New Mexico State University (NMSU) acknowledges that students may be temporarily unable to attend classes or be required to suspend their studies in order to perform military service. NMSU encourages such students to resume their education once a military service obligation has ended and adopts this policy to ensure the timely readmission of such students.
In accordance with federal regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 668.18 and the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the university will promptly readmit service members who seek readmission to a program that was interrupted due to a uniformed service obligation.
This policy shall apply to (1) service members who are unable to attend classes for more than 30 consecutive days, and (2) service members who are unable to attend classes for less than 30 days when such an absence would result in a withdrawal from NMSU.
A student is eligible for readmission under this policy if, during an absence, the student performs uniformed service, voluntary or involuntary, in the Armed Forces, including the National Guard or Reserve, active duty, active duty for training, or full-time National Guard (under federal authority). The cumulative length of all absences for uniformed service (service time only) must not exceed five years.
If the student is readmitted to the same program, NMSU will assess the tuition and fee charges that would have been assessed for the academic year during which the student left (first academic year only). However, if veterans education benefits or other service member education benefits will pay the higher tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are paying for the year, NMSU will assess those charges to the student.
A returning student will be permitted to reenroll in the next class(es) scheduled in the same academic program unless the student requests a later date of re-enrollment or agrees to a different program. A returning student will be readmitted into the same academic program the student was enrolled in prior to the military service obligation. If the exact program no longer exists, the student must be admitted to the program that is most similar, unless the student requests or agrees to admission to a different program. Returning students will be reenrolled with the same enrollment status, number of completed credit hours, and academic standing as the last academic year of attendance.
If NMSU determines that a returning student is not prepared to resume the program with the same academic status or is unable to complete the degree, NMSU will make reasonable efforts to enable the student to resume or complete the program at no additional cost to the student.
NMSU is not required to readmit the student if it determines:
- that there are no reasonable efforts it can take to prepare the student to resume the program at the point where they left off or to enable them to complete the program, or
- that after it makes reasonable efforts (those that do not place an undue hardship on the institution), the student is not prepared to resume or complete the program.
“Undue hardship” means an action requiring significant difficulty or expense considering the overall financial resources of NMSU and the impact of such action on its operation. NMSU has the burden to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the student is not prepared to resume the program with the same academic status at the point where they left off or that they will not be able to complete the program.
In accordance with federal regulations, returning students who receive a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, general court-martial, or federal or state prison sentence from the Armed Forces (including the National Guard and Reserves) are not eligible for readmission under this policy.
Students are encouraged to speak with Military and Veterans Programs regarding any absence due to military service. For more information, please email Military and Veterans Programs at mvp@nmsu.edu.
