College is tough no matter where you're enrolled, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst is a more demanding school than most. Your degree here matters, but you have to earn it. To help keep you on track, the school has a strict academic standing policy. That policy can be useful for letting you know where you're struggling, but if you can't keep your grades up, you can quickly find yourself on academic probation, suspended, or even dismissed entirely.
Here's the thing: we all have a tough semester once in a while, a semester when everything just seems to go wrong all at once. Maybe you're going through a bad breakup. Maybe you wound up scheduling all of your toughest classes at once. A bad semester or two shouldn't stand in the way of your success.
Joseph D. Lento and Lento Law Firm Education Law Team want to make sure it doesn't. Joseph D. Lento is a National Student Defense attorney-advisor who helps students get through the challenges, big and small, that can happen over the course of four years. If you're struggling to meet academic standing requirements, he and his Education Law team can help you come up with a plan to keep your career on track and work with you to put that plan into action.
Academic Progression at UMass, Amherst
The academic requirements at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst are actually pretty simple, though that doesn't necessarily make them any easier to meet. The most important factor is cumulative GPA. In order to remain in “good” standing, you have to keep that above 2.0. In addition, you can fall out of good standing if your term GPA should fall below 2.0. Here's the full list of academic statuses and what they mean.
- Academic Warning: You are placed on “warning” status any time your cumulative GPA is above 2.0, but your term GPA falls below 2.0. The main consequence of a warning is that you must consult with your academic dean early in the semester to make sure you aren't falling too far behind in your coursework.
- Academic Probation: The university places you on probation any time your cumulative GPA falls below that 2.0 mark. Again, the chief requirement when you're on probation is to meet with your academic dean. However, the more important aspect of probation is that if you can't raise your GPA back to that 2.0 level by the end of the semester, you face academic suspension.
- Continued Probation: If your GPA remains below 2.0 after a semester on probation, but you're showing significant progress, your college dean can allow you to remain on probation for an additional semester.
- Academic Suspension: Academic suspension means at least one semester away from the university. You can apply for reinstatement after this semester, but forced time away from the university disrupts your academic progress, and it can be hard to recover.
- Dismissal: Finally, if you continue to struggle academically after returning from suspension, you can be dismissed from the university altogether.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
UMass, Amherst offers a number of ways to prevent the most serious academic sanctions, suspension, and dismissal. First, your dean can grant you continued probation if you show improvement while on probation. In fact, even if you are suspended, your dean can offer you “instant reinstatement.” And, of course, if you should wind up suspended, you can still apply for reinstatement after a semester away.
If you're looking to keep your standing status from reaching these critical levels, though, there are also a number of less formal ways to handle a low GPA.
- A low grade can simply be the result of a recording or calculation error. If you keep a record of your work, it's usually pretty easy to get your instructor to realize their mistake and submit a grade change form.
- Low grades can also be the result of an academic misconduct accusation. If your instructor believes you cheated or committed plagiarism, they might lower your grade on an assignment or even fail you in the course. You have the right, though, to challenge their findings and any sanctions by appealing to the Academic Honesty Office.
- Of course, you always have the right to challenge any unfair treatment in the classroom. Typically, the way to do this is to bring the situation to the attention of your instructor's department head or, failing that, the dean of your college.
- Faculty are occasionally willing to negotiate with students for better grades. If, for instance, your work showed improvement over the course of the semester, you might have a compelling argument that you deserve a grade improvement.
- A few instructors are also willing to assign extra credit or makeup assignments. This is particularly true for students with borderline grades who only need a few points.
Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team knows all the options that are available to you, and he can help you select the ones that will work best in your particular situation. Just as importantly, he can offer valuable advice as you go through the process. He can coach you on how to negotiate with professors or work with you to draft an appeal. Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm Education Law Team know how to navigate the system, and he can make sure you know whom to talk to and what to say.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor, Joseph D. Lento
Students sometimes ask: how can an attorney possibly help me deal with an academic problem? It's a fair question. After all, it's not like Joseph D. Lento can attend classes for you or take your exams.
The thing is, succeeding in college is often as much about navigating bureaucracy as it is about writing papers and taking exams. No one knows more about dealing with bureaucracy than attorneys, and no one knows more about dealing with educational bureaucracy than Joseph D. Lento. He built his practice handling student conduct and academic progress issues.
Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law team are on your side. They understand that no one is perfect, and they're committed to the idea that a few mistakes shouldn't keep you from earning your degree and going on to a successful career. They'll fight to make sure you're treated fairly and that you get all the rights you deserve. You've worked hard to get to this point. Don't let that hard work go to waste. To find out more about how you can fight dismissal, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
