What To Do If Your Student Is Academically Dismissed From College

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:

What FERPA Means for You and Your College Student

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

 


330 thoughts on “What To Do If Your Student Is Academically Dismissed From College”

  1. My daughter got dismissed from the program of nursing. can she appeal legally another worse high a lawyer would help her to be reinstated into the program ?

    Reply
  2. Hey, I got disqualified from Cal State Univerisity- Northridge. My overall GPA is 1.95 and i know most schools require a 2.0 GPA. I have completed 3 years at CSUN and don’t want those credits to go to waste, and i want to go to a different university anywhere in the US. What schools would accept me? What should I do?

    Reply
    • Michelle, the first thing you need to do, before you think about applying to any schools, is to evaluate carefully what went wrong at CSUN. Be honest with yourself, take some time away and create a plan for what is going to be different when you return to school. If you skip this step, you will just repeat your problems in a different place. Once you know you’re ready for a different experience, begin to look at schools you’d like to attend. Talk to their admissions office about what credits they will accept. Most schools will not allow you to transfer any credits for classes under a “C.” Ask about their application process. Don’t go in blind, but use the admissions office to get lots of information about whether you’ll qualify and what credits transfer. Be ready to explain what went wrong and what will be different this time. You might also need to take a few classes at a local community college to show that you are capable of college level work. These credits might also transfer, but will also show the college that you are ready. Take your time to be sure that you will succeed this time. Good luck.

      Reply
  3. My daughter recently received a letter of Dissmisal and says that if she want to appeal it to write a paper to the the school simply cause she doesn’t have enough credits. Would the letter actually help her you think . She doesn’t do anything but study and I hate that she has to this it’s a waste of time

    Reply
    • Lori –
      Yes, I do think an appeal letter will help your daughter. The school is looking for her explanation of why she is below credits as well as her plan to make up the credits and/or be sure that she does not fall below again. They are also looking for her seriousness by taking the time to write a careful letter. Your daughter should be sure that the letter is carefully and respectfully written, explaining, but not blaming anyone else for her situation. She should make sure that she clearly explains her plan for moving forward. The school does not want to lose good students, but they need reassurance that she understands that she needs to move forward differently.
      Good luck!
      Vicki

      Reply
  4. Angel – Your boyfriend is in a difficult situation and it certainly must be discouraging. Obviously, one important lesson that he has learned through all of this is that doubling up on courses in order to try to complete more credits doesn’t work for him. One of the hardest things for him to do may be to be patient. Take fewer courses at a time so that he can do well. There seems to be a bit of a “Catch-22” here – he can’t get back into the school without raising his GPA, but he can’t raise his GPA if he can’t take more credits. Although cost will certainly be different, one option might be to investigate a smaller, less selective, private college. They may be more willing to take a chance based on previous history of success in some semesters. He might be able to complete his degree there or at least take appropriate courses to raise his GPA. At least talk to admission staff at a couple of schools to see if they can offer any suggestions for transfer. Good luck to both of you.

    Reply
  5. Hi,
    I’ve been looking everywhere for anything to give my bf and I hope. He got academically disqualified this quarter. He first went to community college for three years and had a high gpa, he got into ucsd for physics but his counselor told him he could switch into engineering if he finished the required courses and apply after the first year. While doing that, he had a difficult time and was bullied which affected his grades. he was first on subject to disqualification, then got out of it was doing good until he crammed physics courses together to graduate and the curve just wasnt in his favor. he was disqualified his second year, winter as a transfer but petitioned and got back in right away and did good spring and summer until this winter when he tried to cram again 5 courses. after his first exam he was just really depressed but did okay in the other classes but it was not high enough for him to raise his gpa enough not to be disqualified. We have called state schools to see if he can transfer out and they have told us that he has to go back to community, raise his gpa and then apply. but we looked into it further and becuase he had done pretty much every class for his major in community, there are not enough courses for him to be able to raise his gpa and the state school counselor basically told him it wont be worth it to apply. He’s extremely depressed and we just really don’t know what we can do. He’s willing to do whatever he can to get back into school, we just dont know what to do. He’s so incredibly smart, I know he can do it I just think he can do much better at a different school, we just dont know how to get there. any advice would be greatly, truly and sincerely appreciated.

    Reply
  6. Hi, I need some guidance about my son. He was valedictorian of his class in high school. He started college in the fall of 2011 and was in a 5-year co-op program (school 6 months and work full time 6 months for 5 years, no summers off), When he started, he had a much needed academic scholarship and was getting good grades. By the end of year 3 his grades dropped and he lost the scholarship. Year 4 was a disaster for him academically and he was dismissed in the spring of 2015. He lost his focus and was just burned out. He has been home since and working full time.

    Now he is ready to go back to another college and finish his degree, but his GPA is 2.3 and doesn’t meet the transfer student minimum requirements of most colleges. His transcript does show good/decent grades for the first 3 years, but the cumulative GPA is low because of year 4. My advice to him was to send a letter to the college he wants to attend along with the application explaining the bad grades. My question is what reasons would a college look for in order to be convinced to accept him with a low GPA? What reasons should he not give? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

    Reply
    • Grace, your advice is right on the mark. Your son needs to send a letter (and possibly ask for an interview as well) to explain – honestly – what happened. Then one of the keys is to explain what he has learned and how he plans to do things differently this time around. Being honest is the first key and showing that he has learned and has a new plan is a second key. Colleges understand that things happen and some students hit roadblocks. When it comes to admission or readmission, they want to know that there is a plan in place so that it won’t happen again.

      Reply
  7. Summer – Sometimes taking some time off from college to decide what to do is a good thing, even though it may not seem so at the time. It sounds as though you’ve used your time to make the decision to return to school. Good for you!

    The decision of whether to return to your original school or to transfer is an individual one. I suggest that you talk to people at both places. The advantage of applying to transfer to a new school is that you will have a fresh start with your GPA and you will not need to dig yourself out. But you would want to see how many of your courses will transfer. How many credits will you lose? If you return to your original school, you will have some credits, but will need to work harder to pull up your GPA. Talk to both schools so that you can make an informed decision.

    Good luck on your new start!

    Reply
  8. Hello Vicki,
    I was academically dismissed in Jan of 16 since then I’ve been wondering if going back to school was the best choice. I have concluded that it is I am ready to go back and continue my education. I have decided to change my major. My question is should I go back to my old college and appeal to readmission or is it better to go to another school and start fresh. And would I need to appeal for that or do I need to apply as a transfer.

    Reply
  9. Duong – Ask your college whether there is an appeal process. There may be a way to continue to receive aid for a semester or a year with an academic plan to improve your grades. If not, although it may not be the path that you want to take, you might need to take a leave of absence and spend some time working to be able to pay tuition. Or take a few classes at a community college that will transfer.

    Reply
  10. Hi, i just got financial aid disqualified but not dismiss ,so whÁ¡t should i do . Right now i am worrring for my life .can you anwer me as soon ass possible

    Reply
  11. Susan – It sounds as though you have obviously had a very difficult time. Although you have shared many details, without knowing the whole situation, I wouldn’t begin to give you advice. 45 is definitely not too late to create and work toward goals, so don’t give up. One option, although it requires patience, is to begin by obtaining your GED. That first step will allow you to enroll in a reputable online program somewhere. Many online programs allow you to move at your own pace, so you may be surprised at how quickly you can progress. Good luck and stick with it.

    Reply
  12. Manjeet – You will need to deal directly with your college to ask about completing your degree. In the meantime, if the problem was attendance, work to find out or to correct the reasons you were missing so many classes. If the problem still exists, you will not be able to be successful.

    Reply
  13. I am 45 and have been expelled from the 22 and up program. Not for grades as I am at the top of the class. Rather because I didn’t fit in and was bothered each day with shameful adult class bullying. I ignored most instances. However, it only made the others continue by stealing flash cards and making constant snide remarks. Even instructors joined in the fun. I eventually got upset and a few choice words were said in the halls and on the phone to other students. this got me in trouble. I was upset when they said they were going to dismiss me from the program and cried. They said this made me seem unstable and unable to do the job I was studying for. My average for this course is a 98%. At 45 I am lost. I don’t know what to do next. I am staying with friends and have nowhere to go. No job skills and no GED to get into even an online course. I feel cheated. These other students are failing the course and will no doubt be discharged for grades and attendance . The student who caused the last incident was sent home for the remainder of the day and reprimanded for the same type of thing the following day I was expelled and wasn’t the one standing up and yelling. there were three of them and I never left my seat. I had appealed and found they had made their decision and could not be swayed to spite my perfect attendance and superior grades. Being told by teachers and administration that I would be impossible to place in a job, was unteachable because I had no GED and shouldn’t be there were among many discouraging things I have been told by the staff as well as that I am an expressive personality and the teacher would like to smack expressive personalities. I don’t know what to do. I went through the WIIA program to get my books and they refuse to give me the rest stating that the purchased them. this is only true in that they purchased them with money from the willing program allotted to me in my name and the teacher was giving them away to another student the day I was dismissed before I even made it home. who do I speak to where do turn what can I do. my ability to pass is clear . my desire equally so. it is up to me to find employment after the fact it is up to them to allow me the education without saying things like smack or shouldn’t be here. They say it is not the end of the world and that my life isn’t over. I am 45 practically homeless on welfare and have no job or job skills outside of house painting which I physically can’t do anymore. Please tell me what to do.

    Reply
  14. Hi Vicki,
    I got dismissed from Nassau Community College in May 2016. Problem was that I failed one class couple times and that’s why I got dismissed.

    Reply

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