What Happens If You Fail Classes In College

Do you want to know what happens if you fail one or more classes in college?

Do you want to know how you can prevent yourself from failing a college class, regardless of whether or not you’ve failed one or more college classes in the past?

If so, read on to find out the answers to these questions.

What Happens If You Fail One or More College Classes

The true answer is it depends on the policies of the college or university you are attending. However, these are common things that can happen to you:

1. Your GPA Will Suffer

This one doesn’t take rocket science to figure out.

If you fail classes, your GPA will suffer.

Period.

If you fail classes, your GPA could drop to the point where you become ineligible for many things that college can offer you.

The rest of this section is devoted to discussing the consequences that ensue as a result of a poor GPA.

2. You Can Get Placed on Academic Probation or Get Dismissed

Depending on your college/university’s policies, failing classes can put you on academic probation.

What this means is if your GPA falls below a certain threshold (in most colleges/universities, the threshold is 2.0 or lower), you will be put in a status where you can remain in college/university, but not be eligible for certain things that college has to offer like extracurriculars, athletics, and Greek life.

In the college/university’s eyes, if you are on academic probation, you are not making satisfactory academic progress toward graduation.

Therefore, they must place you on this status to tell you that you need to step it up or there will be more negative consequences getting thrown your way.

You never want to do this.

What’s worse than academic probation is dismissal from the university. 

What warrants dismissal varies from school to school, but in general, it means that you have still not made satisfactory academic progress even after you were put on probation.

Therefore, they cannot keep you.

Why would you put yourself in this position?

A dismissal makes it difficult for you to get back into school.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot unnecessarily.

3. You Can Lose Your Financial Aid

Raise your hand if you made it through school working two full-time jobs to make ends meet and taking a 15-credit load every semester.

I figured your hand wasn’t going to go up.

Look, paying your way through school sucks.

It hampers your ability to devote enough time to your studies, which is something you must do to graduate.

Therefore, for you to devote the time required to do well, you need financial aid.

And to get this aid, you must do your share of the agreement.

What’s your share of the agreement you might ask?

It’s simple:

GET GOOD GRADES!

It could not be a simpler proposition.

If you don’t get good grades, you might lose your ability to receive Federal Student Aid from the US Department of Education, especially if you are taking out loans and/or Pell Grants. 

Read this link here from the US Department of Education for more information on eligibility requirements for federal funds.

There are many resources out there including this blog devoted to helping you get the best grades possible to avoid this situation from happening.

What happens if you can’t get the aid again?

And if you can get the aid again, how much time is it going to take you to get it again?

A LOT!

So, do you and your future self a kind favor and get good grades.

And don’t just get good grades, get the BEST grades.

This blog alone will save you from having to go through any of the nonsense associated with getting bad grades.

The post I linked above and the post I am linking here can all help you get the best grades and bulletproof yourself from having to lose financial aid as a result of getting bad grades.

Take advantage of every resource at your disposal!

Save yourself!

4. You’ll Need To Retake The Failed Class(es)

Let me ask you a question.

What’s worse than having to go to class?

Ready for the answer?

Here it is:

Going to class again.

Be honest: 

Do you want to go to class again?

I thought so.

Retaking failed classes is not worth it.

It’s a waste of time that could be spent elsewhere and you know it.

As you would expect, failed classes will require you to spend more time in school adding to your cost and giving your earning potential a beating.

I’m sure you don’t want those things, don’t you?

5. You’ll Need To Submit a Petition To Retake the Class

This varies from school to school, but generally speaking, you would need to get permission to retake the class under certain circumstances, including situations where you have exceeded the number of times you can take a class.

If you failed a class 3 times and the maximum number of times you can take a class is 3 times, you’d need to go through a petition process to get enrolled in the course.

If you have any questions about this, speak with your academic advisor.

6. You Might Need to Transfer Credits to a College Where You Can Retake the Class(es)

This goes back to this petition policy.

If your college/university does not allow you to retake a course since you don’t meet the eligibility criteria after failing the course, you will most likely need to take the course somewhere else and transfer the credits back to where you go to school.

Again, this policy can vary from university to university, so please speak with your academic advisor about details regarding your university and your specific situation.

