If my grades are bad, can I still go to college? The short answer is yes. I’ve worked with a number of students who had bad grades in high school but went on to do well in college. I’ve also worked with a few, however, who weren’t quite ready for prime time.

So while the answer is yes, a student with bad grades can still go to college. There are other questions that we must consider to determine the best course of action for a student with low grades.

Why Are Your Grades Bad?

First of all, why are your grades so poor? Is it because you experienced some sort of traumatic event early in high school that has colored your experience? For example, students who lose a parent or sibling may lose focus in high school, and their performance may suffer. Illness also can have a negative impact on one’s academic performance. Missing a lot of schools can make it difficult to keep up.

However, if your grades reflect poor choices on your part, it’s going to be harder to convince an admissions officer that you’re really college material. If you skip class, neglect to hand in assignments, or refuse to study for tests, perhaps continuing with school is not really something you want to do. I’ve had some students tell me that they really want to go to college, but that they really hate school. I have to remind them that college is, in fact, school.

And this fact leads to some other troubling facts. Generally only slightly more than half of students who start a four-year degree complete it—even within six years. There are many reasons for which students may not complete their Bachelor’s degree. However, students with poor academic records in high school are among the least likely to graduate from college. In fact, if you graduate within the bottom 25% of your high school class, statistically you have less chance of completing your Bachelor’s degree

Before you lose heart, remember that these are aggregate statistics. You may well be one of the people who beats the statistical odds. Still, you need to consider carefully whether more school is really your best route to success. Or whether you should consider other routes.

If Your Grades Are Bad, You Have Choices

Certainly, the structure of university life is very different from the more rigid structures of secondary school. But you will still be expected to do your homework. As well as attend lectures and labs, study for tests, and write research papers. High schools are pretty much required to let you keep coming back to class despite your poor performance. However, a college or university can throw you out if you refuse to do the academic work.

Thus it is crucial for you to consider whether your current poor choices really will change once you arrive on a college campus. Or, if you were one of those students who suffers some sort of personal setback, extenuating circumstance, or other difficulty. You might want to ask whether the circumstances have changed enough for you to refocus yourself academically and perform better in the future.

Assuming that you have made the decision to pursue college despite your lackluster transcript. Or that your circumstances have changed enough for you to succeed, then you need to consider which educational path will be the best for you.

Your choices may be more limited than those of an academically focused student. But you still have choices.

Start at a Community College If Your Grades are Bad

Most community colleges have “open enrollment” policies, whereby anyone—regardless of academic history—can enroll. You may be asked to take a basic placement test in English and mathematics. This is to ensure that you have the fundamental skills to do college-level work.  Those who perform poorly on these tests will be asked to take some remedial work before starting college-level work. But if you can pass these placement tests, then you’re off and running.

It’s cheaper

Community colleges also are much less expensive than four-year colleges, generally speaking. Therefore if you are worried about whether you really can improve your performance in college, then it makes sense to spend a bit less money to prove to yourself that you are ready and that you can succeed.

Courses that transfer

The best thing about starting at a community college is that many, many courses are automatically transferable to your state’s four-year institution. Thus you can conceivably take all your general education requirements at the community college. And transfer to your state college or university without losing any credits. Of course, you will need to research exactly which credits are transferable and which are not.  But if you perform well (and perhaps even complete your Associate’s degree) at the community college, you will find that you have become a highly desirable candidate for admission. Even at competitive colleges and universities that would never have even considered you at the end of your (less than stellar) high school career.

One example of how community colleges can be the gateway to a four-year college is in Massachusetts. Community colleges are offering pre-engineering Associates degrees that are easily transferred not only to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst but also to Northeastern University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Western New England College.

Get your diploma from a flagship university

Thus even students with poor high school grades may be able to graduate from their state flagship university. Or even a selective private university. For example, I worked with a student whose high school record was very poor. And whose parents refused to pay for anything more than community college. Their philosophy is that their son had squandered four years of cost-free public high school. They were unwilling to pay for him to continue to make bad choices. 

They did tell him, however, that if he earned his associate’s degree from the local community college—at his own expense—that they would pay for whatever four-year college he would accept him. At the end of two years, he got into a selective, private university as a transfer student. His Bachelor’s diploma bears the name of that four-year university. Only people who know him well have any idea that barely graduated from high school with a D average!

If Your Grades are Bad, Attend a Less-Selective Four-Year College or University

Many public and private colleges and universities that are relatively forgiving of a poor high school record.  In fact, the vast majority of colleges and universities in the US accept 75% or more of the students who apply. In order to admit you in good conscience, however, it will be critical for you to convince the admissions people that your circumstances have changed. That you have mended your ways. And that your past choices will not determine those that you will make in the future.

Some colleges like to see improvement

Some colleges also specialize in assisting these “diamonds in the rough” or “late bloomers.” They provide extra academic support. And may have more requirements (including, for example, taking attendance in lectures). Other colleges may accept students on a provisional or probationary basis. You are accepted on the assumption that you will maintain your grades at a certain level. Or else you will be asked not to return for the next semester.

For students with learning differences that have had a marked negative impact on their academic performance will want to make sure they apply to schools that can help them to develop strategies for future success. These schools have learning specialists, adaptive technologies, professional tutors, and many other resources that can help ensure academic success.

Choose a college wisely:  it’s not about admission, it’s about graduation

Students with weak academic histories who elect to go directly to a four-year college need to be especially careful in choosing an appropriate college. They also need to be brutally honest with themselves about how the relative lack of daily structure. The increased expectations of personal responsibility, and the existence of countless campus distractions and temptations all may conspire to lure students into a continuation of their bad choices. Students who really want to change bad habits will need to pick colleges that will help them stay on the straight and narrow.

