Let’s say a college offers automatic tuition for NMSF with a GPA of 3.0. Student meets both of those criteria easily. However, said student also has 3 D’s on transcript. Is the college obliged to admit this student?
Unless there’s a legal violation, the school always has the discretion to do as it sees fit.
Read the fine print. This may be a case where the aid is guaranteed for a student who is admitted, but where the admission itself is not guaranteed.
The student should contact the university in question, and find out whether he/she does meet the criteria for admission and guaranteed merit given the Ds on the transcripts.
They are not required to admit you. Moreover, at many, 3 D’s, particularly if they are in college prep courses (math, English, language, lab science, or social studies) create a real risk of not being admitted regardless of being NMSF.
It’s in English; I wonder if passing the AP English exam will make a difference. We’ve contacted a far off school we hope to visit this summer; we’re not going to travel 13 hours if not being admitted is a strong possibility.
“Let’s say a college offers automatic tuition for NMSF with a GPA of 3.0. Student meets both of those criteria easily. However, said student also has 3 D’s on transcript.”
The 3 D’s will probably eliminate your child from reaching NMF standing.
Those D’s also mean his application will be rejected at many colleges. A student’s transcript is the MOST important factor in admissions decisions.
Check the school’s admission web site to see if it lists specific high school course requirements and minimum grades for frosh admission. E.g. it may list “four years of high school English with C or higher grades”. Of course, whether passing the AP English exam is an alternative way to fulfill such a requirement is something else to check.
The site gives the required classes, but doesn’t mention grades. I haven’t consulted S17 on the matter yet, and won’t unless the college says admission could be a problem, but I’m thinking taking college level English at the local community college may be a possible course of action if needed.
@menloparkmom, he’s already resigned himself to not making NMF. Not putting in the required effort in 2 classes has cost him going to his first choice (Drexel), since he would have gotten full tuition with NMF. It’s a hard lesson to learn.
“I’m thinking taking college level English at the local community college
may be a possible course of action if needed”
If he does that AFTER he has graduated from HS then he will have to apply as a TRANSFER student, NOT as a freshman.
So eliminate that thought.
BUT, if he goes to community college after graduation [ Are you in the US? 13hrs to travel makes me think you are not?] , AND does well in college level classes, he WILL have good chance at transferring to better colleges.
He is going to need cast a very wide net to find a college that will overlook those D’s as a freshman applicant.
Can he take the D classes over?
Summer school, accredited online high school may be two options. Online high school you can start now and then submit the positive results to the National Merit people and your high school. State colleges often have online high school classes. Sometimes local school districts have them as well. Your son should get a B or higher. Really an A should be doable with effort. You have to act now. You still have a chance. Redo those classes now. Shoot for A’s. It will require a lot of daily work from the student, and daily support from the parent. It is doable.
No, we’re in the US. It’s a long trip because we’ll be driving. I’m thinking of taking the class over the summer after Jr. year (this summer). He’s in a very competitive math/science magnet program, and I don’t think he’s made less than a B in a magnet class. It will be interesting to see what we hear from the college I contacted (it’s University of Mississippi, by the way). If they say it’s a problem, it will be for other schools as well.
Does you high school have grade replacement? Many allow the student to retake the course and while the D is still listed on the transcript, so is the replacement grade. The Nat’l Merit people probably won’t care, but many schools will.
I heard from the admissions office at Ole Miss; they said it won’t be a problem. The main reason I was concerned about them specifically is because of the automatic merit aid for NMSF; I thought they could get around it by just not admitting a student with a D on the transcript. Retaking it isn’t an option, and I doubt S would do it unless it were required by the school.
Are you sure all those D’s will be on the transcript? I think our high school provides a transcript with one averaged grade per year per class. My S16 has a couple of D’s for quarters but they won’t show on his transcript because the other quarters were better so the average was C or B.
He did get them for the year. Sad thing is he got A’s and B’s in “hard” classes.