There's not much you can count on when you're in college. It can be a crazy four years. The one thing you can be sure of? At some point, something will go wrong. More likely, lots of things will go wrong at the most inconvenient times. Your roommate will suddenly develop night terrors the night before your calculus final; you'll go through a heart-rending breakup during the semester when you've overloaded your course hours; you'll get a flat tire on the day you parked in the wrong lot for your parking permit and accumulate thousands of dollars in fines.
The question isn't whether something will happen to you or not. It's how you'll handle it when it does.
If you're facing academic progress issues of any kind and for any reason, you need to know: attorney-advisor Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team are on your side. How can an attorney help? Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team know the law, but they also know how the University of Houston operates. They know who to talk to when problems come up and what to say. They've helped hundreds of students protect their academic careers. What can they do for you?
Academic Progression at the University of Houston
Academic progress at the University of Houston is defined by the school's academic standing policy. That policy sets the goals you should be meeting as a student and establishes punishments for when you aren't meeting them.
According to the UH policy, your primary goal is to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average. As long as you meet that mark, you remain in “good” standing. You're moving towards your degree at a good pace, and you can expect to graduate with no complications. Again, though, life has a funny way of intervening at the worst moments, and when it does, you may find it difficult to keep that 2.0. What happens when your GPA dips below that number?
- Academic Warning: If this is your first semester at UH, a GPA below 2.0 will earn you a “warning.” Warning status doesn't involve any special requirements. It's simply a reminder that college is tough, and you're going to have to work a bit harder than you did as a high school student.
- Academic Probation: If, at any point after that semester, your cumulative GPA should fall below 2.0, you'll be placed on probation. As part of probation, you'll be limited to no more than 13 credit hours a semester. You must also seek academic advising before you can register for classes. More importantly, you need to be working to raise your GPA back up to “good” standing levels. You can continue on probation as long as your semester GPA remains above 2.0. Fail to do that, though, and you'll find yourself suspended from the university.
- Academic Suspension: A first suspension lasts for at least one semester. Your return is not guaranteed and requires you to petition for readmission. Should you wind up on suspension again, you'll be away from the university for at least a full academic year. A third suspension means permanent dismissal.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
The University of Houston doesn't offer any formal means of appealing an academic standing decision. However, there are a number of informal ways to address the threat of a sanction.
- If your academic deficiencies are the result of some extenuating circumstance—a long-term illness, for example, or a family emergency—you can try appealing to the dean of your school or college for more time to improve.
- If an instructor has mistreated you in any way, you should bring that to the attention of the instructor's department head. You may be entitled to a grade adjustment.
- If you have a disability, you may be entitled to course accommodations. If your instructor doesn't implement these accommodations, you have the right to complain to your dean, and this, too, can result in a higher grade.
- If your low grade is related to an academic misconduct accusation, you have the right to challenge that decision in an official college hearing.
- Some faculty at UH are willing to assign makeup or extra credit work to students, especially if your grade is already borderline. You may have to ask for such work, though.
- Similarly, some instructors are willing to negotiate with students for higher grades. If your final exam score, for example, was high, it could indicate you mastered the course material and deserve to pass the course, even if your other scores don't add up to a passing grade.
Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team know all about these and other options for avoiding an academic sanction. Whether you're looking to gather evidence for an appeal or want coaching in how to negotiate with faculty, they can help you come up with a plan for academic success and put it into action.
Should the worst happen, though, and you find yourself suspended, they are also skilled at drafting readmission applications. Having worked on so many of these, they know exactly what admission committees are looking for, including what makes for the best evidence of your improvement.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor, Joseph D. Lento
We work in education law, and we hear it all the time: How is an attorney supposed to help me make it through college? It's a fair question. After all, it's not like you're on trial for shoplifting. You need help with your grades. That's normally a matter of studying harder or finding a tutor.
As the information on this page suggests, though, 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 and his Education Law team. That team was assembled specifically to handle student conduct and academic progress issues.
Joseph D. Lento and the Lento Law Firm 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 888-535-3686, or use our automated online form.
