Consequences of Failing a Class

By Dru Macasieb

Originally Written: December 16th, 2016

All students, including VA students, must progress satisfactorily toward meeting graduation requirements. Academic progress is measured in two ways: (a) grade point average, and (b) course completion. The academic progress of each student will be reviewed at the end of every term. A student is considered to be making academic progress if his or her grade point average is above the minimum requirement and the student has successfully completed at least 67% of the credits attempted, otherwise known as the completion rate standard. The evaluation points, grade point average standard, and the completion rate standard are provided in the table listed.

• Required Evaluation Point and Minimum GPA with 67% of Grades Completed for Associate’s Programs
  • First Term (4 Months/Mods)    1.0
  • Second Term                         1.5
  • Third Term +                         2.0
  • Graduation                            2.0

The consequences of failing a course can be detrimental to your academic future. 

The consequences of failing a course are as follows:

• You will waste time and resources
• You will have to retake the course
• You basically paid to get an F
• You will be charged for retaking the course (so basically one F will cost you twice as much!)
• Your GPA will significantly drop
• Your graduation date will be pushed further

Consequences of a trend of failing courses:

• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards apply to all students at a college.
• Failure to achieve a 2.0 GPA for each term will put you on Academic Probation, called a Financial Aid Warning Status (FAWS)
• Failure to complete 67% of credits attempt will also put you in a FAWS
• Once in FAWS you need to demonstrate positive progress by having 2.0 or above GPA for a term (which is 4 months).

So what happens if I get dropped for not achieving Satisfactory Academic Progress?

• Financial aid may stop loaning you funds for your education with us.
• You will be dropped from the college and cannot attend at our college.
• Your chances of future financial aid benefits may be in jeopardy.
• For VA students, you may be decertified from the VA benefits program and you may have to pay them back.
• If not in school, you will have to repay any student loans after 6 months.
• If you do not pay student loans and go into default, it will harm your credit score and the government may garnish your wages and intercept any tax refunds.

OPINION: Why You Should Not Fail A Course

By Dru Macasieb

Students that have a history of poor academic performance at ANY school may be denied enrollment based on multiple variables which include: GPA, grades, financial aid borrowing history, and repayment history to name a few.

The reason this may happen is that, when colleges admit students, they are accepting reasonable responsibility to educate, graduate, and place these students in careers related to their field of study, as well as ensure that graduates make payments to their student loans. This is why college typically asks for transcripts. If a student’s transcripts have a history of poor academic performance (like a low GPA, or its plagued with Ds and Fs, or they have taken many courses but have not completed a degree), the student may be denied admission as this becomes a liability for the school.

The school’s financial aid department will also see how much money a student has borrowed, thus far, and can deny a student admission based on the amount of debt the student has acquired versus the amount the student needs to graduate. For example:

• Say you went to ABC College and racked up $25,000 in student loans.
• You apply at XYZ College, but in order to complete an associate’s degree, it will cost $50,000.
• The total amount the student will owe after graduation will be $75,000 for an associate’s.

The school will be responsible to educate, graduate, and place student in careers related to their field of study, as well as ensure that student make payments to their the student loan (as default rate is also known as the rate in which students’ do not pay their loan on time, is also a metric that a school must achieve).

This is why it is crucial to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Schools that are impacted (have a surplus of applicants) often deny students based on academic performance at other schools (including High School).

If you are struggling with achieving good grades and attending class, I recommend speaking with your school’s student services, your area of study’s department head (like the associate dean), or any school staff in the academic department. The worst thing a student can do is nothing.