What do you think ?

Our school's handbook states that the policy can and may be changed throughout the program. I do think it is unfair that they didn't tell you of this change when it was implemented. I don't think that it's an unreasonable policy to have an exam average of 76.45% or greater, though.

Perhaps there should have been more timely notification of the policy change, but ultimately it boils down to four words:

Their school. Their rules.

My school has a policy of you have to have an average exam grade of a 78% or better, and then you also have to still have a 78% or better after the assignments are added in. We also have to pass math proficiency exams and if we fail those, then we fail the class they are in as well. So we have 2-3 ways to fail a course.

Same, if we failed dosage calc (2 attempts), lab skills eval (2-3 attempts), clinical fail, or less than 75% we failed the class. Usually our homework wasn't graded and we relied primarily on exams and/or papers for grades.

Fairness has no bearing on the issue at hand. To pass and get your authorization to take the NCLEX you have to follow their rules. Is it right? They should have informed the students of the change but like others have said most handbooks state that they can make changes at will.

To answer your question about speculation that we would not attend this school because of this policy I would say in short, yes. Minimum standards should apply and quite frankly the standards set are far easier than what many of us have endured. In the program I graduated from you had to have above a 78% in three areas; homework, unit exams, and midterm and final exams. Not only that but we had to pass three separate dosage calculation exams where we must score 100% with only two attempts.

Do everything you can to not be near the pass/fail line and get it done. Don't let stuff like this derail your education.

I agree with PPs. "Fairness" is subjective, and the interpretation can be heavily skewed depending upon one's unique circumstances. "Equitablity" is more applicable in this case - as long as everyone has to follow the same rule and meet the same standard, it's OK.

Life is unfair. You will learn this lesson over and over. But let me ask you this, so what if it's not "fair"? I mean, really. Do you expect they will change this policy because people deem it unfair? I want to know because I see this question posted from time to time. A school changes their grading policy and everyone is immediately up in arms. This is so unfair, how can they do this? I've seen some people who want to bring a lawsuit over it. That makes no sense at all. The time and money involved in that when, you will have graduated..... Those are the ones I really can't fathom.

But in all seriousness OP, it doesn't matter whether you deem it fair or right. The school made a decision and now you guys have to abide by it. Is your homework weighted the same as your tests? That's kind of odd if they are. Truly, if you are not consistently scoring above a 78% on your tests, chances of passing the NCLEX the first time are slim. It's why the grading system is so much different in nursing school. It's all about their students passing NCLEX on the first try. That's how schools get their accreditation and how they attract new students. You, are 1 student, in one moment in time. The school needs to still teach new students after you have graduated. So they have to up their standards. That is the big picture you need to look at.

The students should have been informed of the change in policy as soon as it passed. Yes, it's unfair, but higher education has been a racket for a while. Students who fail courses have to pay to retake them. Too bad the school didn't decide on a different way to raise revenue.

Wow, every time I see posts such as these, I am so envious. To pass in my school you must have an overall GPA of 2.5. I realize that seems low to a lot of people that may seem low, but our grading scale is different. You must obtain an 80% to get a 2.0 or a low C. An 85-92% will get you a 3.0 or B and 93-100 will get you a 4.0 or an A. This grading scale may seem high, but at the same time I know they're making us achieve more.

My contract also says that they can change policy at any time, however the students must sign a paper saying we were informed of the policy change.

We only need 60% in every class to pass except our OSCE that has to be 90%.

My school CONSTANTLY changes the policies without letting anyone know, what can I do? Nothing. Roll with it. They just put in place a test we have to take in order to sit for clinicals two months before it's to happen. It's essentially the NCLEX and they are just now telling us about. Usually schools have you take this BEFORE you start your program so you do not waste your money on pre reqs. But since they are doing this for the first, there is going to be a whole lot of students with pre nursing reqs complete and no clinical to go to. I am not worried but I think it will be bad for some people.