If you're a student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, you know: they don't just give those diplomas away. Graduating with a degree requires four years of hard work—going to classes, studying for exams, researching, and writing papers. The fact is, not everyone makes it to the end. UMBC has a strict academic standing policy, and if you can't meet expectations, you can find yourself dismissed from the university.
You've put in a lot of hard work up to this point. It was no easy task just getting in, for instance. You don't want to see all that effort go to waste. If you're struggling to meet academic progress requirements, you need a plan, and you need it now.
Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team understand how difficult college can be these days, and they're committed to making sure you have every opportunity to succeed. They know the UMBC system; they're comfortable talking to faculty and administrators; they have years of experience helping students just like you navigate confusing rules and regulations. Before you reach the point of dismissal, take the time to contact the Lento Law Firm and let them help you come up with a plan to get back on track.
Academic Progression at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
UMBC's academic standing policy is designed to help you succeed as a student. That is, there are trigger points where the school lets you know exactly where you stand so that you can make any adjustments you might need in order to improve.
Make no mistake, though: that policy also authorizes UMBC to take punitive action against you if you seem to be struggling academically. It's important, then, that you understand exactly how the policy works.
The key to steady progress at UMBC is keeping your cumulative grade point average above 2.0. As long as you do that, you remain in “good” standing. Of course, life has a funny way of stepping in sometimes and disrupting your best intentions. Maybe you took too many difficult classes in a single term. Maybe you were in a car accident that kept you out of class for a few days or weeks. Whatever the reason, what happens if your GPA falls below that magic 2.0 number?
- Warning: If your term GPA falls for a semester, but your cumulative GPA remains above the 2.0 mark, the school issues you an academic warning. This is simply a reminder that you need to work harder to do better the next semester.
- Probation: If, however, your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, you are placed on probation. You may be asked to sign up for “intensive advising” or an “academic skills course.” In addition, your probationary status is noted on your transcript. That can have repercussions later when it's time to go looking for that first job out of college. Your biggest concern if you're on probation, though, is getting off of it. If you can't raise your GPA, you can wind up suspended from the university.
- Suspension: You can continue on probation for three semesters. At that point, however, if your cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 and your most recent term GPA is below 2.0 as well, you are suspended from UMBC. You should know that your return is not guaranteed. You must petition the school for reinstatement, and generally, the school expects you to have completed at least 12 hours of work at another institution and to have earned at least a 2.5 for this work. Otherwise, you are only eligible for readmission after you have been away from the school for “a significant period of time.”
- Dismissal: When you return from suspension, you are placed on probation once again. If you cannot return to good standing in two semesters, you then face dismissal from UMBC.
Dealing With Academic Standing Decisions
The UMBC standing policy says nothing about how you might go about challenging an academic sanction like probation or suspension. That's because decisions are usually based on objective facts—your grade point averages—and normally, these aren't subject to review.
However, there are ways of dealing with academic progress issues before they get out of hand and lead to dismissal.
- Again, sometimes low grades are the result of extenuating circumstances. Maybe you suffered through a difficult long-term illness. Maybe you had to deal with a family emergency. If that's the case, you can try appealing to your school or college dean for more time to improve.
- Some low grades are the result of recording errors or miscalculations. It happens more often than you might think. If you've kept copies of your work, it's usually easy to get an instructor to submit a grade change form correcting the mistake.
- If you've been accused of cheating, your instructor may have lowered your grade on an assignment or your course grade. You have the right to challenge these decisions.
- You should never suffer mistreatment in the classroom. If an instructor is treating you unfairly, you can bring that to the attention of the instructor's department head or your dean.
- A few faculty are open to negotiation if you approach them in an appropriate way. You might, for instance, have an argument that your final exam score demonstrates you mastered the material enough to have passed the course.
- Likewise, some faculty are willing to assign extra credit or makeup work to help you raise your grade. This is more likely to work if your grade is already borderline, and you only need a few points to make up the difference.
Joseph D. Lento and his Education Law Team know all the possibilities when it comes to academic progress issues. They can tell you which avenues to pursue, and they can help you figure out who to talk to and what to say. And, if worse comes to worst and you should find yourself suspended, they're also skilled at putting together reinstatement petitions.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor, Joseph D. Lento
Students sometimes ask: how exactly is an attorney-advisor supposed to help me with academic issues? It's a fair question. It's not like you're on trial for shoplifting. You need help with your grades.
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 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
