University
What happens if you start failing at university?
Heading to university is really exciting. It’s a chance to gain specialised knowledge in a topic you’re passionate about, meet new people, and start down the path to a future career. But unfortunately, things don’t always go as we plan. If you’re thinking about applying to university, it’s good to be aware of your options, even if you don’t end up needing them. Read about what you can do if you’re concerned about what happens if you start failing at university.
What happens if you fail?
First of all, just breathe – failing an assignment, exam, or subject isn’t the end of the world (even though it might feel like it). If you find yourself in this situation, here are some things you can or might need to do:
- Re-take the subject at a later date, if it’s compulsory for your degree
- Take a different subject instead, if it’s an elective
- Defer future subject enrolment, if the subject you fail is a prerequisite
- Complete a supplementary assignment or exam to receive a pass, if you’re offered one
If you fail a subject more than once or fail multiple subjects in a semester, it’s likely the university will contact you to see how you’re doing and offer support. Note that in some circumstances, you can be excluded from study if you fail several subjects and make no attempt to engage with the university.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you will still need to pay any course fees for subjects you fail. And if you re-take the subject later, you’ll have to pay the fee again.
What to do if you’re concerned about failing
If you’re worried about failing an assignment or subject at university, there are several things you can do, both before and after it happens. Let’s take a look.
Defer your starting date
After 12 years of schooling, perhaps you need a break to renew your enthusiasm for learning. In this case, deferring may be an option for you. You can often defer from anywhere between a single semester up to the entire year.
There are very few universities that won’t let you defer, but make sure you double check before you submit any applications. There are sometimes specific courses where you can’t defer your enrolment, particularly ones that are in high demand or have limited spaces, such as medicine.
Take a pause
If you start your course and find that it’s all becoming a bit too much, speak to your tutors, faculty, and admin staff about taking some time out. In many cases, you can put your studies on hold for a while and come back when you’re feeling ready.
If you don’t want to step away from study completely, you might also be able to look at changing to part-time enrolment and studying fewer subjects at a time.
Ask for special consideration
Universities often offer special consideration to students going through tough times beyond their control, such as disability, illness or injury, family bereavement, or natural disasters. In some cases, students with other important commitments (e.g. elite athletes and musicians, carers, etc.) can also apply for special consideration.
If you are granted special consideration, the university can make arrangements to adjust your workload, assignments, and/or exams. The adjustments are usually unique to your case and are up to the discretion of the university.
Apply for an extension
Have a big assignment deadline looming and know that you won’t be able to complete the work in time, or not to the standard you’d like? Speak to your lecturer or tutor and see if you can negotiate an extension.
As long as you have a valid reason (for example, you’ve been sick, your employment hours have changed, or you had to take time out for a placement), they’ll probably grant your request and give you some extra time to submit your work.
Consider changing courses
It can be hard to know in high school if your chosen course will tick all your boxes. If you find you’re not enjoying your course because it’s too hard, different to what you expected, not engaging, or even because you changed your mind, your university can help you transfer to a different course.
The internal transfer process differs between each university, so we recommend you seek advice about the process from staff on site, including academic advisors, lecturers or tutors, and the student support department.
Find help
If you’re finding the transition to university difficult or you’re struggling to understand the content one of your subjects, speak to your lecturers and/or tutors. They might be able to provide you with extra resources or materials or help clarify a concept you’re unfamiliar with. Even if they can’t help, they’ll know where to direct you for support.
Most universities have a student support department you can engage with. They often hold information sessions and workshops for students on building study skills and adapting to university life, and can go through your options with you if you need extra support.
You might also like to form or join a study group and seek support from your peers – many of them are probably also going through the same thing, and it can help to brainstorm with other people.
Universities want to help you succeed
Fails and drop outs aren’t great business for universities – so it’s in their best interests to do everything they can to help you pass your subjects and course, and ultimately graduate. So before you consider giving up and leaving, if you’re really set on achieving your goal, rest assured there are lots of options for you to consider.
Plus, universities offer more than just academic support. They also have counselling and personal support services for students as well. The earlier you engage with these services, the more likely it is that they can help you succeed.
Re-framing failure
We know that the feeling of failing an exam, assignment, or subject really sucks. And you’ve probably already heard time and time again about how failure is just a part of life…but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.
What might make you feel a bit better is knowing that you’re definitely not alone. Around a quarter of all students who start a university degree never end up finishing – and often this is due to circumstances out of their control, such as a pandemic, health problems, or cost of living pressure.
It’s also important to acknowledge that university just isn’t for everyone. You’re expected to do a lot of independent learning and research, and the marking criteria is much more strict than what you might be used to in school. If you find this style of learning doesn’t really gel with you, that’s totally OK too. Remember, there is often more than one way to get from A to B – and these days there are more alternatives to university than ever.
And yes, we know it’s totally cliché, but sometimes failure is ultimately what leads to success. It might motivate you to try even harder or do something completely new. Some of the most successful people in the world are very well-versed with failure – James Dyson built over 5,000 prototypes of his cyclone vacuum cleaner before finally creating one that worked, all while he and his family struggled financially.
“While failure may initially be a blow to your confidence and even put you in financial trouble, it is not the end of the road. If nations can fail, do not be deterred when you do. Rather than running away, embrace and learn from it.”
Christian Harrison, The Conversation
Find out more
We have lots of other blogs and advice on your future study options on our website here.