In The Chronicle of Higher Education's, “She Took Her Oral Exams. 45 Years Later, She Filed Her Dissertation,” Professor Elisa Tamarkin shared a story about a student who wanted to file her dissertation after taking a 45-year leave of absence. She'd passed her oral exams in 1969, and had also held several staff positions at the university over the years. Although the student had worked informally on her dissertation with new advisers, in order to file her dissertation, she had to be a candidate for her degree.

Professor Tamarkin shares that she advocated for an exception to the time limit (normally five years) between sitting for qualifying exams and filing the dissertation. In fact, she petitioned for a 40-year extension, which was eventually denied. Subsequently, the student, who was now in her 70s, had to retake the qualifying exams. Fortunately, she did pass the qualifying oral exams, and was able to in turn, qualify for doctoral candidacy so that she could file her dissertation.

What this article highlights is a requirement that many colleges and universities have: satisfactory academic progress and failure to progress, two sides of the same coin. In this particular instance, students at Tamarkin's university have five years within which they can file their dissertation.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Failure to Progress

Let's take a quick look at Satisfactory Academic Progress. Title IV of the Higher Education Act requires students to meet several conditions in order to qualify for financial aid. This usually involves a minimum amount of enrollment and earned credits per semester or quarter, as well as a minimum cumulative GPA. Students also usually have to meet a pace of progression of 60% (Stanford offers a useful example of what this looks like in action). Stanford also has their own guidance around academic progress.

In New York State, the Higher Education Services Corporation (the financial aid agency for NY State) defines failure to make progress as “failing to accrue sufficient credits or … failing to achieve a sufficient cumulative grade point average.” Harvard Business School's MBA program details satisfactory academic progress and also outlines evaluation timelines for students.

Potential Consequences of Failure to Progress

Failure to progress, or not making satisfactory academic progress, can impact your financial aid eligibility and your status as a student. When you or your loved one has spent time and money on pursuing a degree, you don't want to waste it by having to leave the school or duplicate your efforts.

Experienced Attorney-Advisor to Assist You

Attorney Joseph Lento and the Lento Law Firm have worked with countless students across the nation who've faced similar (although usually less extreme) situations to the septuagenarian in The Chronicle's story. He can help you negotiate the best possible outcome. Call the Lento Law Firm at 888.535.3686 or contact us online to learn more.