By the same token, it is also important to keep in mind that it can be hard to go “cold turkey” into a life of stoic, academic asceticism. If you cannot find ways to balance a bit of fun with serious academic study, then you are likely to become unhappy. And you may not stick with college long enough to complete your degree and achieve your goals.

Take Some Time Out

If high school has not been successful for you, perhaps you need to take some time out to work, travel the world, or otherwise get your act together. Many students have a difficult time seeing the direct relevance of academic work to their lives. They are confused about their direction in life. And they may not be listening to the adults in their lives who harp at them about the importance of a college education.

Gap year

I often recommend a gap year or interim experience for students who do want to continue their education, but who are not really ready to dedicate themselves to more classroom time, more homework assignments, and more final exams. Taking a gap year (or two) can be a very healthy alternative. For some students, especially if they take the time and effort to plan their year. Planning is key: the difference between stopping out and dropping out is a well-conceived plan.

What you do depends on your imagination and your interests. For example, you may decide to focus on the world of work by pursuing an internship or apprenticeship. For example, Dynamy, in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a well-regarded year-long internship experience to help students gain experience and explore possible career paths. Others may choose to perform community services, through organizations such as City Year or AmeriCorps. Even taking some time to be a ski bum. (perhaps earning a ski instructor’s certification from Flying Fish) This can give a student the time and space to figure out how a college education fits into their own priorities.

Join the military

The military, too, can serve as a solid plan for taking time out from school. You can learn valuable skills, train for a profession, and serve your country. And then, once you are ready for college, the government will help you pay for it.

But what will colleges think if you don’t go directly from high school to college? Colleges are happy to accept older, more directed students.  As we have discussed, about half of students who start college complete their degrees in six years. If you apply after a year or two of work experience, travel, or internships, you will be more mature. As well as more directed as you enter college. From the college’s perspective, you are probably more likely to complete your degree than the pea-green freshman who has no idea what he wants out of college.

As an example, every year my alma mater profiles non-traditional students who are admitted to Dartmouth. I had several classmates who were much older than I was. Who had been in the military, or who had spent a few years building log cabins, who had focused on their athletic abilities for a while, who had established their own business. Or who had just bummed around until they figured out how a college education fit into their personal goals. Sometimes—and for some people—taking time out between high school and college can be a wise choice.

So to come back to our original question. Even a student with poor grades in high school still has a shot at a college education. The American educational system allows for second chances. It’s not completely unusual to hear of people in their 80s and 90s who finally achieve their goal of a college education. Your high school grades may make it impossible for you to walk a straight line right into college.  But if you make good choices, develop some self-discipline, and set goals for yourself, you can attain all your goals—and more.

If My Grades Are Bad, Can I Still Go to College:  FAQs

If I fail a class in high school, can I still go to college?

Yes.  Of course you have to consider how you can make up for that bad grade (retake the course, or perhaps take something else that is similar). And you have to think about how you’ll explain that big, fat F on your transcript. Perhaps it was temporary insanity that you just didn’t study. Perhaps you didn’t realize until it was too late that you needed help. Perhaps there were extenuating circumstances in your life that distracted you. Or perhaps it was just an ugly mistake for which you must atone. One mistake will not prevent you from achieving your academic goals. But you need to be clear-eyed about the reasons for the failure and do whatever you can to avoid making a similar mistake in the future.

How should I explain the failure on my college application?

It depends on the application. Most will have an open-ended question that allows you to address particular information about your academic record.  On the Common App, the “additional information” section is a good place for you to do this.  As noted, you have to be honest and open about the reasons for the failure.  On the application, be direct, concise, and factual. Don’t go into the emotions. Don’t make excuses. Recount the story (briefly!) and describe the steps you have taken in the wake of the failure to ensure that it will not happen again. Don’t make empty promises:  give evidence of the “new you.”

How can my school counselor help me if my grades are bad?

In most cases, your high school counselor will be well-aware of your failure. That person may have been instrumental in helping your correct the problem. No matter how involved the counselor has been, if that person is going to write a recommendation in support of your application, you need to discuss the failure and what you have done to correct it. You need the counselor to be your ally and perhaps provide more evidence that you have mended your ways and that whatever happened in the past is unlikely to reoccur in the future. Again, evidence is important. Can the counselor point to specific actions you have taken, changes in behavior, or attest to the external events that may have contributed to the problem? If so, ask the counselor to include such evidence in their recommendation. 

What about the teacher whose class I failed?

In some cases, the teacher who failed you might be in no mood to support your application to college. However, teachers are rarely vindictive. They want to see their students learn and grow and change. And if you figured out a way to make amends for your failure, you might want to share that turnaround with the teacher. And if the teacher is kind, he or she might even write a letter of recommendation to support your application. In some ways, this teacher might be best placed to demonstrate that you have turned a corner and that whatever happened is now in the past and your future should not be hindered by a single mistake. 

What else can I do if my grades are bad?

Get professional help. The team at Great College Advice is adept at helping students who failed a course–or two or three–in high school. Many schools are ready to welcome students who have had less-than-optimal academic experiences in high school. If you have made changes in how you approach the responsibilities of school and remain eager to get into college, you can do it. Give us a call or complete our contact form. We’d be happy to talk to you about how we can help you get into college, even if your grades are bad. 

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant