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What Happens if You Fail Your Dissertation And How To Avoid It?

Writing a dissertation is one of the most fulfilling experiences, yet one of the most dreadful too. It is fulfilling in that it marks the climax of your college or university venture. However, the dread comes in when one thinks about the results. What happens if you fail to defend your dissertation? Does it mean that is the end for you?

Our expert writers have collated several options available for you. Read to the end to clear all your doubts and fears about what happens if you fail your dissertation defense.

I Failed My Dissertation, What Might Have Caused That?

To start with, many would rather bury their faces in the sand than admitting their failure. For those bold enough to reveal it, the recovery process is fast, and soon, they are walking head held high. But what are the possible reasons for a failed dissertation?

• One of the reasons can be inadequate help from your supervisor. Most professors are too busy, and finding time for their students becomes a nightmare. The result of this is the student lacking the necessary support, especially for a technical course.
• Another reason might be on the student himself – lacking enough time for their academic studies. Most college and university students are pre-occupied with other activities such as work or family. These might lessen the time one has for research, thus the failure.
• Plagiarism is a killer of many dissertations. Once proven beyond doubt that you have taken someone else’s work as your own, a Fail would be inevitable. In most universities, this is the first thing that they look at when you submit your paper.
• Others include missing lectures, laziness on the student’s part, or inability to access the relevant reading sources during research. All these and many others are possible reasons for a failed undergraduate dissertation.

How Bad Does a Dissertation Have To Be To Fail?

Technically speaking, it is rare for one to fail a dissertation because it’s not a paper one writes for two hours or one week. Such a paper takes months or even years to complete. Therefore, one can identify the mistakes in the course of this long period. Furthermore, the report is assessed chapter by chapter so, by the time you’re concluding, your supervisor would have identified a couple of errors and told you to correct.

However, some may still fail because of a couple of reasons. One of them would be missing sections in the final paper. If, for instance, the research methodology or abstract is missing, then you might stand a chance of failing.

A poor layout may also cost you a lot. Failure to follow the right structure may cause your paper to be marked down – for instance, bringing the conclusion before the results and findings.

If technical terms or proper research methods are missing, then you can forget about your degree. These show a lack of knowledge, which is the essence of the dissertation.

Can You Re-sit a Dissertation?

So what next after a failed Master’s dissertation? Can one take a re-sit just like any other college or university exam?

To fail a dissertation paper, you will have scored below the cut mark that is typically 40 for most institutions. That is why the dissertation failure rate is lower. Most students can beat the cut-off points even by one point. When you fail your dissertation, there is a chance for you to take a reassessment. But before you start rejoicing, there is something you need to know about this retake. The pass mark is caped lower to a minimum mark because of your first failure.

Therefore, even if you give it your best shot, it would take a miracle for you to attain anything closer to grade B. And if you fail the second attempt, it will be considered a complete failure. Need I mention the repercussions of that last statement?

Can You Graduate if You Fail Your Dissertation?

No! Graduating with a Fail would be like celebrating your failure. Most institutions allow for re-sits, after which one can graduate if they pass the set mark. Therefore, you should strive for a high-quality paper if you want to secure a spot on the graduation list.

Is There Room for Appeal After I Failed My Degree?

At times, circumstances might be the cause of failure. After all, nobody wants to spend three or more years in school to fail in the end. Therefore, if you feel that you have compelling reasons that caused you to fail, you can always appeal.

You might have genuine reasons like being hospitalized and not studying well or financial constraints in the family. All you have to do is draft a letter appealing for the Fail while stating the reasons behind it.

After submitting the letter, the university council will look at it with the attached evidence. Upon a successful review, you can re-sit the exam or resubmit your paper. Different universities have their way of dealing with such cases.

How To Avoid The ‘I Failed My Dissertation’ Regrets

Are you aware that you can avoid failing your dissertation? Here are pro tips for an exceptional dissertation paper:

• Review your paper before submission : It will help you detect typos, weird formatting, or wrong structure. Check to ensure that each section is supposed to be and that no part is missing.
• Run your paper through a superior plagiarism software : If your dissertation is 100% original, you can confidently submit it. You should also check your referencing and citations to prevent penalties for plagiarism.
• Consult with your supervisor every time : When you complete a section, check whether everything you’ve written is in tandem with the paper’s overall goal. In case of any challenges, raise them earlier before they become too great for you to handle.
• Research extensively : Any research paper aims to test your knowledge on a particular topic. You can only achieve this by reading widely and consulting a variety of sources.
• Seek writing help from dissertation experts : These come in handy to give you the essential tips and tricks for cracking a dissertation. They also offer writing help, especially when you are rushing against time to submit your paper.

You do not have to be a victim of failing a dissertation. Take the words of counsel from our gurus and graduate with top grades. Our professional dissertation writing services are affordable for all.

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What Happens if You Fail Your Dissertation?

In University by Think Student Editor February 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

A dissertation module is one of the key things that defines the step up from secondary school to university. It’s one of the biggest pieces of writing you’ll do for your degree, in terms of research and word count. It’s no mistake to think that a lot rests on a good dissertation. However, it’s always good to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. You’ve probably already asked the question – what actually happens if you do fail?

If you fail your dissertation for the first time at any degree level, you will be allowed one resubmission, which is usually capped at the pass mark. However, if you fail your dissertation resubmission, there are different consequences. If you fail your undergraduate dissertation, you can still graduate as long as you have enough credits, although this may be with an ordinary degree. However, if you fail your master’s dissertation or PhD thesis resubmission, you will not be allowed to graduate.

The topic of failure is quite daunting for most students. Not to worry! This article is here to help you understand failure criteria for a dissertation, and what happens in the event of failure.

Table of Contents

Is it possible to fail your dissertation?

Like with modules of your university course, unfortunately it is very much possible to fail your dissertation . Although this sounds daunting, don’t worry too much! Dissertations are not designed for you to fail.

The grading systems for university modules and dissertations are very similar . Across most universities, the pass mark for a dissertation is 40% or 50%. For example, check out this guide by Royal Holloway University, London to learn more about their dissertation grading.

This means that while it is certainly possible to fail your dissertation, it is unlikely that you actually will . However, in the event that you do fail your dissertation for whatever reason, don’t panic. Your university will usually let you resit your dissertation .

Keep in mind you’ll only be able to resit your dissertation once , so try your hardest to achieve the grade you want. For all the details you’ll need about a dissertation, I’d definitely recommend reading this Think Student article.

In summary, while it is possible to fail a dissertation (just like any other university module), a dissertation only requires a pass mark of 40%. Although a dissertation is different to a module, it is still pretty difficult to fail.

In the event you do fail your dissertation, don’t be too hard on yourself . Keep reading further to find out what happens if you fail your resit dissertation.

How bad does a dissertation need to be to fail?

To understand how “bad” a dissertation has to be to fail, you need to know what examiners are looking for.

Your university will have published the marking criteria for dissertations . These will normally feature comments on the key areas to earn marks in. As an example, check out the University of Edinburgh’s dissertation criteria here .

Therefore, if you failed your dissertation, it isn’t necessarily because you’re “bad at researching and writing”. To fail, it has to be the case that you didn’t meet the criteria to achieve a passing mark. It’s important to keep your confidence, so that you can do better when you resit.

If you haven’t written your dissertation yet, I’d definitely recommend looking through your university’s marking criteria. Similarly , your tutor will want to help you as much as possible, so you can ask them for advice if you’re really struggling .

If you’re seeking advice on how to write a dissertation, you should check out this Think Student article.

Can you graduate without passing your dissertation?

For an undergraduate degree, you can still graduate as long as you have enough credits to pass the other modules .

However , if your degree is a BSc or BA with Honours, if you fail your dissertation and the resit dissertation, you will graduate with an ordinary degree . You can read more about what an ordinary degree is in this Think Student article.

If you fail your first dissertation attempt, but pass your resit undergraduate dissertation, you will still pass with whatever class of degree you earned.

However, the rule is slightly different for master’s dissertations and a PhD thesis. These rules also depend on the university you attend .

At all universities, you are allowed one resit of coursework (dissertation is a form of coursework, as it is not a timed exam), even for a master’s degree and a PhD. However, if you fail your resit dissertation for your master’s degree, you cannot be awarded a master’s degree.

In the case of a PhD, you will not be able to graduate with a failed resit thesis . I’ll explain this in more detail later in the article, so keep reading!

What happens if you fail your master’s dissertation?

Failing your master’s dissertation for the first time isn’t ideal, but it isn’t the end of the world. You’re allowed a resit, which if you pass, means you can still graduate with a master’s degree.

However, a failure is a lot more serious if you fail your dissertation a second time . Failing a resit dissertation at master’s degree-level means you cannot graduate with a master’s degree.

This doesn’t mean you can’t be awarded anything at all for your effort. For example, the this page by the University of Nottingham states that if your dissertation is not passable but still “adequate”, you may still be awarded a diploma .

What happens if you fail your PhD thesis?

Like with an undergraduate or master’s degree, you’re allowed to resubmit your thesis once only . Given that you pass the resubmission, you’ll still be on track to graduate with a PhD.

Failing a PhD thesis resubmission means you cannot graduate. The pass mark for a PhD thesis is usually around 60 , such as at the University of Cambridge, which you can learn more about on their website, here .

In most cases, a PhD thesis will account for around 50% of the degree . Looking at it this way, it makes sense that if you failed half of your degree, you wouldn’t be able to graduate. A PhD is a research-based degree, and the thesis proves you have good research skills.

If you’d like to know more about how a PhD is graded, I’d recommend this Think Student article.

How often do students fail their dissertation?

As I established earlier, it’s pretty hard to fail your undergraduate dissertation module . It’s also quite hard to fail a master’s dissertation or a PhD thesis given the pass mark.

According to this article by The Healthy Journal, up to 50% of PhD students will not finish their thesis or graduate . This statistic sounds quite extreme, but keep in mind that not many people choose to complete a PhD because of the amount of time and money it takes.

If you really are concerned about failing your dissertation, speak to your tutor . They will have been in your position and will know how to help. Don’t struggle on your own!

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What Happens if You Fail a Dissertation?

by  Antony W

June 9, 2022

Failing a dissertation is one of the most difficult and painful experiences for many students. After months of research and writing, the last thing you want is to get failing marks. So what happens if you fail a dissertation?

If you fail your dissertation project, your institution will give you another chance to redo the work and re-submit it based on an agreed date. However, you institution will cap the marks for a resubmitted dissertation at a pass level.

Notably, it’s highly unlikely for students to fail their dissertations straight outright. More often than not, the possibility of failure often arises from a student’s negligence, which it’s easy to avoid with proper planning.

Just because you’ve failed a dissertation, if you have, doesn’t mean it’s the end of life. You still get the chance to change your marks from a fail to a pass.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything about failed dissertation, including the options you have to redeem yourself from the failing marks to the bare pass level.

Let’s get started.

What Does it Mean to Fail a Dissertation?

To fail a dissertation paper means you have scored below the institution’s cut mark, which is often a 40. The majority of pupils can beat the cut-off points by as little as one point, which means it’s often unlikely that one would intentionally fail the project.

You cannot graduate if you fail a dissertation. In fact, graduating with a failed grade would be tantamount to celebrating your failure. Most colleges permit re-sits, after which students may graduate if they get the required grade.

As a result, if you want to be included on the graduation list, you should work hard enough to make sure you don’t fail your dissertation. You have to aim to get a 40, although it’s best to aim higher because the set minimum marks don’t necessarily have to be the limit.

Why Do Students Fail Their Dissertations?

Nothing is as frustrating as spending months on a dissertation only to fail the assignment in the end. The question is, “why do students get failing marks in the first place”?

1. Failure to Dedicate Time to the Project

It’s possible to get failing marks for a dissertation because of failing to dedicate enough time to do the work.

The majority of college and university students are preoccupied with other aspects of their lives, such as employment or family. These factors may reduce the amount of time available for study, resulting in failure.

2. Plagiarism: Students Copying Other Research Projects as their Own

Another possible cause of failure is plagiarism. If your institution establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that you’ve copied another person’s work and use it as your own, you stand a 100% chance to fail the dissertation project.

From what we understand, plagiarism is usually the first thing that many institutions look at when students submit their dissertation projects.

3. Lack of Assistance from Project Supervisor

It’s possible for a student fail a dissertation if they don’t get enough help from your supervisor. Because the majority of instructors are overworked, finding time for their students becomes a nightmare. As a result, the student doesn’t get the help they need to stay on the right track, particularly for a technical course.

How Bad Does a Dissertation Project has to be to Fail?

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll fail a dissertation project. A dissertation isn’t some assignment that you have to submit in two hours or within two weeks . You have more than 6 months to complete the project, which is enough to research, outline, write, proofread, and submit the assignment.

You’ll make mistakes as you work on the assignment, but the errors should be easy to fix provided you’re on schedule. Moreover, you will have your work evaluated on a chapter-by-chapter basis. So, by the time you get to the conclusion, your supervisor will have mentioned the errors you need to fix to make your dissertation stand out. 

While the chances of failing the dissertation are extremely low, some students still fail because their dissertations are extremely bad. A dissertation is bad if:

• There are parts of the final document missing. For example, you risk failing if the work doesn’t have an abstract or study techniques.
• The document doesn’t have a formally accepted and approved layout. Failure to adhere to the proper format may result in your work getting failing marks. For example, the conclusion cannot come before results and findings.
• You omit technical words or adequate research procedures.

These examples demonstrate a lack of understanding, which is the dissertation’s central theme.

What to Do if You Fail a Dissertation

Is it possible to redo the dissertation project the same way you would other types of assignments in college or university?

Well, you have the option to redo your dissertation if you don’t get a 40, but keep in mind that your institution will reduce the pass mark to a minimum. You won’t get anything close to a grade B, but at least you will get passing marks.

Keep in mind that you only have one last chance to redo the dissertation project. If you fail a second time, your institution will declare that you’ve failed completely. So if you failed your dissertation the first time, take the second attempt as an opportunity to give the project the most attention possible because you cannot afford to fail twice. 

How Not to Fail a Dissertation

Here’s how not to fail a dissertation project:

• Review your work before to submission. This will make it easy for you to identify mistakes, strange formatting, or an incorrect structure. Verify that each section is where it should be and that no component is missing.
• Run the work through a plagiarism checker. Additionally, examine your references and sources to avoid plagiarism fines.
• Consult your supervisor: When you’re through writing a section, double-check that what you’ve written is consistent with the paper’s overall objective. If you encounter any difficulties, address them immediately before they grow too large for you to handle.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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• [email protected]

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Writing a master's dissertation is no easy feat. It requires extensive research, critical thinking, and dedication. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions and hard work, some dissertations may go differently than planned. If this happens to you, don’t worry—you can get your dissertation back on track.

• Review Complete Postgraduate Dissertation Examples

We will explain and provide some helpful steps that will equip you with the necessary tools and skill set needed to achieve success in getting your failed master's dissertation submitted successfully.

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What are the Reasons Behind Failed Master’s Dissertation?

