Legacy Re-admission Regulations

Legacy re-admission is the procedure whereby a former student may seek re-admission to a programme of study where they have:

(i) fallen outside the maximum registration period as defined by Marks & Standards

(ii) where through readmission to the programme they would exceed this maximum registration period prior to natural completion  

(iii) where a former student has been withdrawn from registration by decision of a Progression and Award Board and wishes to apply for re-admission. 

Programme of study is the programme on which the former student was last registered or a successor programme in cases where the original programme title has been changed and/or the programme content has been subject to minor amendments.  

2.1       These regulations only apply to students previously registered on a taught programme.

Former students of Dublin City University whose registrations have lapsed and have exceeded or would exceed the maximum registration period allowed can be considered for re-admission if the period of time since the last year of registration does not exceed eight years.

Such former students (i) may not have completed their programme of study, or (ii) they may have exited a programme with a lesser award and wish to return to complete a related higher award, or (iii) they may have completed the credits required for a exit award but have not been considered or approved for this award. 

Where a student has completed the required credits for an exit award, the Programme Board must establish the currency of the learning and the programme learning outcomes of the award as being relevant to the current academic year. Candidates may be required to undertake additional work to assure the currency of the learning prior to obtaining the award. 

2.2       In exceptional circumstances, former students who have exhausted all permitted attempts at some or all of the modules on a programme without successful completion and have been withdrawn from registration on the programme by the Progression and Award Board may be considered for re-admission.  In order to be considered for readmission, a period of at least three years should have elapsed since the last year of registration on the programme.  The former student must be able to demonstrate changed circumstances and relevant and additional learning (formal or experiential) in the intervening period that could support a decision by the Programme Board that s/he is now likely to be successful in her/his studies.  

2.3       A legacy re-admission will not be considered in cases where  

(i) the period of time since the last year of registration exceeds eight years

OR 

(ii) a former student has not completed the required credits for an award and the programme is no longer offered. An exception to this condition may be made where only the dissertation element of a taught Master’s programme is to be completed provided a period of more than eight years has not elapsed since the last year of registration

OR

(iii) a former student has been permanently excluded from the University. 

3.1       Former students where the period since their prior registration exceeds eight years and who have not been permanently excluded from the University are required to apply for entry to the programme ab initio.  In these circumstances the former student must make a direct application to the University.  Exemptions for modules may be considered provided the Programme Board can establish the currency of the learning as being relevant to the current academic year.  Any such exemptions must be approved by University Standards Committee (USC) following initial approval at Programme Board/Faculty level. 

3.2     Where a programme is no longer offered and a student has not completed the required credits for an award, the credits obtained may be considered as credits applicable to an alternative programme; that Programme Board must establish the currency of the learning as being relevant to the current academic year. In such instances the former student should consult with the Associate Dean for Teaching & Learning or their representative to discuss a potential application to an alternative programme.   

4.1       Any issues in relation to Fitness to Study and/or Fitness to Practice must be resolved before any application process can be initiated. 

4.2       Eligible candidates as described above should write to the Programme Board seeking readmission to the programme.  Only if supported by the Programme Board, the application proceeds to Faculty Teaching and Learning Committee.  The readmission request form should then be completed by the Programme Chairperson and submitted to USC for consideration.  Retrospective re-admission will not be considered by USC. 

4.3       The candidate should be made aware by the Programme Chair that the approved Marks and Standards for the academic year in which legacy re-admission is applied for will apply to any module or overall result calculations.  Similarly, the relevant fees are those for the re-admission academic year.  In the case of Joint Awards any Programme Regulations that apply will be those provided for under the terms of the current Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement that relates to that award.  The candidate should also be made aware that they may be required to undertake additional credits beyond the minimum credit requirements of the programme in order to meet current programme learning outcomes (reference M&S: 5.2.2).  

4.4       A candidate may not present the same ECTS credits as qualification for more the one DCU award (reference M&S: 2.4.4).  If a candidate has received a related award, the readmission is conditional on the surrender of the parchment and award prior to registration. 

4.5       Approval, if granted, is valid for a maximum of 11 months from the date of the relevant USC meeting.  Following this a new application must be commenced ab initio. 

5.1      The re-admission request form should be completed by the Programme Chairperson.  It should never be completed by the candidate. 

5.2       The form should be accompanied by a full transcript of results.  If the candidate has not already supplied a copy, the transcript of results can be obtained directly from the Registry by the Programme Chair and/or Faculty Administrator.  In no circumstances should medical or other extraneous documentation (e.g. endorsements from employers) be submitted to the USC.  However, where medical or personal difficulties exist, it must be confirmed on the form (see question 2. under ‘Details of Request’) that relevant documentation has been submitted to the Programme Chair and a copy sent to Registry.