18/06/2026
Let’s talk about carryovers and extra years.
In higher institutions, one is expected to do and pass a certain number of courses in a semester. There are unit points attached to the courses. Some courses are 3 units, some are 2 and so on.
When you register for a course, you are supposed to pass it to make progress.
Assuming that in your first semester (year one) you failed any of the courses you took, you will move on to year two. In year two, you will register for and complete year two courses, plus the one you failed in year one.
That is, you will carry them over to year two.
Those who did not fail any course in their year one will face only their year two courses, while those who fail some courses in year one will reregister for the course they failed and also their year two courses. So, they will attend some lectures with those in year one and some with those in year two.
But here is the problem.
Those year one courses they are attending are their personal wahala. No one cares about it. The timetable may clash with the Year Two courses, and it is the personal problem of the student.
Then, if by the final year, the student has any outstanding carryover, he may need to stay back until he passes all of them. He will need an extra year.
And even if it is one course, the student will need to go through all the rigours of registering for a new session and paying all the associated fees to enter and pass that one course.
Here is another issue.
Carryover usually comes in chains. If any students encounter it in their year one, it is likely to accumulate more carryovers along the line than to reduce it. This is because one may not have time to attend the lectures for all the courses, as the timetable will always clash. So, it will eventually end in an extra year or two.
Some people do not clear the carryovers even after two extra years, leading to frustration and abandonment without any certificate to show for the whole time of study.
And still another problem.
If a student had three carryover courses in a semester, he would be placed on probation. If he fails to clear them in the following session, he will be withdrawn from his department. It will be all over for him.
Then another angle.
There is a minimum and maximum number of units a student is allowed to register in a semester. If you have up to three outstanding carryover courses, your maximum units will not contain them. You may have to drop some for another year.
And also, if you have like one or two carryover courses for an extra year, they may not meet the minimum allowed, so you will need to add more courses to meet the minimum allowed, and you have to pass all of them. Or the carryovers and extra year continue until you become frustrated and leave on your own without anything.
These are the realities 30% of those who were admitted with you this year will face.
And the worst of all, with every carryover a student gets, his CGPA will reduce drastically (I will educate you, people, on CGPA and how to calculate it later). The most a student can get when carryover sets in is 3rd class degree. So, everyone needs to be serious to avoid it from the beginning.
