Many students have asked me how to transfer to another college when their GPA has dropped, maybe even below 2.0. Once that happens, they fall into what I have called the “transference trap.” However, depending on your situation, there may be different options or ways of thinking about transferring to another university. Above all, it depends on the student to be open to other universities or other paths, and to be willing to make sacrifices to get what he really wants. For example, they may initially be rejected by a college they really want to attend, but have been told what they need to do to get accepted. Other colleges may accept the student for a variety of reasons, but may only offer “trial” clearance if they are expected to do well in their first semester. It is possible to transfer to another university with a low GPA, but it depends on many factors, such as the university or what the student expects from a new school. Below are some ways to deal with the college transfer issue and some things I learned that I hope will be helpful to you.
Apply to more than one school
Financial aid may run out
More than two-thirds of Florida students have dropped out of school because their financial aid has dried up. Usually, this happened because they weren’t keeping their grades up to the level needed to receive aid or because they were receiving credits too slowly. Most financial aid programs are not suitable for students who take more years to complete a bachelor’s program, for example.
More than half of the students in the Florida study dropped out simply because they didn’t know how much tuition, fees and textbooks would cost at first. For some, the basic expenses of school life, such as rent, utilities, health care or childcare, were too much to handle. One important caveat that many students ignore is that tuition and other costs can add up relatively quickly over the four years of a bachelor’s program. In your senior year, your expenses may be much higher than in your first year.
What can you do if you fail just one course?
Most colleges and universities allow students who fail a course to retake it. The first course, along with the failing grade received, will always appear on the academic record. However, it is the new grade earned for the same course that counts toward your GPA, not the old one.
Having a lot of bad grades shouldn’t stop you from doing your best to get a college degree. Likewise, earning a failing grade should not prevent you from graduating.
Your “GPA” starts over at a new college
Even if your old GPA is used to find out where you are, your GPA will start at a new college. The GPA is unique for each university, it is not something continuous. You will have a different GPA for each university.