Before discussing how to ace your dissertation after failing it, let's examine why things went north.

1.   Poor Planning

One of the primary factors behind failed master's dissertations is poor planning. Too often, students underestimate the amount of time needed to complete a project like this, or they need to be made aware of all the steps that must be completed to achieve success.

Before starting your dissertation, it is important to map out a plan that includes all the tasks you need to do and when they should be accomplished. It is also beneficial to create a timeline for yourself to track your progress and stay on schedule.

2.   Poor Thesis Statement 

A thesis statement is one of the most important components of any dissertation since it guides the reader and the student throughout their journey. A weak thesis statement will lead to an unfocused paper that does not answer meaningful questions or provide useful insights about the topic at hand.

• Review How to Write A Thesis Statement

Therefore, it is essential for students to create a strong thesis statement that accurately reflects the research topic and serves as an effective guide throughout the entire process. 

3.   Inadequate Knowledge of the Subject Matter

A poor understanding of the subject matter can also cause dissertations to fail because it prevents students from properly analyzing data or drawing relevant conclusions from their findings.

To ensure success, students should consult with professors or experts who are familiar with the subject matter before beginning their work on the dissertation. It will help them better understand what kind of information they need to include in their papers and how they can use it effectively in their research work. 

4.   Unclear Research Questions

Another reason why many master's dissertations fail is that the student has not framed a clear research question or objective for their project. By articulating what exactly they are trying to answer with their research, it becomes easier for them to determine what data they need to collect to answer those questions or reach their objectives. Your research question should be concise yet thorough so that you can narrow down your focus and target relevant information to create a successful dissertation.

• Expert Tips on How to Write a Research Question with Real Examples

5.   Lack Of Focus On Quality Writing

Finally, another major factor behind failed masters’ dissertations is the lack of focus on quality writing. Writing a dissertation requires strong writing skills, including grammar and spelling accuracy, as well as clarity and conciseness in arguments made throughout the document.

• The Basics of Writing a Literature-Based Dissertation: Tips and Examples

Additionally, citing sources accurately is essential for any academic writing piece, so ensure you are familiar with proper citation methods before beginning your work. With these tips in mind, you can ensure that your dissertation meets all expectations for quality writing set by your institution or advisor.

Tips to Modify Your Failed Master’s Dissertation

1.   Accepting the Failure and Moving On

It’s hard to accept that you were not able to complete the dissertation in time or that it failed. You may feel embarrassed or ashamed, but it's important to remember that failure is part of the learning process. The sooner you accept it and move on, the better off you will be. Take some time to process your feelings and devise an action plan to regain momentum with your dissertation.

2.   Assess the Situation 

The first step in getting your dissertation back on track is to assess the situation. What led to it failing in the first place? Was it a lack of resources or support? Were there any challenges that you weren’t aware of when starting? Identifying these issues can help you understand what went wrong and prevent them from happening again in the future.

3.   Start by Identifying Your Weaknesses

Once you have accepted the failure, identify any areas where you may have gone wrong or could have done better. It will help ensure that those same mistakes don't happen again when you retake your dissertation. Was there anything in particular that caused your downfall? Perhaps poor research skills or lack of organization? Pinpointing these weaknesses will help inform how best to approach your rewrite so that it succeeds this time around.

4.   Re-evaluate Your Topic

If your topic may have been too broad or difficult for the scope of your dissertation, consider re-evaluating it. Take time to look at your original plans and goals for the project and think about whether or not they are still achievable within the parameters of your new topic. If necessary, seek advice from faculty members who can provide guidance on how best to proceed with a revised topic.

5.   Reorganize and Reinvigorate

Once you've identified any weaknesses in your approach, reorganize and reinvigorate yourself around completing the project. Set realistic goals for each day of work - even if it’s just one page - so that at least something gets done each day towards completing the project. It will help build momentum and provide motivation as well as accountability for getting things done in a timely fashion.

Additionally, talk with a mentor or professor about what went wrong the last time around so they can offer advice on how best to approach rewriting your paper this time around. Their guidance could be invaluable!

Lastly, make sure that you are taking care of yourself - mentally, physically, and emotionally - during this trying period by taking regular breaks from work and engaging in activities outside of schoolwork like exercise or socializing with friends/family members so that burnout does not become an issue during the writing process again.

• The Benefits of Master Dissertation Writing

Writing a successful master’s dissertation is no easy feat – but if you follow these steps outlined above - accept failure and move forward; identify weaknesses; reorganize/reinvigorate; talk with mentors/professors - success should follow! It won't be easy, but it is definitely achievable if you stay committed throughout the writing process!

For further assistance, contact professional writers at Premier Dissertations.

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What to Do if You Fail Your Essay, Assignment, Exam or Dissertation

One of the most difficult experiences for students in the UK is the receipt of a failing mark (usually anything marked 39 or below is a fail). It is important to understand that there are many reasons why this can happen to students, and there are usually several options to change the failing mark. Whether you fail an exam , coursework or even the dissertation itself, you have options available so it’s not necessarily the end of the world!

