle Pacific University for more than five years, the student may be eligible for “Academic renewal.” Students in this category would be able to petition for reinstatement without providing evidence of academic improvement through another institution. Students would still need to complete the following steps:

Academic Counseling | Office of the Registrar
*Available by appointment only

academiccounseling@spu.edu

Mailing Address
Seattle Pacific University
Attn:Office of the Registrar
3307 3rd Ave W, Suite 113
Seattle, WA 98119-1922
206-281-2575