When you send your student off to college you hope and assume that he will be successful. Most students are successful and do well. However, some students struggle – either socially or academically. No parent wants to receive the news that his or her student has been academically dismissed from college because of poor performance. It is distressing and disheartening news. But it does happen, and parents need to help students deal with the situation. Although you may be disappointed, and possibly angry, your response may be a large factor in helping your student move forward.
Here are some things to consider if your college student is academically dismissed from college.
What does academic dismissal mean?
A student may be academically dismissed from a school for failure to make “satisfactory academic progress”. This may mean various things and may be defined differently by different schools. Generally, it means either that the student’s GPA or Grade Point Average is too low (she received poor grades) or that she has not made satisfactory progress by completing enough credits (she dropped or withdrew from too many courses each semester). A student who does not make satisfactory progress may then be dismissed or told that she can no longer be enrolled in the college.
Should your student appeal the decision?
In some cases, a college may allow a student to appeal the decision to dismiss. The purpose of the appeal is usually to allow the student to explain extenuating circumstances or to provide additional information that may not have been available at the time that the decision was made. He may be able to demonstrate that some circumstance has changed – perhaps a health situation, work situation, family situation, or even a change of focus or field of study. It is important that you and your student remember, however, that an appeal is meant as an exception and to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances. It is not meant as an avenue simply because the student is unhappy with the decision of the college. An appeal may not be in the best interest of the student.
Should your student apply immediately to another college?
If your student is dismissed, his first thought, and yours, may be to apply immediately to another school. This may be appropriate. However, before doing that, you and your student may need to consider what factors caused the problems that warranted his dismissal. Jumping immediately back in may not be the best solution.
Has your student taken time to reassess?
A student who is academically dismissed from college is not doomed to failure. You may need to help your student view this as a time to reassess his abilities, behaviors, and priorities. He was originally admitted to the college because of his abilities and potential, but something has prevented him from living up to that potential. Now is a time to step back and reevaluate. Before you and your student decide to immediately appeal the dismissal or to apply to a different school, consider carefully whether taking a break may be the best course of action for your student.
Would some time out be beneficial?
An academic dismissal from college happens for a reason. Something has prevented your student from succeeding. She may need your support more than ever now to think about how to proceed and how to use her time off. For many dismissed students, taking a break from their current routine and setting may be the best path to success, even if it involves an unexpected detour. Your student may decide to spend a year working to gain experience and perspective. Your student may decide to take a course or two at a local community college to achieve some success and/or explore a new area of study. Your student may need to move back home for a semester or a year to achieve some balance and focus. How you respond to this situation will help your student know how to respond. Helping your student see this as an important, if unplanned, step in her path will help her to use the time constructively.
Should your student apply for readmission or reinstatement?
In most cases of academic dismissal, the student may be eligible to apply for readmission or reinstatement after a certain period of time. This is different from appealing the decision at the time of dismissal. One thing that your student will have had time to consider during his time off is whether or not he wants to return to the same institution or to transfer to another college. If he wants to return, he should check the policy of his college. Most schools require that a student “sit out” for a semester or a year. When students apply for readmission, the college may be looking for certain factors. They will be looking for indications from the student that things will be different if he returns. He may be asked to submit a personal statement giving a compelling argument that he has addressed whatever challenges he had prior to dismissal. They may be looking for successful completion of some credits at a community college or some other institution. They may ask whether social, family, or personal issues have been addressed.
Is your student prepared for a fresh start?
If your student has used time off from his college productively, he may be ready to return to school with a renewed focus and a new outlook. Many students who have been dismissed return to their previous college – or another college – and are completely successful. Helping your student see this time as an opportunity rather than a set-back will mean that he can use the time off to his advantage. This may not be the path that either of you originally had in mind, but it may be a path that, in the long run, will be most beneficial to your student. Having your support as a parent will help him to discover and accomplish his goals.
