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Suing my university

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y_L

Member
My university has given undergraduate students the option for a credit/ no credit regarding the grading for this semester. As a graduate student they are saying that this can only be applied to undergraduate students. As I have been impacted by the COVID-19 also, I think that its extremely unfair for a university to only offer help to undergraduate students, and basically ignore the graduate student. I have one class that I did not do well in to be graded as a credit on my transcript, as it has significantly lowered my GPA. Without the no credit option I will be on academic probation. Also I am currently applying to medical school, so this is impacting my future admittance to other schools also. Can I sue for unfair practices or something of that ilk?
 


Just Blue

Senior Member
My university has given undergraduate students the option for a credit/ no credit regarding the grading for this semester. As a graduate student they are saying that this can only be applied to undergraduate students. As I have been impacted by the COVID-19 also, I think that its extremely unfair for a university to only offer help to undergraduate students, and basically ignore the graduate student. I have one class that I did not do well in to be graded as a credit on my transcript, as it has significantly lowered my GPA. Without the no credit option I will be on academic probation. Also I am currently applying to medical school, so this is impacting my future admittance to other schools also. Can I sue for unfair practices or something of that ilk?
What state? Public or private University?
 

cbg

I'm a Northern Girl
No. Well, you can, but you won't get anywhere. It is perfectly legal to treat graduate and undergraduate students differently.
 
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PayrollHRGuy

Senior Member
I have one class that I did not do well in to be graded as a credit on my transcript, as it has significantly lowered my GPA.
Do you have any reason to think you would have done better had the virus not hit? You haven't mentioned any reason.
 

zddoodah

Active Member
Can I sue for unfair practices or something of that ilk?
Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but a lawsuit based on what you described would be beyond frivolous. No law requires universities to apply the same policies to undergrads and graduate students.


Do you have any reason to think you would have done better had the virus not hit? You haven't mentioned any reason.
Good question. I'm also wondering if the OP inquired of the teacher, etc. about taking an incomplete and repeating the class or other options.
 

y_L

Member
Do you have any reason to think you would have done better had the virus not hit? You haven't mentioned any reason.
First, we were out of school for 2 weeks while they shifted to the online platform, as soon as we started classes they were doubling up on material to catch up. I've never taken an online course, so we switched platforms, and they gave us no tutorial on how to use the new software, it was a literal learn as you go. Next, the professor was overwhelmed with grading and getting assignment grades back weeks later than usual, so it wasn't until the last two weeks of class that I really understood where my standing was. After inquiring about how grades were looking the response was fine, I'm behind on grading, but your doing fine. There has been grading issue due to formatting problems when uploading assignments, so answers were being marked incorrectly, and it was only changes when brought to the instructors attention, being that we still have not received all of our graded assignments and final grades are being input, there wasn't even an opportunity to go over the assignments.
 

y_L

Member
Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but a lawsuit based on what you described would be beyond frivolous. No law requires universities to apply the same policies to undergrads and graduate students.




Good question. I'm also wondering if the OP inquired of the teacher, etc. about taking an incomplete and repeating the class or other options.
They have not given any other options that won't impact my GPA, and I am currently applying to Medical schools, so this is affecting my application. Suing is probably not the best idea, but I am unaware of anything else legally binding that can be done in this situation.
 

zddoodah

Active Member
You wrote a lot of words but didn't actually answer either the question that "PayrollHRGuy" asked or the implied question in my prior response.

Do you think you would have done better but for the virus? That's a yes or no question.

Did you inquire about taking an "incomplete" and repeating the course or other options? Telling me that "[t]hey have not given [you] any other options" doesn't answer that question.

Your situation sounds awfully unfortunate, but you don't have any basis to sue, so you need to consider other options.
 

y_L

Member
Yes, I would definitely have done better. And they said that repeat the course, but it will still affect my GPA. This affecting my GPA could ultimately put me on academic probation. I'm kind of going back and forth with the school, so I was wondering if there was anything legal that could help in this case, but it sounds like this situation is up to the whim of my university.
 

quincy

Senior Member
Yes, I would definitely have done better. And they said that repeat the course, but it will still affect my GPA. This affecting my GPA could ultimately put me on academic probation. I'm kind of going back and forth with the school, so I was wondering if there was anything legal that could help in this case, but it sounds like this situation is up to the whim of my university.
Your GPA had to be low to begin with if you now fear academic probation for doing poorly in the course. You do not get academic probation over failure in one course.

You can appeal your grade.
 

y_L

Member
I'm in an honors program with a scholarship, we have to maintain a 3.5, I was only at a 3.6. I asked about appealing, but I was told the likelihood I would win is low due to the type of program I am in.
 

quincy

Senior Member
I'm in an honors program with a scholarship, we have to maintain a 3.5, I was only at a 3.6. I asked about appealing, but I was told the likelihood I would win is low due to the type of program I am in.
Interesting.

You might want to plan on repeating the course then.
 

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