In compliance with federal regulation, Missouri Western will promptly readmit service members with the same academic status as they had when they last attended or were accepted for admission. This requirement applies to any student who cannot attend school due to military service.
Eligible students must notify the Missouri Western Center for Veteran and Military Services of their military service and intention to return to school as follows:
- Notification of military service. The student (or an appropriate officer of the armed forces or official of the Department of Defense) must give oral or written notice of such service as far in advance as is reasonable under the circumstances. This notice does not have to indicate whether the student intends to return to school and may not be subject to any rule of timeliness. (Timeliness must be determined by the facts in each case.) Alternatively, at the time of readmission, the student may submit an attestation of military service that necessitated the absence from school. No notice is required if precluded by military necessity, such as service in operations that are classified or would be compromised by such notice.
- Notification of intent to return to school. The student must also give oral or written notice of the intent to return to the school within three years after the completion of the period of service. A student who is hospitalized or convalescing due to an illness or injury incurred or aggravated during the performance of service must provide notification within two years after the end of the period needed for recovery from the illness or injury. A student who fails to apply for readmission within these periods does not automatically forfeit eligibility for readmission but is subject to established leave of absence policy and general practices.
Missouri Western will promptly readmit the student into the next class or classes in the program beginning after notice of intent to reenroll is provided unless a later date is requested or unusual circumstances require Missouri Western to admit the student at a later date. This requirement supersedes state law—for example, a qualifying service member will be admitted to the next class even if that class is at the maximum enrollment level set by the state.
Missouri Western will admit the student with the same academic status, which means
- to the same program to which the student was last admitted or, if that exact program is no longer offered, the program that is most similar to that program;
- at the same enrollment status, unless the student wants to enroll at a different enrollment status;
- with the same number of credit hours previously completed, unless the student is readmitted to a different program to which the completed credit hours are not transferable, and
- with the same academic standing (e.g., with the same satisfactory academic progress status) the student previously had.
If the student is readmitted to the same program, Missouri Western 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 veteran’s 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, Missouri Western will assess those charges to the student.
If the student is admitted to a different program, and for subsequent academic years for a student admitted to the same program, Missouri Western will assess no more than the tuition and fee charges that other students in the program are assessed for that academic year.
The cumulative length of the absence and of all previous absences from the school for military service may not exceed five years. Only the time the student spends actually performing service is counted.
If Missouri Western determines that the student is not prepared to resume the program with the same academic status at the point where they left off or will not be able to complete the program, Missouri Western will make reasonable efforts at no extra cost to help the student become prepared or to enable the student to complete the program.
Finally, a student’s readmission rights terminate in the case of a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge, general court-martial, federal or state prison sentence, or other reasons as described in 34 CFR 668.18(h).