In the French university system, exam results are not limited to “passed” or “failed.” Two distinct statuses, deferred and absent, appear on transcripts and reflect administrative situations with very different consequences. Confusing these two statuses can lead to errors in re-registration, or even a loss of scholarship.
Absent from an exam: an absence, not an insufficient grade
The absent status (abbreviated DEF on transcripts) does not penalize academic performance. It indicates that a grade is missing, most often because the candidate did not attend an exam, whether the absence is justified or not.
The technical consequence is immediate: without a grade, no average calculation is possible. Compensation between courses or between semesters cannot apply, since there is a missing value in the formula. The entire semester can shift to DEF due to a single failed exam.
Since the post-Covid period, several universities have tightened the application of this status in their knowledge control modalities (MCC). The stated goal is to combat strategic absences, situations where a student deliberately chooses not to attend a partial exam hoping that compensation will work in their favor.
The MCC revised between 2022 and 2024 specify that any absence, even justified by a medical certificate, generates a DEF status as long as the exam has not been retaken in a resit session.
To understand the difference between deferred and absent, it is important to note that the absent student has not failed: they simply have not been evaluated.
Deferred status: an insufficient result after complete evaluation
The deferred status (AJ) concerns a candidate who has taken all their exams but whose average remains below the passing threshold, usually set at 10/20. Unlike the absent status, the deferred student has a complete academic record, with grades for each subject.
The deferral occurs after all compensation rules have been applied. In other words, compensations between courses within the same block, between blocks of the same semester, and sometimes between semesters of the same year, have already been calculated. If despite these mechanisms the average remains insufficient, the verdict is given.
After a deferral in the first session, the student accesses resits. They only retake the subjects of the unvalidated courses, not the entire program. If the resit is not sufficient, options vary by university: repeating the year, or moving to AJAC status (deferred allowed to continue) under specific conditions.
Consequences on Crous scholarship and study funding
The distinction between the two statuses takes on a financial dimension as soon as a student is on a scholarship. A deferred student generally retains their scholarship for the current year, provided they remain administratively registered and attend the resits.
For an absent student, the situation becomes complicated. Recent guides for scholarship students indicate that a DEF status on a significant portion of the exams may jeopardize their attendance, a criterion monitored by Crous. Possible consequences include:
- Questioning of the scholarship for the following year, as Crous may consider that the student has not met the attendance requirement
- Difficulties in justifying funding (CPF, employer funding) during re-registration, since the transcript shows no complete evaluation
- Complications in case of work-study, as the professional partner expects effective academic monitoring
A deferral, even disappointing academically, leaves a clear record: grades, an assessable path, measurable progress. An absent status leaves a void that funders and administrations rarely interpret in favor of the student.
Transcript: reading the AJ and DEF mentions without error
On a university transcript, the abbreviations are standardized but not always explained. Here are the most common mentions and their meanings:
- ADM: admitted, the semester or year is validated
- ADMC: admitted by compensation, validation obtained through compensation between courses or semesters
- AJ: deferred, all exams have been taken but the average remains insufficient
- DEF: absent, at least one grade is missing, making average calculation impossible
- ABI / ABJ: unjustified absence or justified absence, two codes that both result in a DEF status for the concerned course
A tricky point deserves attention: a justified absence (ABJ) protects the student on a disciplinary level, but it has the same effect as an unjustified absence on the average calculation. As long as the exam has not been retaken, the status remains DEF.
Challenging a deferral or absent status: possible appeals
Both the deferral and the absent status are administrative decisions. As such, they entitle the student to appeals, but not on the same grounds.
For a deferral, the challenge concerns the regularity of the evaluation. The administrative judge does not question the grade itself (the jury’s sovereignty protects it), but can annul a decision if an irregularity is demonstrated: material error in calculation, non-compliance with published MCC, irregular composition of the jury, or breach of equality among candidates.
For an absent status, the appeal focuses more on the qualification of the absence. If the student can prove they were present for the exam or that their absence was due to a force majeure case not taken into account, the decision may be revised.
In both cases, the first step remains a formal appeal to the academic office, before any referral to the administrative court. The deadline for contesting is generally two months from the notification of results.
The status that appears on a transcript is not just an administrative letter. It conditions access to resits, the maintenance of financial aid, and the clarity of the academic path for any future reorientation. Checking results line by line, as soon as they are published, remains the most protective reflex.