Common Reasons for Failure

Students fail elements of their degree for a number of reasons. The most common issues are not attending lectures, not keeping up with course reading, confusion or lack of understanding of course content, and personal problems that distract students.

How to Avoid Failure Before it Happens

With all of the problems noted above, students can usually avoid failing simply by taking pre-emptive action before the problem spirals out of control. There are several steps to take to ensure that small issues don’t become potential failures.

• Talk to your Academic Tutor. This is a member of the faculty assigned to you at the beginning of your degree programme, who you meet with regularly to discuss your progress. You can contact this person at any time and they can advise you on how to address any challenges you are facing.
• Don’t wait until problems become large. It is always best to be aware that a small issue can quickly become a crisis if you neglect to address it. For example, if you are struggling to understand the course material one week, you will be unlikely to follow along as the course progresses. It is far better to consult with your lecturer early to avoid falling seriously behind later.
• File for ‘Extenuating Circumstances’. Most UK universities understand that students will sometimes face unavoidable difficulties due to prolonged sickness, family problems or financial issues. If you experience one of these problems you can file an ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ form, which formally notifies the university about your problem. Your Academic Tutor will sign this form and together you will construct a plan to catch up on any missed coursework or exams, and you will possibly be granted extensions to normal coursework deadlines.

Re-Assessment Opportunities

If the worst happens and you do receive a failing mark, you have several options. First, you need to understand whether you have failed an element of a module, the entire module, or the dissertation.

Failed Module Element

If you’ve failed one piece of coursework or an exam, it may not be necessary to re-submit that element. If your marks for other module elements are high enough that your averaged course mark is 40 or above, you will pass the module overall regardless of the one failure. In other words, if you receive a mark of 35 on an essay that counts for 40% of your module mark, you can still pass the module if you receive an average mark of 45 on the remaining 60% of the module assessment. However, you may wish to re-submit anyway, in order to achieve a higher overall degree average. The opportunities to allow this vary among Universities, so check the regulations at your own institution.

Failed Module

If you fail an entire module you are usually required to re-sit the assessments, either by re-submitting the coursework or, in some cases, by resitting an exam. The form of the assessment will be decided according to the existing module guidelines, university regulations, and the decisions of the lecturer and board of examiners. The resulting mark is usually capped at a bare pass level, which is typically in the 40-50 range.

Failed Dissertation

If you fail a dissertation, you will usually be given an opportunity to re-submit it by an agreed-upon date. As with a module failure, the marks awarded for a re-submitted dissertation will usually be capped at a bare pass level. It is worth noting that a complete failure of a dissertation is rare at UK universities, and typically occurs only if a student has neglected to meet with their supervisor at regular intervals, or neglected to submit drafts in advance of the final submission.

A Note on Plagiarism

Although university regulations usually allow a student to re-sit exams and assessments, as described above, there are special procedures in place in cases of failure due to plagiarism. If a student is found to have copied work from another source or used the ideas of others without citing their sources appropriately, they may receive a failing mark. In serious cases the matter can be referred to a University Ethics Board, that will have the authority to take a range of measures against the student. In many cases, students found guilty of plagiarising will not be provided with an opportunity to improve their marks, though they could potentially appeal the decision. In short, don’t do it!

Appeal Procedures

In addition to re-submitting assessment elements, you may have grounds appeal the marks awarded to you. This can happen if your university has neglected to take your Extenuating Circumstances into account, or if you were unfairly disadvantaged in any way. Each university has its own procedures for student academic appeals, and in general, it requires a somewhat lengthy process. You must be certain to file the appropriate forms before the deadlines, and fully document the reasons you feel justified in appealing your marks. Your case will be considered by a university exam board, and if you are successful you will be offered options for re-sitting or re-submitting work without restrictions on the potential marks you can earn. Full details of your university’s appeal procedures will be given to you at the start of your degree programme.

While every student hopes to avoid failing or even coming close to failing, sometimes the unthinkable does happen and a failing mark results. These situations can seem terribly disheartening for students, but it is important to remember that universities do offer second chances for genuinely honest and hard-working students!

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What Happens If You Fail Your Dissertation?

If you are on the brink of failure over your final year research, then don’t worry, you are not alone. It is no doubt that every year, several students go through a failing dissertation which is a traumatizing experience for anyone, thinking what will happen if you fail your dissertation?

Opportunity or Exhaustive?

It is a fact that the degree will not be awarded with a failed dissertation, no matter which academic program a student is enrolled in. The nightmares of ‘what happens if I fail my dissertation’ are completely fair.

What Happens If you Fail your Dissertation?

When it comes to Ph.D., the dissertation failure rate is about 40% to 50% which increases the thoughts of what happens if you fail dissertation. Some don’t even make it to their final defense and are rejected over their proposal presentation. And gets in the list of fail dissertation UK professors manage.

With a figure like this of Ph.D. students who are comparatively professionals at what they do, think about the failed undergraduate dissertation rates that students might go through every year. In fact, before submission they are surrounded with one question; how bad does a dissertation have to be to fail? and try to conquer it.

The question arises, are facing such results an opportunity or exhaustive? That depends upon the student and how they perceive it. Many get motivated by their failures while others do breakdown and cry thinking I ‘failed my dissertation’. To have a say, it should be taken no less than an opportunity to improve a failing dissertation.

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So What’s Next?

“What happens if I fail my dissertation?” or “what happens if you don’t submit your dissertation” is a common question. Students with this unfortunate situation will be given another opportunity to re-submit their dissertation within a given deadline.

Strictly keeping in mind, the marks will be kept to a minimum passing line during the resubmission, which is an academic probatory method practiced for certain reasons. Anyhow, it is somewhat a good news, better than wondering wondering ‘what happens if you fail your undergraduate dissertation?’ A passing grade would even work.

What Happen If I Failed in My Dissertation on Second Attempt?

If the second attempt turns out to be unsuccessful, then you can re-submit your dissertation the next semester of your university. Doesn’t need to brag ‘I failed my dissertation’

Can you resit a dissertation again after the second attempt? That depends upon the regulation that the university has set forth. However, such situations are rare and are less likely to occur but might be possible to some extent when you failed undergraduate dissertation.

How to Avoid Possible Dissertation Failure?

Before starting your  dissertation writing  and possibly avoid the chance of saying: “I failed my dissertation”, it is necessary to keep certain practices in check.

Keep communication with your supervisors regular

The dissertation supervisor is the key to achieving a passing grade. Every help should be taken from the supervisors as they have the academic insider of all the do’s and don’t. Even ask what happens if you fail dissertation UK standard has rejected. This is a student’s guide to achieve perfection, let alone just passing.

Look for immediate help from other sources

Look for immediate help to overcome minor research issues. Avoid delaying as it might become last-minute trouble to fix a failed dissertation (what every student thinks). Yet again, it is not wise to disturb your supervisor over and over again so don’t be shy to seek help from your friends, or anyone professional, if you think you are on the edge to fail dissertation this year.

Have a Maintained Flow

Can you fail a dissertation? Failure is possible when it comes to not proposing a proper presentation. This may be caused due to not having a strong enough literature review, research methods, variables, or the research statement itself. Furthermore, there has to be a connection from one chapter to another. Without a connection, the judging panel might find it difficult to understand which can lead to rejection and failing a dissertation might become your fate.

The submission of hard copy needs to be structured properly with relevant and up-to-date citations used within the plagiarism percentage criteria. In this case, ‘can you resit a dissertation’ thoughts becomes void.

This is a glimpse of how bad does a dissertation have to be to fail, where following these guidelines are just the basics for passing on the borderline and resist ‘what happens if you fail a  dissertation’ thoughts.

Keeping in Mind!

These are the basic understanding as to what happens if you fail your dissertation on any academic level. But keep in mind, you can always appeal to your university for re-checking any unfair corrections that might have occurred in your failed masters dissertation or so. Universities around the world do facilitate such procedures where you can provide strong evidence to avoid such failure.

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Some of the common questions asked by students regarding this matter are:

You will need to submit a new application in the next semester for your dissertation and repeat the research credit hours all over again from scratch.

That varies from university to university and the regulations they might have set forth. However, it is required to complete the full credit hours of the final dissertation again.

Not much compared to the dissertation failure rate of Ph.D. students . The key is to follow all the advice of your supervisor as they usually carry most of the dissertation mark weightage.

To understand the procedure and to know what happens if you fail your dissertation on the first attempt, you will generally be given another opportunity to resubmit your dissertation on another given deadline.

To some extent, yes. It possible; judging by the dissertation failure rate which exists. However, there could be numerous reasons for failing your dissertation. This possibility exists and many students tend to go through the horror thoughts of ‘what if I fail my dissertation’ and it is completely fair to fear.

• How it works

Failed Dissertation, Coursework, Report, or Exam – What to Do?

Published by Alvin Nicolas at August 13th, 2021 , Revised On August 22, 2023

Each year several hundreds of university students end up failing their dissertation, coursework, exam, or assignment. Receipt of a failing mark can be the most devastating experience for students in the UK.

Failing a dissertation, essay, or assignment can have a devastating effect on your life – from being shocked by hearing the news of their failure to the mental sufferings that follow.

Have you recently failed your  dissertation ,  assignment , exam or  coursework ? If yes, then be calm because you are not alone. There are several ways of tackling such a situation. This article presents several options for students who have failed an exam, dissertation, or assignment.

So, please sit back and relax because it’s not the world’s end.

Possible Reasons for Failure

Often students do not get enough help from their tutors  to pass an exam, dissertation or coursework, which results in a situation where they start to wait for things to resolve on their own until their problems become too large.

Fortunately, failing mark is not the end of the world, and students can change their circumstances.

There could be numerous reasons as to why you may have failed your dissertation, exam,  essay , or  report . Some students cannot keep up with course reading during the semester, while others do not have a sufficient understanding of their subject-related theories and knowledge due to various reasons.

The inability to understand key concepts, missing lectures regularly, and lack of understanding of course content are some of the most common reasons for a failing mark.

A sensible thing to do would be to  have your paper edited and proofread by an expert to eliminate any grammatical, structural, and spelling errors.

