Getting into the University of Washington is no given. It requires hard work, persistence, and no small amount of smarts. You're in now, of course. You did it. And, if there was any justice in the world, the next four years would be a chance to relax and prepare for your career at your own pace: no tests, no grades, and no stress.
No such luck. In fact, your life is about to get even more complicated. You just thought high school and the SATs were hard. No, you're facing rigorous courses taught by fussy professors and trying to learn the whole adulting thing at the same time. It's no wonder that many students who start at UW don't actually finish.
National Student Defense attorney-advisor, Joseph D. Lento, wants to make sure that you do.
You might well ask: how is an attorney supposed to help me get through college? Will he be tutoring me in freshman comp? No, but as it turns out, academic progression is often more about dealing with a school's bureaucracy than about how well you do on homework assignments and pop quizzes. And who knows how to handle bureaucracy better than lawyers? Joseph D. Lento has helped hundreds of students just like you avoid probation, suspension, and dismissal. If you're facing any of these outcomes, you owe it to yourself to find out just what he can do for you.
Academic Progression Requirements at the University of Washington
Students sometimes panic when they first arrive at the University of Washington. 120 credits to graduate, core requirements, major requirements, calculus: it's enough to make your head spin.
Success in college, though, is about setting a steady pace and remaining in “good academic standing” from one semester to the next. What does that mean, exactly? Simple: it means maintaining a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Falling below this average isn't necessarily a disaster. We all have poor quarters once in a while. However, when it does slip, you are placed on “academic probation.”
Assuming you bring your GPA back up, you're back in good standing. Alternatively, you can earn a 2.0 for the quarter and remain on probation, even if your cumulative GPA remains below that number.
Less than a 2.0 while on probation, though, means automatic dismissal from the university. While you can petition to be readmitted, the process is lengthy and requires you to write a personal statement and submit evidence that your work can improve if you are allowed to return.
Decision Processes
Academic standing decisions aren't normally subject to review. That's because they are a matter of numbers. Either you have managed to maintain a 2.0 GPA, or you haven't. Either you have managed to improve your grades during your probationary semester, or you haven't.
This does not mean, however, that you don't have options if you're facing academic progression issues. Faculty can and do make mistakes, for instance. Sometimes raising your GPA is as simple as asking a professor to recalculate your scores from the semester. Other instructors are willing to work with you to raise your grade, even after the semester has ended. They might issue you an Incomplete while you work through extra credit or makeup assignments, and that might be enough to save you from probation or dismissal.
Attorney-advisor, Joseph D. Lento, can explain these options to you and can help you determine which you should pursue. He's a skilled negotiator who can coach you in talking with professors or help you gather evidence to submit to an administrator. Of course, if the worst should happen and you should be dismissed, Joseph D. Lento also has experience helping students put reinstatement petitions together.
SAP Standards
University of Washington students who receive financial aid have an additional academic standard to worry about, known as SAP. SAP or Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, are required by the federal government to ensure that no student is allowed to take undue advantage of federal education funding.
Unlike issues of standing, the University of Washington SAP policy is administered by the Student Financial Aid office. That office holds you accountable for meeting two criteria.
- First, you must have a 2.0 GPA at the end of the spring semester each year.
- Second, you must complete your degree within a maximum of 225 attempted credits.
Note that these criteria are somewhat different than those used to determine academic standing. In fact, you can lose your right to financial aid and still continue as a student. However, many students who lose their federal support ultimately find it difficult to finish their degrees. And once you've lost eligibility, you remain ineligible. This means SAP decisions can be every bit as important, if not more important, than decisions about standing.
You can appeal the loss of financial aid at the University of Washington. Doing so requires demonstrating that some extenuating circumstances prevented you from meeting SAP standards. You should know, however, that it takes time for the Student Financial Aid office to process these appeals, up to three weeks, in fact. Even if your appeal is ultimately successful, you are not necessarily entitled to the same amount of funding you were before. Rather the school promises to provide you with as much funding as it can from currently available funds.
In short, if you're in danger of losing your financial aid, or you've already lost it, it's important you contact Joseph D. Lento as quickly as possible to find out how he can help.
Premier Education Attorney-Advisor
Students often feel they have to handle all their own problems once they enroll in college, and if they find themselves in trouble—especially academic trouble—it's up to them to find a way out of it. Now you know better. You know there are many ways to deal with academic issues and that there's someone out there ready to help you.
Joseph D. Lento has represented hundreds of students just like you in academic progress cases. He knows the processes, and he can offer suggestions for how to use them to your advantage. If you or your child is facing dismissal, or even if you have already been dismissed, you owe it to yourself to learn about what options might be available to you. To find out more, contact the Lento Law Firm today at 888-555-3686, or use our automated online form.
