PhD Readmission

[Rochallor]

Seeking advice from academics/current and former graduate students, please. Is readmission to a funded US PhD program, having quit years earlier while in poor health, a realistic aspiration?

[sinenomine]

Check with the program. I was readmitted to mine after a nine year break; I had to go through a lot of bureaucratic loops, pay back tuition, and retake comps (I had left ABD). I worked with a colleague who had been readmitted to his PhD program after a six year break; he was required to re-apply, and then transfer in the courses he had taken previously.

[Caracal]

Seeking advice from academics/current and former graduate students, please. Is readmission to a funded US PhD program, having quit years earlier while in poor health, a realistic aspiration?

The most important factor is probably going to be your relationships in the department with faculty members. Are the people you worked with still there? Had you been doing well in the program before health problems became an issue? Did you leave on good terms?

The bureaucratic steps involved could be complicated, but I think you're only likely to get to that stage if you're remembered as a promising and likable student who ran into problems outside of their control. Fairly or unfairly, if things were more complicated, it is pretty easy to just say no.

[polly_mer]

If you left on good conditions (e.g., you filled out all the paperwork, people were sorry to see you go and understood about your health), then contact someone at the department who remembers you fondly and ask what would need to be done.

If you left twenty years ago, no one remembers you, admissions are very competitive, and you are no longer competitive, then the answer will probably be no. 

If you left three years ago, people were very pleased with your progress at the time, and you would be competitive now based on your then record, then the answer may be yes with all the hoop jumping that sinenomine mentions.

Contact the department and ask.

[smallcleanrat]

It might also help if you have some recent activity relevant to your field of study or some other form of recent productivity you can point to as evidence that whatever issues prevented you from continuing your program in the past are no longer in the way of your ability to make progress.

[jerseyjay]

This seems like the type of thing that you should ask your PhD advisor/supervisor. If you are not on good terms with your supervisor, if they have moved on to another school, retired, or died, then your answer is probably no.

I suppose it also on how far along you were. Did you drop out after your first semester, or after you wrote three chapters of your dissertation? If you dropped out two years ago with just one chapter to go your results will probably be different than if you dropped out 20 years ago before you started writing the dissertation.

You may also be able to reapply to the program, or to other programs. In this case, however, the fact that you once were admitted would be less important than whether your qualifications warrant admission now.

I suppose this is discipline specific. And also, whether your interests have changed in the interim.

[Hibush]

We would probably treat this effectively as a new application.

• The former advisor may not have the capacity to be the new advisor, so identifying the advisor would be fresh.
• 
  The funding guarantee would have expired, so new funding would have to be found.
• 
  The graduate school's seven-year limit from matriculation to graduation (including LoAs) would have passed, or soon would.

[Rochallor]

Thanks to all of you! A lot of good advice here.

[kaysixteen]

What are the ADA implications of this question?

[Caracal]

What are the ADA implications of this question?

None, really, at this point. You'd have to have evidence that Rochellor was not readmitted because of a medical condition-which would be tough. In practical terms, I'm not sure it would matter. You don't want to be a grad student at a place that doesn't support you.

[Hibush]

What are the ADA implications of this question?

If someone had been on a short-term (a year or two) leave of absence due to a medical condition, then the ADA would call for reasonable accommodation.

A reasonable accommodation could be to accept a petition to extend the time to degree by a year or two, for instance.

If the advisor is gone and there isn't a willing and appropriate substitute, then there is not a reasonable way to accommodate a resumption of the degree program.

[polly_mer]

What are the ADA implications of this question?

The ADA's main functions are ensuring that reasonable accommodations are made for current employees and students enrolled in classes.

Someone who is not enrolled or employed is not subject to the ADA except for the publicly available materials and being accommodated through the application process (e.g., being able to apply while blind, all recruiting materials available with applicable captioning or audio descriptions).

For most graduate programs, a public institution cannot say, "don't be blind", but they can say, "all students must be able to meet this progress schedule that will generally require full-time enrollment and students are only accommodated for the 12 weeks of unpaid leave required by law under FMLA."  FMLA is not nearly as useful as might be expected because of requirements like time in position before FMLA even kicks in (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/faq#4). 

[kaysixteen]

Are you saying that if PhD candidate X has to drop out  of a PhD program due to an obvious demonstrable health issue, he does not have the right to reenter that program when the health issue has cleared?   If he may have that right, further, after how long could the dept cancel that readmission right?  In any case, what does the current continuing dept status of his original faculty advisor have to do with this, legally? (think a comparison to my having to take a medical leave from my job-- if my original supervisor/ person who hired me, is gone from the firm when I am cleared to return to work, this would not cancel my right to return to the job-- reasonable accommodations remain reasonable even if the personnel have changed.

In any case, irrespective of the legal issues, why would a dept not want to readmit a candidate who had had to leave for demonstrable medical reasons, once those issues have cleared up?   What about basic humanity, fairness, good PR, etc.?   This of course does not mean it couldn't and shouldn't require the candidate to retake exams/ coursework, that it would determine to have become outdated, etc.

[jerseyjay]

I think that much depends on the particulars. The original post was somewhat vague: "quit years earlier while in poor health".

If I quit a PhD program 20 years ago because, of well, whatever, I am not sure I would be admitted. If I spell out my situation, they may be willing to let me enroll again--or another program might consider me--but I doubt they would just pick up like nothing had changed.

If I quit a PhD program 2 years ago because I got hit by a car or was depressed or was in chemotherapy or some other legitimate medical issue, they may be willing to take me back.

But in any case, "quit" is different than "taking a medical leave". The first implies severance, which is permanent, while the second implies taking a temporary pause. I assume that most people who "pause" a PhD probably never go back, but I think there is a difference in the attitude the program takes to the student.

[smallcleanrat]

Yeah, I think a lot has to do with whether you officially severed ties with the program (vs. taking a leave). And I would assume, at most places, leaves do not have indefinite time limits.

After I was accepted to my current program, but before my first year had officially started, I had to request an admissions deferral due to health reasons. The plan was I would start the next year instead. For administrative reasons, I still had to submit a new application but was told the application would be accepted automatically (and I didn't need to reacquire letters of recommendation). I matriculated the next year as planned with no issues.

But again, this was not the same as "quitting" a program.

So, if you withdrew rather than taking some kind of leave or deferral, I would guess you will have to apply afresh. But if there are still faculty in the program who remember and have good impressions of you, they might be willing and able to put in a good word on your behalf if you should reapply. I don't know.

Before my current program, I also had to withdraw from an earlier program due to poor health. But I had still made enough of an impression that faculty from my old program were willing to write me positive letters of rec when I applied to my current program.

I guess a lot depends on your specific circumstances.