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Avoiding Failure Before you Even Begin

If you want to avoid failure before it happens, you must take some pre-emptive actions before your problems become too large.

Achieving a graduate or postgraduate qualification is not a walk in the park. Therefore, it is vitally important for students to make sure that they meet their challenges head-on to prevent them from turning into potential failures.

Here are some tips for you to avoid failure before you even start.

• If you know that you are struggling with your  dissertation ,  coursework , or  assignment , then take out the time to discuss your problems with your academic supervisor. An academic supervisor or mentor is a member of the faculty assigned to you at your degree course.

Meet with them regularly and let them know of any problems you are facing so they can help you address them promptly.

• Meet the challenges head-on. Don’t wait for your problems to become too large. A small issue can turn into a major crisis if you keep on ignoring it for too long. For example, if you are struggling to  collect primary data for your dissertation , it will be appropriate to consult with your mentor to avoid falling behind on deadlines.

Most universities understand that students may face unforeseen challenges now and then due to their finances, family problems, personal limitations, and prolonged sickness. Therefore, it is possible to minimise the damage by filing for extenuating circumstances.

• By completing and submitting the extenuating circumstances form, you will be formally notifying your university that you are lagging on your dissertation or coursework. And do not forget to attach a formal plan to let them know how you will make sure to meet your new deadline so you can be granted an extension to your coursework, exam, or dissertation deadline.

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Opportunities for Reassessment

Even if you end up receiving a failing mark, you will have several options to choose from to clean the mess. However, before making any decisions, you must determine whether you have failed the entire module, just an element of a module or the dissertation.

Failing Dissertation

if you have forgotten your dissertation because you will be allowed to resubmit it by the deadline agreed upon by yourself and the university.

However, the marks awarded for a resubmitted dissertation are usually caped to a minimum passing mark as a penalty for your failure in the first place.

A complete dissertation failure in UK universities will only occur if you cannot achieve the minimum passing mark even on your second attempt.

To improve your situation, you should regularly meet with your supervisor and avoid overlooking mandatory draft submissions.

Failing Module

You will be required to either re-sit an exam or re-submit the coursework (in some cases) if you have failed an entire module.

Each module that you take the exam for usually has a unique set of module guidelines associated with it. How you will be reassessed is taken by the board of examiners and the lecturers only after considering these guidelines.

Again, the maximum obtainable mark is usually capped to a bare pass level if you are re-siting an exam or resubmitting coursework.

Failing an Element of Module

If you only failed one piece of an exam or coursework and managed to achieve high marks for other modules, you may not need to resubmit that element.

The bottom line is that if your average coursework mark is above the bare minimum passing mark, you will pass that module even if you failed one piece of it.

For example, receive a failing mark of 35 in one essay coursework that counts for 25% of the overall module mark but pass the remaining 75% module assessment (which can be in the form of an exam or coursework). You can still give the entire module.

However, depending on your university’s regulations, you may have the opportunity to resubmit the failed coursework to improve your overall course grade.

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Plagiarism – A Serious Offence

All UK universities have strict rules and penalties against students who are caught plagiarising. If you receive a failing mark due to  plagiarism , you may not be able to resubmit your dissertation/coursework or re-sit an exam.

So make sure to cite others’ ideas and  avoid copying work from other academic sources  to prevent your case from being sent to the University Ethics Board, which usually has the power to take a range of measures against you. In most cases, you will not be able to appeal the decision being taken if you are found guilty of plagiarising. So, refrain from it.

To help bring the point home, you can check out the comments and guidelines made by Reading, UK , regarding plagiarism.

Interesting watch: Check out a student’s account of how and why their dissertation went badly (UK institution).

Also read:   Consequences of Plagiarism 

How to Appeal Against a Failing Mark?

If you believe that you have been disadvantaged in some way or your university did not consider your financial or family problems while awarding you a failing mark. You may have the grounds to appeal against the mark awarded to you.

All UK universities have their own set of rules for lodging student academic appeals. Generally, this is a very lengthy procedure. Make sure that you provide documentary evidence along with the appropriate forms to justify your appeal.

The university exam board will review your case, and you will be allowed to resubmit your work or  resit the exam  if your application is successful.

Detailed information on appealing procedures is usually available on the university’s website and provided to students before starting their degree.

While no student ever wants to fail an exam, coursework, assignment or dissertation, the unthinkable sometimes can happen. But it would help if you did not get discouraged by the disastrous situation because most universities offer another chance to students who have genuine reasons.

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ResearchProspect is a UK-registered firm to provides academic support to students around the world. We specialise in completing design projects,  literature reviews ,  essays ,  reports ,  coursework ,  exam notes ,  statistical analysis , primary and empirical research,  dissertations , case studies,  academic posters , and much more. Getting help from our expert academics is quick and simple. All you have to do is complete our online order form and get your paper delivered to your email address well before your due deadline.

Winning Dissertation Presentations

Don’t let all the paranoia get to you. If you don’t want your dissertation to fail, make sure to take steps to prevent that thing from happening.

