Failing a clinical course at MRU: the rules and your next steps

Updated September 24, 2026 · Reviewed by the MRU Preceptor placement team

An MRU clinical course is failed if any component fails, the preceptorship included, or if hours, logs or the signed evaluation are missing on the last day. Graduate nursing students get one repeat of the same course. A second failure of that course, or failures in any two concentration courses, leads to dismissal.

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80lowest passing score in MRU graduate nursing courses (a B)

1repeat allowed for the same MSN course

What turns a clinical course into an F

MRU's graduate grading scale has no C. An A is 90 to 100, a B is 80 to 89, and anything below 80 is an F, so a B is the lowest pass in a master's concentration course. Beyond the score, the catalog lists several ways to fail a clinical course whatever your other grades are.

Failing any component of an MSN concentration course: lecture, lab, simulation or preceptorship.
Practicum hours not completed with a University-approved preceptor by the course's last day.
Logs, case lists, documentation or the signed end-of-course evaluation missing on that date.
Falsified logs or misrepresented hours, which can also lead to dismissal.
HIPAA violations at the site, which can also lead to dismissal.
For AGACNP students, missing or failing the three-day on-campus skills and simulation weekend.

The paperwork failures are the most avoidable of the six. The logs and case lists page sets out what has to be in by the last day.

The repeat and dismissal rules

These limits apply to graduate nursing students and come from the MSN progression rules in the 2025 catalog. Read them before deciding how to handle a course that is going badly, because a withdrawal can count against you as well.

MRU graduate nursing failure and withdrawal limits (2025 catalog, pp. 123 to 124)
What happens	How MRU counts it
First failure of an MSN course	One repeat of that course is allowed
Second failure of the same course	Dismissal
Failures in any two MSN concentration courses	Dismissal
A WF (withdrawal after the 50% point)	Counts as a failure
Two Ws in the same course	Count as one failure
Three Ws in one course, or three across concentration courses	Dismissal

Put together, the margin is thin. One failed clinical course uses up your repeat for that course and half of your two-course limit, so a second problem anywhere in the concentration becomes serious very quickly.

W or WF: the timing matters

A W is available only before the course's 50% point. It does not touch your GPA, but it does count toward your completion rate and your maximum timeframe. After the 50% point, a withdrawal is recorded as WF, which counts in your GPA and as a failure under the rules above.

From Fall 2026, each 16-week semester and each 8-week module has its own W deadline. For Fall 2026 the semester deadline is Friday, November 6, Module 1's is October 2 and Module 2's is November 27. Your syllabus shows which one governs your clinical course, and the calendar page lists the deadlines for later terms.

Money matters here too. After the add/drop period, the catalog treats tuition for the semester as fully earned, so withdrawing does not return it. Weigh a W against an Incomplete or a make-up plan before you decide.

What an F does to your sequence

When a student fails a course, the catalog says the Office of the Registrar drops all of that student's courses and reschedules the failed one, if the student is eligible to retake it. That can reshape a whole semester, not just one course.

In the FNP sequence the knock-on effect is large. MSN6050 and MSN6150 list MSN5700 as a prerequisite, and MSN6400 requires all the earlier clinical courses, so an F in MSN5700 holds up everything after it. The PMHNP and AGACNP certificates must be taken in program order, which has the same effect.

Satisfactory academic progress is checked at the end of each semester. Graduate students need a cumulative GPA of 3.0, at least 67% of attempted credits completed, and must stay within 150% of the program's length. For the MSN-FNP that ceiling is 69 attempted credits against the 50 required; reaching it means dismissal.

Make-up hours and their fee

Missing externship hours or outcomes earns an F under MRU's general externship rule. Where make-up is allowed, the catalog lists a fee for each make-up hour, with the amount in its cost tables. The catalog adds that make-up work is not normally accepted, and that faculty may make an exception when the extenuating circumstances can be verified.

That makes the route narrow, so ask about it early. If a preceptor cancels shifts in the middle of the term, tell your clinical instructor at once and ask whether make-up is possible for your course and on what terms. Leaving it until the final week removes most of your choices.

If at least 80% of the course is done, an Incomplete may be the better tool. It needs approval from your course faculty and program Dean, and it has a hard limit of 15 weeks after the course ends.

Appeals, re-entry and the repeat

MRU's academic appeals process starts with an appeal form on the student portal, goes to the Academic Appeals Committee and then to the President by email. The catalog sets out the procedure on pages 84 to 91. A grade appeal is strongest when it rests on records: dates, your logs and any signed documents.

Dismissal has its own deadlines. If you are dismissed for failing satisfactory academic progress, the appeal is due within five calendar days of the notice. Re-entry after a dismissal for clinical or professional reasons is requested through a digital form on the portal, and MRU does not promise it will be granted.

If you are allowed to repeat the course, you will need an approved preceptor again. Start that search as soon as the grade is final rather than when the next term opens. If your first preceptor left mid-course, the preceptor dropped out page covers the first steps toward a replacement.

Questions MRU students ask

Can I retake a failed MRU clinical course with the same preceptor?

Nothing in MRU's public documents covers it. Whoever precepts the repeat must still be approved by MRU before the hours count, and a preceptor from the failed attempt may or may not be willing or the right fit. Talk it through with your clinical instructor, and start looking early if you need someone new.

Does failing a clinical course affect my financial aid at MRU?

It can. Satisfactory academic progress requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA, at least 67% of attempted credits completed and staying within the maximum timeframe. Falling short leads to Financial Aid Warning, then Probation with an appeal, then Suspension or possible dismissal. An F counts in your GPA, and a W still counts toward completion rate and maximum timeframe.

Is a C a passing grade in MRU's NP program?

No. MRU's graduate nursing scale has no C at all. Scores of 90 to 100 are an A, 80 to 89 a B, and anything below 80 is an F. A B is therefore the minimum pass in a master's concentration course, and that includes every clinical course in the NP programs.

Can I take a break after failing instead of repeating straight away?

There is no leave of absence at MRU. If you cannot continue, you withdraw through the Office of Academic Affairs and later apply for re-entry through Admissions. Staying away from all courses for 14 consecutive days triggers automatic withdrawal. The no leave of absence page explains what that means in practice.

LogsLogs and case listsMRU NP courses fail if logs, case lists or documentation are missing on the course's last day. What each piece is, where it is kept, and the falsified-log rule.EvaluationEnd-of-course evaluationMRU clinical courses end with an evaluation signed by your preceptor, clinical instructor and you, due by the last day. How to avoid a missing signature.IncompleteIncomplete gradesHow an Incomplete works in an MRU clinical course: the written request form, the 80% rule, faculty and Dean approval, and the 14-day and 15-week limits.WithdrawalNo leave of absenceMRU offers no leave of absence. How withdrawal and re-entry work, the 14-day automatic withdrawal rule, and what to do if a preceptor falls through mid-term.HoursBehind on clinical hoursBehind on hours in an MRU clinical course? What the catalog says about the last day, Incompletes, W deadlines and adding an approved second preceptor.TimelineDelayed graduationHow a missing preceptor can delay graduation at Miami Regional University: the clinical course order, no leave of absence, W limits and the credit ceiling.

Last checked 2026-09-24

We check these pages against MRU's own catalog, addenda and program pages. The nursing student handbook on the MRU student portal and MRU's Office of Academic Affairs have the final word.

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