Can a Professor Pass a Failing Student? (Everything You Must Know 2024)

A student has to go through a lot of things and have to take off multiple things including grades, submitting assignments, etc. But in all these things a student also needs to make connections with their professors. It is not because they teach them but because of the fear of getting a fail in the classroom. Although your pass or fail will depend upon how you did in your exams, but still many students are still confused about whether can a Professor pass a failing student or not.

Quick Takeaways

• If you are getting a pass, and if your terms are not right with the professor then they may fail you.
• There may be several reasons why the professor can fail you including wrong behaviour, missing the class, cheating, etc.
• If your professor is failing you deliberately you can definitely complain about them to the head of the institution.

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of whether a professor can fail you or not.

Can a professor pass a failing student?

A professor has the capability to change your final grade irrespective of what you have earned. It means that even if you were about to fail, your professors can change your grades and give you a pass. On the other hand, if you are getting a pass, and if your terms are not right with the professor then they may fail you. However, it is unethical and your professor is not allowed to fail you for an unnecessary reason. There are terms and conditions set by the institution which depict when a professor can fail you. Therefore further we have discussed some of the reasons why a professor can fail you.

What are the reasons why your professor may fail you?

Following are the reasons why a professor may be failing you-

1. Wrong Behaviour

If you are having wrong or inappropriate behaviour with your professor then they may have full rights to fail you in the classroom. Obviously, no professor would want to get disrespect from their students. When you get rude to them they will definitely try to push you down.

2. Poor preparation

There are many students who do not give their 100% when they are studying. Of course, it makes the professor angry as they are putting their full efforts into teaching you. In such a case a professor may fail you if you do not perform well in the classroom. However, most of the institutions feel that it is totally wrong.

3. Cheating 

If you have cheated in the exam then it will not even take seconds for your professor to fail you. It is because cheating is totally unethical and unacceptable. If you think that your Professor will never get to know that you have cheated on the exam then you are wrong. This is because there are many students who email the professors regarding cheating in the classroom.

4. Missing up classes

There are a lot of students who do not go to class every day resulting in losing the required attendance. In such a scenario your professor has all the rights to fail you or may not even let you sit for the exam. Thus you must make sure that you are regularly attending the class so that your attendance does not fail much.

In addition to that, one thing that you must remember is that you must not try to date your professors. It is because you may be dating the professor and suddenly had a breakup. In such a scenario, to take revenge on you, they may fail you.

What to do if a professor is failing you purposely?

Following are the things that you should do if a professor is failing you-

• You must have the right paperwork or must have evidence that may validate that you were right.
• You can try to communicate with your professor directly through an email or through a face-to-face meeting. However, make sure that whatever you say is not against your professor. Tell them why getting a wrong fail may affect you.
• If necessary go to the college dean, and inform them of the business that the professor is having towards you. If you have evidence try to show them so that your case becomes stronger.
• Try to talk to the students who have earlier pas from the professor. You may find a student who has faced a similar situation and can get guidance on what to do next.
• You can also file a complaint against your professor who is not at all good at teaching or is unfair in grading.

How to know if the professor will fail you?

The first thing that will help you to identify if the professor is about to fail you is checking his or her body language. Generally, the professor gets pissed off with the students who have not done well in their academics. Further, they may be mocking you down in front of other students intentionally or may be giving you the hardest topics of the subjects for the assignments.

Additionally, their behavior towards other students will be much better than yours. There could be several reasons like you disrespect them or make fun of them, due to which they may have started hating you. If you were in a relationship with them, and suddenly had a break up with them, they may fail you.

Do professors like failing students?

There will be times when you will think that your professor likes to fail the student but in actuality, it is not true. Your professors are used there to help you grow in your life and not to fail you. If you think that your Professor really wants to fail you there may be some reasons behind it. If your professor thinks that you are not giving 100% of you in the academics then definitely they will fail you.

One thing you must also remember is that for most of the professors, it is very hard for the professors to fail their students, but they do for the betterment of the students. However, on the other hand, some professors may fail the students deliberately just for some personal or unnecessary reasons. In such a case you can also complain about them.

What will happen if the professor fails you?

There could be several outcomes if the professor fails you. The first thing is obviously the falling of your final GPA score. Your final GPA plays a crucial role even in your career growth. Further getting fail means you will have to repeat the whole semester again. It means that you will have to repeat one whole year which will definitely add to your tuition fee and may also make you feel depressed.

Another thing that may happen is that the place where you are applying may also look for other candidates because you have an F on your mark sheet. Thus if you think that you are about to fail, you must try to get in contact with your professor. In addition to that you can also make a complaint about your professor if they are intentionally failing you.

Conclusion

Your professors definitely can make you fail even if you get a pass. It is ethically wrong and you can make a complaint about it to the head of the institution or at the administrator department. However, you must check out the rules and regulations of the institution first. It is because there can be several reasons why your professor may be allowed to fail you like this respecting them missing up the classes or cheating in the exam. Additionally, you must try to talk to the professor directly as getting a field in the class may have a great impact on your career and you may have to retake the whole semester.