For Parents

Ashesi appreciates your commitment to giving your child a quality education by sending them to our institution. Making the transition from high school to university life can be overwhelming. However, with your support we can work together to make sure your child has an amazing experience at Ashesi. Because of the critical role you have in partnering with us to make sure your child is successful, we have created this list of frequently asked questions to keep you abreast of the latest news regarding your child.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

1. My ward needs help with classes. What resources are available? 

   There are many resources at the university to help students who are struggling academically. Ashesi has several learning labs to help strengthen a student’s competency in math, writing, computer science and research. Also, most classes have a faculty intern assigned to the faculty and course who provides additional support for regular classroom sessions. The first step is for your ward to inform his/her faculty and faculty intern so that their situation can be assessed appropriately and if the student still has issues, s/he can go to his/her academic advisor for further assistance.

2. I want to send my ward to Ashesi but I cannot afford to pay the full tuition fees. Do you offer financial aid?

   Yes! Since we began operations, Ashesi has distributed millions of dollars in financial aid to brilliant but needy students. You can learn more about financial aid here. 

3. My ward seems very stressed out and emotionally unstable. What should I do?

   In the transition from high school to university, most students experience some stress in adjusting. Ashesi has several counseling structures in place to help students settle into university. However, if you believe your ward’s behavior is not normal or seems unstable, please contact the Dean of Student and Community Affairs. The Dean will arrange to meet with your child and help you determine necessary steps to be taken.

4. Can my ward earn money by working on campus?

   Ashesi has work study programs that provide students with the opportunity to earn money from working with university departments. Work study opportunities are open each year for students to apply. Contact the Career Services Center for more information.

5. How do I find out how my ward is doing academically?

   All students  have secure access to their records electronically - even from home. This means you can ask them to show you their grades at any point.

6. My ward will be late returning to school at the beginning of the semester. What are the implications?

   All students have up to two days  at the start of each semester within which to register for classes and report to campus. If the student is unable to do this without any adequate medical reason, they will be required to defer their studies  and resume school in a subsequent semester.

7. My ward has had a family emergency or illness. What are our options?

   If a student has adequate medical reason, s/he may be advised to withdraw from the University or take Incompletes in his/her classes.

   For a student to get an Incomplete in a course, the student must be given permission by the Dean of Students or the Provost because of an emergency or illness. An Incomplete grade in a course is appropriate only if the student’s work in a course has been of passing quality and a minority of the work of the course is left outstanding, as determined by the instructor.  The instructor must agree with the student on a date for the completion of the work, which must be approved by the Provost; an effort should be made to complete remaining work within the first week of the following semester. An Incomplete grade must be replaced by a final grade within two weeks of the completion of the work.  If the work is not completed by the agreed upon date, either the grade will revert to an “E”  or whatever grade the student earned assuming a 0 on the incomplete work, or the completion deadline will be extended by the Provost.

   A student who is unable to complete a substantial portion of a semester because of illness or other emergency, and can provide appropriate documentation, may be given permission by the Dean of Students or the Provost to withdraw from the university.  The withdrawal will not affect the student’s grade point average.  A “W” grade will be recorded for each course. Students who withdraw must request to resume their studies in the subsequent semester at Ashesi from the Academic Registry. If the illness or emergency is still affecting the student at the start of the subsequent semester, the student may request to remain absent from the University for up to 2 regular semesters, after which the student will be considered permanently withdrawn, and will have to re-apply to the University to resume their studies. The grade for each course will continue to be recorded as “W” until the course has been repeated.

8. I am having problems paying my ward's school fees. How can the university help me?

   Ashesi offers flexible payment plans for fees. With our lowest payment option, you can spread your semester tuition over the four months of semester. If you are still having problems with payments, please write a letter explaining your situation and the Accounts and Finance Department and they will help you explore appropriate solutions.

9. My ward is on academic probation. What does this mean?

   This means your ward is close to being dismissed from the university because of poor academic performance and needs to improve. Students will be placed on academic probation at the end of any semester if their cumulative grade-point average (GPA.) is less than 2.0 (C average). Students will be subject to academic dismissal from Ashesi if (1) they fail to make normal degree progress, (2) their grade-point averages fall below 1.5 for any one semester, or (3) they have not achieved a cumulative GPA. of 2.0 (C average) after a semester on probation.

10. If my child was  dismissed from the university, can he/she apply to be re-admitted?
    

    Students who are dismissed must make a formal reapplication to the University. These requests must be submitted to the Admissions Office six weeks before the start of the next semester. A student who has been dismissed must not expect to be readmitted.