7. Fs Will Show Up On Your Transcript and Make You Look Bad

OK, let’s admit it.

An F on a transcript does not look good.

At all.

It’s bad.

Why?

Because important decision-makers will question your character and your ability to get the job done if they use your transcript in their decision-making process.

Why would you want to put yourself in an unnecessarily unfortunate situation?

Most people will ALWAYS judge a book by its cover.

They will not seek to understand the story behind what happened.

With hundreds, if not thousands, of candidates to choose from, these decision-makers for scholarships, graduate schools, and companies do not have time to investigate your story and how you bounced back.

They want to see quick evidence of your ability to get the job done.

If you don’t see my point, view grades like this:

Grades are an advertisement for you.

Based on what they see, people will be quick to judge whether or not you will provide them with what they are looking for.

In the decision maker’s eyes, they view an F as someone who does not care, who slacks off, and will not make them money or improve their brand.

Do you want to give off this portrayal?

Or, do you want to “WOW” them?

I thought so.

The first step to “WOWING” them is to not fail classes.

This alone should motivate you not to fail classes.

8. Your Chances of Pursuing Graduate Studies Drop

It’s no secret that good grades are fundamental for getting into graduate school.

If your goal involves grad school, you don’t want to do anything to compromise that goal.

Getting bad grades will significantly hurt your chances of achieving your goal if you need college beyond an undergraduate degree.

Why put yourself at risk of letting your dream slip by?

Many students regret getting bad grades that forced them to compromise their dreams.

Don’t be one of them.

Make the sacrifices today so you can live the life you want to live tomorrow.

How to Prevent Yourself from Failing Classes and Failing More Classes If You Already Failed at Least One Class

1. Talk To Your Professor

Whether you are failing the class or you’ve already failed the class, the professor should be your first stop (unless he/she is a REALLY bad professor).

Your professor might have some insight as to how you can do better in the class and point out things you did incorrectly that you didn’t realize you were doing.

This insight can be valuable when you are trying to figure out what you need to do to prevent yourself from failing a class in college. Try it and see how it works for you!

2. Attend Your Professor’s Office Hours

If you are failing a class, this is what you need to do.

If you have failed a class and you didn’t go to office hours, this is what you need to do next time and, chances are, is the reason why you failed the class.

Here’s the deal:

If the professor is not insane, they want to help you succeed.

They want students to consistently attend office hours to achieve this goal.

Hence, it’s in your best interest to go.

You can ask homework questions, about what to expect on tests, and also about their interests like what they do with their research.

You’d be surprised about talking in terms of their interests aside from just going to them for information on the next test.

They might help you in more ways than you expect.

3. Talk to Your Academic Advisor

Your academic advisor (if he/she is a good one) is an invaluable resource in giving you advice on what to do to select the right classes to take and which classes to avoid.

If he or she has your best interests at heart, they will steer you towards the professors and classes that will be of benefit to you and steer you away from professors and classes that will not serve you well, which will reduce the chances of you failing a class.

Additionally, they can provide useful advice on how to study, which organizations to join, who to study with to increase your chances of academic success, and provide encouragement for you to continue your studies even if things aren’t going the way that you hoped.

To prove this point, I had an advisor in college who was, quite frankly, the best academic advisor in the world.

She always had my best interests at heart and always advised me on what professors to take and avoid in order to succeed in school.

She always provided encouragement to me and other students in our program to keep going and maintain a positive outlook.

Me and every other student who had her as an advisor always praised her for being the best advisor and for giving us hope and being the guiding light in our studies. 

One time, my advisor said to take a certain professor when everyone else wanted to avoid this professor. She turned out to be right and I did terrific in that class.

On the other hand, she told me not to take a certain professor even though everyone else said to take this professor. Even though I initially avoided this professor, I didn’t switch to another professor like I was supposed to.

As a result (combined with another set of things), I failed that class.

I should’ve done what she said.

This goes to show you the power of a great advisor.

He or she can help you identify pitfalls to avoid so that you don’t make mistakes that can cause damage to your grades.

So take advantage of a good academic advisor. He or she doesn’t have to be an amazing one like mine, but they better be good.

4. Change Your Study Strategy To One That Works

This might be your problem.

You might be using a study strategy that you don’t know doesn’t work.

