Basic Trope: Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Everyone in a class graduates, no matter what.
- Straight: Bob gets a diploma, despite failing or barely passing most of his classes.
- Exaggerated: The entire class is full of students who are Book Dumb, abusing drugs, frequently absent from school, and/or already getting married or having babies (or both), and yet everyone graduates.
- Downplayed: The teacher scales a test or grades it on a curve, so while Bob's 65% average would normally be a D-minus, it works out to a B-minus.
- Justified:
- The school doesn't want to hurt anyone's self-esteem (perhaps under pressure from the PTA), figuring that the Real World would sort things out anyway.
- The school fears that too many students failing and/or dropping out will cause the school to lose funding.
- Bob is taking Correspondence Courses, and this particular "institution" is a "diploma mill."
- Bob hasn't done a lick of schoolwork on his own, but has managed to get away with cheating.
- Bob (or his wealthy family) offers some kind of bribe to the school in exchange for Bob to pass.
- Inverted:
- Bob drops out or flunks out of High School.
- Bob is Held Back in School.
- Everyone who applies to Trope State University gets in, regardless of their GPA, and without having to jump through a lot of hoops.
- Subverted:
- The school has a remedial program, or a special program for students who are struggling with things like Teen Pregnancy.
- Bob won't be able to attend graduation because of his poor grades.
- Bob drops out or is expelled from his school because of his grades.
- Double Subverted:
- The special programs are even easier than the regular coursework, so many students graduate who normally wouldn't.
- Bob can go to summer school, or Cram School, or (if it's college) take another semester's worth of classes. He does and he gets his diploma in the mail.
- Bob passes his final exam, or get some kind of extra credit that brings his F up to a D-minus, allowing him to pass.
- Bob takes (and passes) a GED exam.
- Bob can get an entry-level job and work his way up in the company despite lacking a diploma.
- Bob goes Back to School later in life and manages to pass with flying colors.
- Parodied: The yearbook lists Bob as "Most Likely to Receive an Award for Participation."
- Zig-Zagged:
- Several students who are on the border between failing and graduating end up on each side.
- Bob himself studies hard in the subject(s) he's most in danger of failing, and improves — but because he didn't plan properly he falls as far behind in others.
- Averted:
- Bob is not enrolled in school in the first place.
- Bob drops out or is expelled from the institution.
- Enforced: A social commentary on the "Everyone Gets a Trophy!" generation.
- Lampshaded: "Passing High School is a piece of cake! All you have to do is show up!"
- Invoked: Bob enters a remedial program.
- Exploited: The school board (or whoever's in charge) threatens to cut funding if more students don't pass.
- Defied:
- Bob works hard (seeing as this is his last chance), and it's clear that he must do more than just show up.
- Bob's parents receive a letter saying that if Bob's grades don't improve, he will not be able to graduate.
- Discussed: "So, Bob's graduating with us after all..."
- Conversed: "Kids these days! Always expecting something for nothing! When I was Bob's age..."
- Deconstructed: Because the school Bob attends does not properly assess kids with failing grades, many of the graduates end up performing worse in society than dropouts.
- Alternatively, Bob graduating with low grades make him question his future as an adult.
- Played for Drama: See Deconstructed #2.
- Played for Laughs: Non-graduates get to attend the graduation ceremony but not to receive their diplomas. They and/or others make jokes at their expense.
Back to Graduation for Everyone
