It's not easy keeping your grades up in college. It was hard enough earning As, Bs, and Cs in high school, but now you have a whole new set of challenges. Courses are tougher; professors are more demanding, and you don't have your parents to get you up in the morning anymore. Plus, your high school couldn't kick you out; it was obligated to teach you. Ole Miss can, and it will.
If your grades have fallen a bit, or more than a bit, it's important you address the situation early. One poor semester can lead to probation, but if you can't get things together while on probation, you can face suspension and even dismissal.
What's involved in “addressing the situation”? First and foremost, you call the Lento Law Firm. It may not be immediately obvious how an attorney can help you with academics. You might be surprised, though. Often, surviving college is as much about navigating the bureaucracy as it is about memorizing the Periodic Table. No one knows bureaucracy better than lawyers, and no lawyers know educational bureaucracy better than the Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team.
When you get that first D or F, don't wait to see what might happen. Call 888-535-3686 today to find out what the Lento Law Firm can do for you, or use our automated online form.
Academic Progression at the University of Mississippi
College success doesn't just happen. It takes hard work, course by course and semester by semester. To ensure you're making steady progress toward graduation, the University of Mississippi maintains what's known as an academic standing policy. In simple terms, this policy sets the minimum grade point standards you need to meet as well as the consequences for when you aren't meeting them.
- Good Standing: Good standing means just what it says—you're doing what you need to in order to pass your courses and keep your GPA up. How far does it need to be up? To remain in good standing, you need a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
- Academic Warning: If you're in your first couple of years at Ole Miss and your grade falls below 2.0, but not below a second cutoff number based on your hours, you're placed on Academic Warning status. For freshmen, the Warning zone is between 1.6 and 2.0. For sophomores, it's between 1.8 and 2.0.
- Academic Probation: If your GPA should fall below the cutoff number—1.6, 1.8, or for upper-class students, 2.0—the university then places you on Probation. The good news is, Probation doesn't come with any extra requirements, and it isn't noted on your transcript. Even better, you can stay on Probation until you return to Good standing, provided you keep your term GPA above 2.0. Should your term GPA fall below that number, though, you face more serious penalties.
- Academic Suspension: Suspension happens when your term GPA falls below 2.0 while you're on Probation. Ordinarily, Suspension lasts for a minimum of one full semester, not including summer semesters. There are some ways to continue your enrollment without interruption, which we'll get into below. One way or another, though, when you return from Suspension, you must earn a 2.0 term GPA, or you face outright Dismissal. In addition, you should keep in mind that Suspension is noted on your transcript.
- Dismissal: If you continue to struggle following Suspension, Ole Miss then dismisses you. Dismissals last for one full year. Readmission is normally automatic, but you must go through an application process. As with Suspension, Dismissal does appear on your transcript.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
The University of Mississippi is relatively forgiving when it comes to academic sanctions. For example, even if you've been dismissed, the school still offers a path back to enrollment.
In fact, Ole Miss even offers some useful options for continuing your enrollment at the university uninterrupted, even if you've been given suspension or dismissal.
- If you're suspended or dismissed following the spring semester, you are allowed to enroll in the summer term. If you can complete 12 hours and earn at least a 2.0 during this term, you can remain at the university.
- You can also invoke the university's Forgiveness policy. This policy allows you to drop some courses from your GPA and retake them for replacement credit.
- You can enroll in a Contractual Readmission Program. As part of this program, you must meet with a learning specialist and complete a personal academic success plan. In addition, you must take a Fundamentals of Learning course and earn a 2.2 during the next semester.
The attorneys at the Lento Law Firm can help guide you through all of these processes. In addition, though, they know some strategies for avoiding suspension and dismissal in the first place and keeping these off your transcript. For example,
- Extenuating circumstances, like a family emergency or a serious illness, can be grounds for more time to improve. You should appeal directly to your college dean for more information.
- Consistently low grades can sometimes be an indication that you have a learning disability. If you discover that you do, you can petition the university to drop low grades from your GPA and allow you to retake those courses with accommodations in place.
- Some low grades are the result of academic misconduct allegations—cheating and plagiarism, for instance. If your instructor has penalized you, you have the right to appeal their decisions to the Academic Discipline Committee.
- Any time you are subject to classroom mistreatment, you should report it to your instructor's department head. This is often grounds for a grade appeal.
- Faculty will sometimes negotiate over grades. Perhaps the simplest version of this is asking for extra credit or makeup work. A paper rewrite or an extra lab assignment could be all you need to keep your GPA above the 2.0 mark.
Whatever your particular situation is, the Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team can work with you to come up with an appropriate solution. In addition, we'll help you put this solution into action, whether that means drafting an appeal or negotiating with professors.
And, if worse should come to worse and you wind up suspended or dismissed, we're also familiar with readmission procedures and can help make sure you get readmitted and have the chance to complete your degree.
What Can the Lento Law Firm Do for You?
Your Ole Miss diploma is more than just a piece of paper. It's your avenue to a successful career. If it's under threat, you can't afford to try and handle the problem by yourself. Luckily, you don't have to. The Lento Law Firm's Education Law Team is here for you.
Before you reach the point of Probation, Suspension, or Dismissal, call us today at 888-535-3686 or use our automated online form.