Related Posts:
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How Parents Can Help College Students Value Their Mistakes
Helping Your College Student Avoid “How Do I Tell My Parents?” Fears
What to Say to Your College Student Who is In Trouble, Dismissed, or On Probation
Academically Dismissed from College? Time for a Reset
Academically Dismissed from College? Ten Steps to Move On
Chris –
Congratulations to you for turning things around! You’ve clearly figured out what was going wrong initially and worked to improve things. That is the message that you want to communicate to any school to which you apply.
I’d begin by deciding which school you think will best meet your needs – in terms of major, program, and cost. That will help you decide where you want to apply. Of course, you’ll need to send any school all of your transcripts, but include a letter talking about what went wrong and how you’ve fixed that and plan to be successful moving forward. Work closely with the admission office and ask them what your chances of being accepted might be and what information they need to strengthen your application. If you aren’t accepted to a school, try the next on your list. There is a right place for you somewhere.
Good luck! It sounds as though you are well on the road to success.
Hi,
I am curious about what would be best for my situation. Back in 2010,I failed 2 semesters worth of Classes at the University of Arizona. I attended a local community college there where I also failed 2 more semesters. I have a total of 14 F’s on my college transcripts in total. I have moved back home (3 years ago) and completed an upwards of 75 community college credits. Unfortunately my cumulative GPA is a still a 2.08 due to the amount of baggage on my transcript. The good news is that my UC transferable GPA is a 3.42. Would it be best to attempt to reapply for admission to the University of Arizona, or see if the UC schools will look past my past record of F’s. I did my best to retake the course equivalents of the F’s at my CC in California. This is a difficult situation because I don’t know if I will be accepted to a UC os Cal state school with my F’s. If you have any insight I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
Sairam – You are certainly carrying a lot of weight on your shoulders right now. The first thing that I would suggest is that you need to be honest with your family. Talk to them about what happened and why you think things went wrong. It might help if when you tell them, you also explain your plan for moving forward. That will be a positive approach – this happened, but this is what I’m going to do about it.
If you don’t plan to stay at a cc, I’m not sure it makes sense to transfer your credits. If you do well this summer, you can apply to Minnesota and have transcripts from both your original school and the cc sent to them. When you apply, be sure to explain to them what you plan to do differently this time.
Good luck!
William – Although it would certainly make sense that dismissal would release your son from his letter of intent, I think it is always best to be sure rather than assume. A quick call to the athletic office of the school should give you a clear answer.
Good luck to your son.
Hi Vicki. So here’s my situation right now. I’ve been academically dismissed from Iowa State as a biochem major for poor performance academically. 1st semester I don’t know how it was possible but I got a 0.82 gpa with 13 credits and was immediately put on probation and the next semester I did work a lot harder but was taking a full course load of 18 credits and I got a 1.74 gpa, cum gpa is a 1.65. At the same time, I decided that biochemistry wasn’t the right major for me and I wanted to switch to computer science. I am currently taking 2 classes at a cc and hopefully will get my head straight and get the proper grades. My dad still doesn’t know that I got kicked out of college and I’m scared to tell him and how he’ll react. My whole family is very competitive academically so he’ll everyone in the family(uncles, aunts, cousins) and I feel like I’m just a loser compared to them. My dad has struggled to get to where we’re at now and I feel like I just stabbed him in the back with my poor performance in school. Getting to the point, should I transfer my credits to a cc or if I get good grades for the summer should I just not transfer them and basically start over. My goal is to transfer to the University of Minnesota twin cities.
My son was dismissed because of academics. After doing the math he needed 1 class to get back in good standing. He was scheduled to take a summer 2 class but the university would not allow him to take it because he was already in the process of being dismissed. He was also there on a partial athletic scholarship. Is it safe to assume that the dismissal releases him from any letter of intent he signed to play for that school?
