My girlfriend is a 3rd year biological science student- would be 4th year had she passed her classes this semester- and is overwhelmingly upset. From what she has told me, she has failed too many classes (I think 5 or 6 though not exactly sure) within her degree and can no longer retake any more classes to finish it. Is this really a thing? I feel if a person is paying $5000 a semester on classes they should be allowed to retake a class an unlimited amount of times. Anywho, if it is a real legitimate thing, then I’m curious as to what her next best option would be? Are all her credits she does have all useless now? Is there a way around this? If not, what would you recommend she’d do? She’s already applied to get the failed classes’ status as “withdrawn” rather than “failed” to which was denied. She also told me she talked to her university’s advisor to which the university’s advisor said there was nothing else they could do. Is my girlfriend being dramatic or are all her credits and money now gone to utter waste?
Update:Also idk if it’s important but the reason she failed a few courses was because she lost her dad one semester, and just this semester failed a few more because she has endometriosis which was making her completely bed ridden.
Answers & Comments
Now she has a debt, and she might not be able to pay it back. She gambled with her life, and she lost, but she didn't completely lose everything.
I went to three different colleges, and I had three different majors. I graduated from the first college that I went to. I dropped out from one college, and I was going to flunk out from another college, so after my professor graded me she told me that I failed. After my professor said I was going to fail, then the next day I went to the college, and I withdrew myself from the program that I was in.
Going to college, or university is very serious. Students who want to make something of themselves are prepared to sacrifice their lives. I only had one opportunity to pass each of my college classes, but I failed one of my classes.
Anyway I can still say I finished school! Because I worked hard the first time around that I attended college, and I passed.
If your gf isn't putting forth the effort. Or simply doesn't have the smarts, to pass the courses, then she is just wasting a valuable slot in college. Failing 5 - 6 courses is pretty impressive. She needs to assess what's going on & decide if college is right for her. And it really sounds like it ISN'T.
College is not a right.
The short answer is yes. Every university has its own policy. I think your girlfriend may be mixing up two or more different issues:
1. Some private universities only allow students four-years to complete a degree. If they are unable to do so, then leave the university without a degree but they could decided to transfer to a different university, take more classes, and eventually graduate. Most public universities will allow students in good academic standing to continue taking classes for ever -- as long as they are paying.
2. All universities has the right to put students on probation, suspension, or expel them if the students fails too many classes -- fall below the minimum GPA for good academic standing. They would not have allowed your girlfriend to enroll this last semester if she'd already hit that mark.
3. All universities have their own policy about replacing failed grades by retaking a class. I think this is the issue your girlfriend is facing. She didn't proactively deal with withdrawing from classes before the deadline and failed those classes. The university has only allowed her to retake a limited number of those classes, so now she is stuck with Fs on her transcript. This is NOT the same as not being able to continue to take classes and get a degree.
4. It is unlikely, but possible, that a university would prevent a student from registering for and taking a required class. Again, I think your girlfriend isn't being prevented from taking a class; she is being told that she can't "erase" the F she earned in that class before.
She blew all of her chances. She clearly cannot or will not do the caliber of work required to earn a degree, and she is finished. There is no point retaking classes repeatedly if someone cannot meet requirements.
She chose a major field she is apparently unsuited for, and failed to switch to something more appropriate for her abilities. She repeatedly fails courses, so she simply cannot or will not do the required work. Why should she take up space in classes when someone else wants that place, and is willing & able to do the work? If she thinks money buys her a degree, she can pay a diploma mill for worthless wall paper on her Ego Wall.
Yes, a university can decide a student has flunked too many classes and expell them. The phrase is "failure to make satisfactory academic progress" and is used both for academics and financial aid eligibility. Usually a student is put on academic probation first (when the GPA first drops below 2.0) but sometimes the university recognizes a "lost cause" and goes directly to expulsion.
If a student is too ill to attend classes, she should get a medical withdrawal. She would need a letter from a physician stating that she is too ill to do any schoolwork, and attend classes and exams. This is best done in advance of actually leaving school, or as soon as possible thereafter.
It may be possible to get a retroactive medical withdrawal with the above physician's note, but it's much more at the universities' discretion (I assume that's what she did when you say her application to get the failed classes’ status as “withdrawn” rather than “failed” was denied). Unless someone is actually unconscious for the entire term, they could have submitted the medical withdrawal paperwork, so the request for -retroactive- medical withdrawal has to not only prove the medical condition cause an inability to complete the semester, but also that it made it impossible to submit the paperwork in a timely fashion.
So, is all lost? No, she can transfer her credits to a community college. At community colleges she should take classes, and retake the failed ones. She may not qualify for financial aid, just at first, because of the "failure to make satisfactory academic progress" designation from the university, but community college is relatively inexpensive. After a semester or two she should start qualifying again, as long as she gets good grades. Eventually, she should meet the transfer criteria and be able to transfer into a state college or university. Her history at the original university might limit her options somewhat, but she ought to be able to transfer -somewhere-.
And if she can't do well in her classes at community college, you have to wonder whether she's actually "college material" at all.
universities set own policies. in essence, your GF has flunked out. She'll need to complete college elsewhere, presumably at a less prestigious college. the Assistant Dean should have made this clear to her already
She let the school know her father had died, and they did not work with her? She let her college adviser or the Dean of student know she needed to leave due to a parent’s death. I can’t believe the professors wouldn’t of done something for her. Did she let the school and each teacher know she had a medical issue this semester. Could she of given them medical documentation? Did she let them know all this was going on as it happened? I am surprise the school didn’t work with her.
No she doesn’t loose any credits she has already earned from passed semesters. She should talk to the Dean of students. ASAP.
US universities allow you to retake a class failed 2 or 3 times. You can get put on probation or kicked out of school if your gpa drops below a 2.0
What country are you in?
Face it. Some people are not college material. And sometimes other people can't see the writing on the wall.
Opse! They're ******!