Two acronyms appear at the end of each semester on university transcripts: AJ and DEF. Both indicate a failure, but their causes, consequences for resits, and effects on continuing studies have nothing in common. Understanding what each one entails allows for a quick response at the right office, with the right strategy.
Lift of failure: an unknown procedure that changes the game
Most student guides stop at a binary definition: deferred if the grade is insufficient, failing if the student was absent. This classification is correct, but it masks a mechanism that few articles mention: the lift of failure based on a file.
At the Faculty of Law of the University Grenoble Alpes, the student guide specifies that in the case of a failure related to absences in tutorials, the student can request a lift of failure from the vice-dean in charge of educational affairs, upon presentation of supporting documents. In other words, the DEF status is not always final.
This procedure exists in other institutions, but its conditions vary. To fully understand the difference between deferred and failing at university, one must consider this point: the deferred student automatically retains access to resits, while the failing student may sometimes need to complete a prior administrative step to regain this right.
Deferred or failing: comparative table of university statuses
The table below summarizes the concrete differences between the two statuses as they appear on a transcript.
| Criterion | Deferred (AJ) | Failing (DEF) |
|---|---|---|
| Origin of status | Grade obtained below the required average | Absence from one or more exams, or non-compliance with tutorial obligations |
| Grade on transcript | A numerical grade exists | No grade, or neutralized grade |
| Access to resits (session 2) | Automatic for non-validated subjects | Conditional depending on universities (lift of failure sometimes necessary) |
| Semester compensation | Possible if the average of the two semesters reaches the required threshold | Blocked: compensation does not apply to a subject without a grade |
| Access to AJAC status | Possible if only one semester is missing | Generally excluded as long as the failure is not lifted |
Compensation does not work without a numerical grade. A deferred student with a 7 in one subject can compensate with a 13 elsewhere. A failing student in the same subject simply does not enter the compensation calculation.
Compensation between semesters and resits: what really distinguishes the two paths
The compensation system is based on the weighted average of grades obtained in each unit of study, then between the two semesters of the year. A semester validated at 12 can compensate for a deferred semester at 8, since the overall average reaches 10.
This mechanism collapses as soon as a failure appears. Without a grade, no calculation is possible. The semester remains unvalidated, and inter-semester compensation cannot apply.
In the resit session, the rules also diverge:
- The deferred student retakes only the subjects where their grade is below average, in the unvalidated semester(s). The best grade between session 1 and session 2 is generally retained.
- The failing student must first check with their administration whether they are allowed to attend session 2. In some faculties, a failure in the second session locks in the definitive failure of the year.
- The failing student who obtains the lift of their status retakes the concerned exam in resit, but without an initial grade from session 1 to compare.
In practice, the deferred student finds themselves in a negotiation position with their grades: they know exactly which points they are missing and can target their revisions. The failing student starts from scratch on the concerned exams, with a narrower administrative margin.
AJAC status, repeating a year, and CROUS scholarship: the concrete effects on the continuation of the course
The AJAC status (deferred allowed to continue) allows a student to move to the next year while retaining a debt on non-validated subjects. This provision is reserved for students who have validated at least one full semester. A failing student generally cannot claim AJAC status as long as their failure has not been lifted or compensated.
For repeating a year, both statuses lead to the same administrative result: the year is not validated. The difference lies in the file. A jury examining a request to repeat distinguishes a student who has failed exams (visible effort) from a student who was absent without justification (commitment in doubt).
On the CROUS scholarship side, the continuation of funding depends on progress in the course and the number of scholarship rights already consumed. Repeating a year consumes an additional scholarship right, whether the student is deferred or failing. The nuance lies upstream: a failing student whose absence is not justified may be subject to an attendance check, which directly jeopardizes the payment of the scholarship for the current year.
What to do concretely after the publication of results
The first action, regardless of status, is to consult the knowledge control procedures specific to their program. Each faculty applies its own rules for compensation, resits, and access to AJAC status.
- If the transcript shows AJ: identify the concerned subjects, check if semester compensation can apply, and prepare for the resit session by targeting the most rewarding subjects in points.
- If the transcript shows DEF: contact the educational administration to find out if a lift of failure is possible, gather absence justification documents, and check the resit schedule.
- If the transcript shows both statuses for different subjects: prioritize addressing the failure, as it blocks overall compensation.
The educational administration remains the only reliable contact to confirm the available options. The rules vary not only between universities but sometimes between components of the same institution. A transcript is always read with the examination regulations of their program in hand.