Bosuan – It certainly sounds as though you are working very hard to try to improve your GPA. Good for you! It is impossible to say what the school might do. You should talk to someone at the school to find out what your options are. If you can appeal, write a careful and thoughtful letter expressing some of the information that you have included in your comment. Explain what happened and why it will be different. Include your letters of support. At the same time, think about whether taking some time off might be a good thing for you. Sometimes a break will allow you to come back with a fresh start. Work with the school to see what they suggest. Good luck!
I was put on probation due to my poor GPA of Fall 2014. The reason why I did so badly was because of my poor judgement. I found a course super hard and thus decided to retake it. And from then I did not study at all for it. Therefore I got an F. This semester I studied really hard since I was on probation but went into depression. I met with my therapiest and as soon as I felt better I tried to fix what I missed before. But I still got a GPA lower than 2 and got my overall GPA lower than 2 as well. The course that lowered my GPA badly also killed many of my friends: there were so many students turned in a blank sheet of paper during the second midterm that the GSIs did not know how to curve. I have a letter from one of my professors in support of me staying and another one from a GSI as well. My roommate also sent a letter proving that I had been working hard this semester and had great passion towards my major. I got an I in one of my courses,whose final I will retake by the start of next semester, and am enrolled in the summer session for the Math course I got a D in Spring 2015 and all I need is a C, which I am quite confident about. What are the odds that I may go back to Berkeley to complete my summer sessions and get myself out of this situation? Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Boxuan Wang
Aileen,
The questions that you are asking are good ones, but they are questions that your son needs to ask at Rutgers. Each university, and each school within some universities, have different policies. Your son should ask for a meeting with both the business school and the school of arts and sciences and get information from them. If he has an academic advisor, that person would be another good source of information.
Michael,
It is important that you check with the admissions office of the college to which you plan to apply. Most colleges require that you submit all transcripts. You cannot be selective. However, consider sending a letter to accompany the transcript from your second college explaining what happened that caused you to fail. Then explain why things will be different this time around. It is better to be fully honest right from the beginning than to have them learn later that you did not include all of your information. If the admissions office says you do not need to include the second transcript, then that would be fine. They will help you know what to do.
thank you for replying me. Can my son change to another school like for example the school of art and science instead of staying in business school, but in Rutgers? What is the percentage for student to get second chance after being on the dismissal list in Rutgers? Thank you once again.
Sir,
I transferred my credit from one community college to another, during my first semester in my new college, I ran into problem and failed my entire three classes. Right now, I am considering seeking admission in another community college but, is it the right thing for me to transfer my credit from my first community college and forget about the other one where I failed my entire classes.
Marcia,
Most colleges and universities state in their admissions policies that students are required to submit all transcripts. If the school that you are planning to attend has such a policy, send them everything that you have. If you do not, and they find that you have been dishonest, that would be grounds for dismissal. It is not worth the risk.
When you transfer to a new school, you generally start with a new GPA, so that should not affect your progress at the new school. Many students “reset” as you plan and do amazingly well at their new school. It is important that you think about what a “reset” means. What will be different this time around?
Good luck!
Aileen,
Your son needs to talk to his advisor or someone at the school for guidance. If he is on a dismissal list, it is possible that he might appeal. They may give him another chance. They will be looking for him to explain why he thinks he will be successful if they let him stay. What will be different. He might also think about taking a break from school until he feels more ready and then applying for readmission. Your son may need to start by doing some difficult thinking about why he has not been able to do well. Knowing what is getting in his way is the first step to moving forward. Good luck to both of you!
Twinkle,
Talk to the financial aid office at the school or the person designated to deal with Satisfactory Academic Progress. They can give you the best information because it is their job to understand the requirements.
One consideration, however, is to submit your appeal anyway. If you do well in summer school and raise your GPA, you may not need it, but you don’t want to miss your opportunity in case your summer school classes don’t raise it enough. Strong summer classes will help, but go through all of the steps just in case.