Alternatively, checking out some real-life instances of students defending their dissertational research might help, too:

Three Minute Thesis (3MT) 2011 Winner – Matthew Thompson

2014 Three Minute Thesis winning presentation by Emily Johnston

Oxford University’s graduate’s advice for an award-nominated, A-graded dissertation

Furthermore, you can also check out real-life students’ advice about writing a winning dissertation, advice they wish someone had given them.

Further still, if you want to take every last measure, you could also check out what institutions in the UK, such as Birmingham University, require in your dissertation .

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean if you fail your dissertation.

Failing a dissertation means not meeting required standards. It may lead to retaking or resubmitting. Understand feedback, identify weaknesses, and seek support to improve and succeed next time.

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• Officially Grads

Failed master's thesis... what to do? :(

By needhelpsos July 30, 2010 in Officially Grads

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needhelpsos

Hello gradcafe netizens,

I recently received news that my revised thesis was not recommended to proceed to oral defense--essentially I failed. As this was the second reading by the reviewers, as per regulations, I am withdrawn from the program.

My current two options are to give up and accept the fact that my thesis sucked or appeal the process and fight for my degree.

I recognize, in retrospect, that my first submission was utter garbage. Therefore, I made substantial changes in my revised version. However, one reviewer commented that the resubmitted version was even worse than the first version.

I don't want to lay blame on anyone else but myself for the apparently poor quality thesis, but I honestly feel that I adequately addressed the concerns raised by the reviewers the first time around. In fact, if I do decide to appeal, I will be rebutting the issues raised by the reviewers in depth (many of the comments I do not think are substantiated).

The situation is more complicated than I presented above, but I do not wish to provide more details for the sake of anonymity. However, I am in need of advice on how to proceed. Should I give up or should I fight? If I go with the latter, what is the best way to proceed? In addition to my appeal letter addressing all of the reviewers' comments, do I also make a request for a third opinion? (the review committee consists of 2 members)

Even if I win the appeal and proceed to oral defense, what then? Would I expect hostility from the examiners and expect them to shoot me down and fail the oral defense no matter what? (They would be the same as the reviewers)

Has anyone dealt with similar situations? Feel free to PM me.

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the help.

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I'm sorry to hear about this. If I were you, I'd appeal it, first. If it doesn't work out, then is there any way that you can transfer to another university and try again? Most of your credits should transfer over. You may have to take a few classes to get residency but then you can use your experiences to write an even better thesis.

Good luck! Please let us know the outcome.

• psycholinguist and Jae B.

I don't have anything to offer, unfortunately, except commiseration and a suggestion that you also share this over at gradstudents comm on livejournal. You might get more feedback from current students. Best of luck to you.

I'd also recommend asking over at the PhD comics forum... Mostly grad students and faculty there, more suggestions for how to deal with it.

Additionally, I'd talk to your adviser.

Are they one of the ones that thinks it's horrible? See what their take is on how to proceed from here.

Postbib Yeshuist

Consider it this way: if you DON'T appeal, you've essentially wasted your entire Masters career. Few employers will care that you "almost" got your Masters, and any chance of continuing education is mostly over. So effectively, if your appeal is overturned, you're in no worse shape than you are now.

As for hostility, sounds like you already have it, so how could it get worse? Have an honest, heart-to-heart, hold-no-punches discussion with your advisor (the advisor is the one holding no punches, not you, by the way). See what they say. See if a third reviewer is possible.

In the end, it's your Masters and it sucks that you're in the position. Just ask yourself how NOT fighting will make things any better, and I think you'll pretty come to the conclusion you need to appeal...

• Jae B. , psycholinguist and Bumblebee

Wow, my defense process was a bitter different than yours! I worked primarily with my advisor during my coursework and initial writing time....then I presented my committee with a draft copy, they read it and provided feedback during my oral defense. After my oral defense, I completed the suggested revisions, and was granted the degree....

I would definitely fight it. It can be very hard to make everyone on a committee happy (especially when at least 1 person on your committee is chosen for political reasons, i.e. director of the program, person researching same topic/area as you).

Let us know how it works out. Sorry that you are in such a crummy situation!

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Academic Manual

• 9. Consequences of Failure

Section 9: Consequences of Failure

Published for 2023-24

9.1 Overarching Principles

9.2 failure at the first attempt, 9.3 failure at the second attempt, 9.4 resitting a module, 9.5 repeating a module, 9.6 non-modular programmes, 9.6.1 ba (hons) english, 9.6.2 ba (hons) fine art , 9.6.3 bfa (hons) fine art , 9.6.4 mbbs (bachelor of medicine, bachelor of surgery) , 9.6.5 ma fine art, 9.6.6 mfa fine art in the slade school of fine art, advice for students.

Further information and advice for students about assessment is available on the  Examinations & Awards webpages .

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A guide to changes to the regulations are available from the  Recent Changes  page.

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Conor Lanning Successfully Defends His Masters Thesis

Conor Lanning (PhD Cultural Anthropology in Progress) successfully defends his masters thesis titled, "Bodies (and their) Enaction: Bottom Surgery, Semiotic Ideologies, and the Subversion of Medical Authority in the Discourse of the Online Forum."  His committee members were Professors Kathryn Goldfarb (advisor), Donna Goldstein and Alison Cool.