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Academic Fresh Start

About the Program

Per Texas Government Code Sec. 51.931, a Texas resident is entitled to apply for admission as an undergraduate student in any public institution of higher education under the fresh start program. The university shall not consider academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll. An applicant who is admitted with a fresh start may not receive any course credit for courses undertaken 10 or more years prior to enrollment. If a student earns a baccalaureate degree and applies for admission to a postgraduate or professional program offered by a public institution of higher education, the institution shall consider only the GPA of the applicant established by the course work completed after enrollment under the fresh start program, along with any other criteria the institution uses in evaluating applicants for admission. Nothing prohibits a public institution of higher education from applying standard admissions criteria to persons seeking admission to the institution.

Process

  1. Contact the Office of Admissions at [email protected] to discuss implications of the Academic Fresh Start program and next steps.
  2. Complete the Academic Fresh Start Acknowledgment form.
  3. Apply for admission at ApplyTexas.org.

Acknowledgements for Academic Fresh Start

I understand and accept the provisions of the Academic Fresh Start Policy. I acknowledge that I will not receive any credit for coursework completed ten (10) or more years prior to my semester of application to UHD.

I certify that I have provided a complete record of my academic history.

I understand that if I currently hold a bachelor’s degree, I am not eligible for the provisions established under Academic Fresh Start.

I understand that I may only elect to use the provisions of the Academic Fresh Start program during the term in which I am applying for admission to UHD.

I understand that only the dates of attendance at other institutions will appear on my UHD transcript.

I understand that courses removed from consideration under the UHD Academic Fresh Start program will not be removed from my transcript, but that my transcript will be annotated to identify courses which have been removed from consideration.

Financial Aid Impacts

Academic Fresh Start may impact your financial aid eligibility. Please contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid once you have begun this process to discuss potential impacts.

Tuition Impacts

Academic Fresh Start may impact your tuition rate due to excessive hours, repeated courses and courses from which you withdrew. Please contact Student Business Services for more information.

Veterans’ Benefits Impacts

Academic Fresh Start may impact veterans’ benefits. Please contact Veterans Services for further information.

Deadlines

The Academic Fresh Start process coincides with admission to the University. Please follow the appropriate admissions deadlines depending on your student type.