Multiple pieces of research have been done to prove that common study methods like highlighting notes, skimming the text, and underlining text do not work.

They do not allow for maximum retention in a short amount of time, which is what you need to succeed on tests and assignments.

Instead, a study strategy called active recall, while also taking notes by hand, is the most effective way to study.

Research and my personal experience in getting the highest grades in multiple classes validate that active recall with note-taking by hand allows you to retain the most information in the least amount of time.

In a nutshell, the way it works is that you read and take notes on the concepts you need to learn.

Then, you recall you just learned without looking at your notes.

As one of the articles in the links mentioned, you attempt to retrieve information from your brain after you learn it.

You don’t go into a piece of material to extract the information. Otherwise, your brain has no incentive to memorize the information.

Not getting your brain to retrieve information without looking at notes before a test will kill your chances of getting the highest scores possible.

If you are looking at a test and you are wondering what is the difference between a C and an A, chances are active recall is the difference-maker.

So, if you are using a technique that is found to not work and you aren’t using active recall, I highly recommend that you give active recall a try.

It might be the thing you need to get you over the hump and to the top of the class.

5. Get a Tutor

If all else fails, you should do this if you can afford it.

A great tutor can set you on the right track when it comes to the course material and they can pinpoint weaknesses that you don’t know are there and help you rectify these mistakes effectively.

Also, a great tutor is great since they can act like a mentor for the class, much like someone can act as a mentor to someone in their career, guiding them through the ups and downs of the profession and guiding them on how to make effective choices.

A great tutor can play that role when it comes to your classes.

They can guide you through the ups and downs of the class and tell you where you need some work and how to tackle these areas effectively so that you can come out on top of the class.

Of course, there are some cons as well like the tutor not being good or the tutor being too expensive, but it’s an option to consider if you are willing to do some research.

6. Be Honest With Yourself as to Why You Failed Your Class(es)

This is the first step in recognizing what went wrong so you can take the steps required to prevent failure next time.

Chances are, you know in your gut why you failed the class(es) you failed.

Once you identify the reason why you failed your classes, you can develop a plan to prevent failing future classes.

For instance, if the reason for failing your class(es) was because you didn’t study hard enough, then you’d need to put more effort into your studies, be it putting in more time or hustling more when you are reading the material.

These things would get you over the hump of not studying hard enough in this case.

In a nutshell,

1. Find out, in your intuition, why you failed your class(es).
2. Develop a plan to rectify this mistake.

7. Get Extra Credit If You Can

If there is a possibility of getting extra credit and you can do it, you should do it.

This is the easiest fix on this list for any class where you are not getting the grades you are looking for.

Extra credit can boost your grades tremendously if you do them and they can serve as insurance in case you had a slip up here or there.

From my personal experience, I saw extra credit on at least one of my exams and that boosted my grade in the class!

It truly works!

So if you can do extra credit, it is something you MUST do in order to get your grades up.

Look out for any extra credit questions on tests; they might be there!

8. Read/Watch Online Tutorials (Blogs, Videos, etc.)

This is a GOLDMINE of information, especially if your textbooks and/or professor(s) do not make the cut.

YouTube and blogs contain numerous quality sources on a wide range of topics that are bound to help you understand things you need help understanding.

When I was in school, I remember using online resources like a YouTube channel called Professor Leonard to get through my calculus classes and other YouTube channels to get through classes where the textbooks for those classes were awful.

They saved my skin where I would have been screwed otherwise.

I encourage you to check these resources out as a way to improve your grades, especially if your textbook(s) and/or professor(s) do a terrible job of teaching you what you need to know.

9. Hone Your Time Management Skills

Time management is a critical thing to know when you are in any college class.

You don’t have all day to learn the material, so you must pace yourself accordingly in order to get the most amount of information in your head in the shortest amount of time possible.

In fact, I would say that this is the reason why most college students fail college classes.

Probably, it’s because their habits cause poor time management, but time management ultimately becomes the issue.

So, if you are, say, going to too many parties or not establishing a schedule for the day of things to do, you might want to look at your time management skills and/or take a class about the topic so you know what to do and what not to do.

Personally, I like to schedule my day the night before so I know what I need to do and so I can stay on track with what needs to be done.

On some occasions, I implement a concept called time budgets where I set “micro-deadlines” for each component of a task that I need to complete.

For instance, let’s say I have a report due in 7 days.

I determine that there are 3 components to the assignment.

1. Outline the report
2. Write a rough draft
3. Edit the rough draft and submit the final draft

I might split the tasks up like this:

1. Outline the report: Due in 2 days
2. Write a rough draft: Due in 5 days
3. Edit the rough draft and submit the final draft: Due in 7 days

This way, I hold myself accountable for finishing certain parts of an assignment on time without mistracking time, which can hurt my ability to turn the assignment in on time.

Try this next time and see how it works for you.

You might find yourself working faster, more focused, and more efficiently as a result.

10. Ask Yourself If You Are In The Right Major

If you feel like going to classes and reading books is a chore rather than an entertaining experience you can’t wait to go to, you should reconsider your major.

Chances are, your major might not be the thing that excites you and gets you to want to learn.

If this is the case, and also depending on where you are in your college career, you should take a test that recommends a major to you based on your interests.

An example of such a test is this test here.

Of course, your major should allow you to get a job and pay well, which means you can’t pick a major like theater where there are no job prospects after graduation.

If the issue involves you being in a marketable major like electrical engineering, but your heart is in another marketable major like civil engineering, you should consider switching majors to the field that you feel excited about.

Remember, college costs time and money, and employers will see right through you if you don’t have some excitement about the work you are doing, so you want to get this decision right as soon as possible to save yourself a lot of headaches down the road!

11. Ask Classmates For Suggestions on How To Do Better

Chances are, your classmates want to help you succeed.

Sure, they won’t do the work for you, but they can provide you with useful tips on how to fix the areas you are weak in.

In some cases, they might allow you to study with them so you can see them in action and know, firsthand, what you need to be doing in order to fix the areas you are weak in.

This is why study groups can be effective for a lot of students and why you should consider participating in a study group if you are someone who doesn’t do well studying alone.

Personally, I didn’t have to do this much since I figured out most of what I needed to know by myself, but when I did reach out to other students for help, they were very helpful and did not hold back any information as to what I needed to know to fix the issue(s) I had.

I encourage you to reach out to your classmates for help when you need it. They can be an invaluable resource to your college career if used properly and consistently.

What I mean by properly is this:

1. Don’t be a difficult person
2. Politely ask for what you need (provide value if you need to before you ask them for help)
3. Listen to them 

That’s it.

12. Talk To Your Parents and See What They Have To Say

This one depends on who your parents are because not all parents are going to be helpful.

But, if you and your parents have a good relationship and they have an interest in your academic success, you should consult them.

More often than not, they will look out for your best interests and steer you in the right direction.

Personally, I would go to trustworthy subject matter experts first like a professor because, ultimately, you need to speak with subject matter experts to get legitimate information on solving most of your problems.

But, your parents can provide invaluable advice since they come from a place of seeing you succeed instead of trying to take your money.

That’s the difference between parents and strangers.

With good parents, you can trust them.

With every other option, you have to question their intentions for helping you and whether or not they are actually helping you.

If your parents are also subject matter experts in the areas you are weak at, more power to you because you’ll get the best information without having to question the quality of the information you are receiving.

13. Consider Cutting Extracurricular Activities

This one is something you definitely need to consider if you find yourself spending a large amount of time on them and your academic results are not what you hoped.

It could be a product of you not putting enough time into your studies.

Also, do NOT fear cutting extracurriculars entirely if that’s what it takes to succeed academically.

If you don’t understand this concept, think about it this way:

If you get the best grades and don’t do extracurriculars, you can still graduate and get a job.

But, if you participate in extracurriculars and you get mediocre to bad grades, you might not graduate. 

And even if you graduate, your opportunities after college will be limited and you might have trouble getting your first job because of your bad grades (they do matter).

This is something to think about, especially if you have grad school on your mind.

Now, if you are doing well academically and you want to give your resume a boost, extracurriculars can help since they show your dedication to your field of study and can show that you are more than just a person who studies all day, which is something they don’t desire.

BUT, if studying all day is what it takes to succeed academically, do this:

1. Cut the extracurriculars
2. Don’t be a difficult person
3. Explain what happened to an interviewer if they question you about it. 

If you show your dedication to the work that they do and you demonstrate your grades being an indication of:

1.  Your work ethic 
2.  Your determination
3.  Your passion for the discipline of their work 

Trust me when I say this:

The employer and/or grad school will NOT eliminate you from consideration.

You are welcome.

14. GO TO CLASS!

If you aren’t going to class, chances are this is the issue.

In class, if you have a good professor, you will get to listen to the professor tell you what you need to know to succeed in the class.

If you miss class, you will miss important information like what topics will be covered on the test, any extra credit opportunities, any information necessary for your tests that are only covered in lectures, and important due dates for assignments.

If you go to class, you will have the opportunity to network with your peers and ask questions to them about certain areas you need help in and what to do for projects if you are working on projects together.

This is why, even if you have a bad professor, going to class is NOT an option.

You MUST go.

End of discussion.

So, GO TO CLASS!

Closing

You now know what happens if you fail classes in college.

If you have failed classes or you are at risk of failing classes, you now know the things you need to do in order to fix your situation.

It is up to YOU to take the action(s) you need to take in order to prevent yourself from failing a college class or to prevent yourself from failing more college classes.

If you got a lot out of this post and you want more content on how to succeed in college in addition to becoming extremely productive and reaching your full potential so you can do the best job in school and your career, subscribe to Join the Island, the world’s greatest blog, with your email down below!

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Until next time,

This is Evan signing off.

PS: Comment below with how this post helped you in preventing you from failing college classes or preventing you from failing more college classes. It’d be great to hear about your successes!

FAQs

1. How Many Times Can I Fail a Class In College?

The short answer to this question is to talk to your academic advisor about this.

This is because it depends on your university’s policy when it comes to failing classes. Each university has different policies when it comes to how many times you can fail a class in college. 

Some colleges, like the one in the link here, allow students to repeat a course once.

Other schools allow students to retake a class up to 3 times in order to get their grade forgiven, meaning not allowing the failed classes to count towards their GPA.

2. Can an F Be Removed From Your Transcript?

It depends on the circumstances. 

If you failed for reasons within your control, no. If you failed for reasons out of your control (you got sick, you had a family emergency, your professor misgraded your work, etc.), yes. 

See your college/university’s policy and your academic advisor for how to appeal a grade and how to document these events so you can get the F removed from your transcript.

3. Will I Get Kicked Out of College if I Fail Classes? If So, How Many Classes Can I Fail In College Before I Get Kicked Out?

It depends on the nature of your situation and the college/university’s policy with regards to getting dismissed after failing a certain number of classes.

If you failed only one class and didn’t cheat, chances are you are not getting kicked out.

But, if you failed 4 classes in the probation period and/or you cheated on a test, yes. Not only will you fail the class, but you’ll get kicked out.

4. Can I Get Kicked Out of College For Failing a Semester?

It depends on the college and how “failing a semester” is defined.

Some colleges will kick you out if you have 2 or more Fs in a given semester.

Other colleges will simply give you a warning about needing to bring your grades up.

5. What GPA Will Get Me Kicked Out of College?

It depends on the college.

Typically, it’s any GPA below 2.0.

This is the threshold for most colleges/universities when it comes to placing students on academic probation or academically dismissing them.

6. How Many Classes Can I Fail in College Before I Lose Financial Aid?

It depends on the financial aid package you received. See the terms and conditions of your specific package or talk to your academic advisor or the Office of Financial Aid to find out what this answer is for you.

For federal funds like the Pell Grant and Subsidized and Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loans, you would need to meet your school’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for financial aid purposes. 

Talk to your school’s financial aid office in order to learn about the SAP requirements for you to continue receiving federal financial aid.

7. How Many Students Fail a Class In College?

I don’t know.

8. What Percentage of Students Fail a Class?

From my research, it’s estimated that 10–15% of undergraduate students fail at least 1 class in college.

Still, I don’t know for sure.

9. Is It OK To Fail Classes In College?

No. It’s an unnecessary mess if you failed for reasons within your control.

10. Is Failing a Class In College The End of the World?

No. But, it can cause a lot of damage to your future if you don’t fix the problem that caused you to fail the class(es).