DUI convictions already leave a big impact on a person’s record, and underage DUI convictions may carry even more weight.
These convictions could prove even more problematic to people who intend to pursue higher education. But how and why is that the case?
Loss of financial backing
According to The College Investor, getting even one DUI can ruin your prospective plans in college. A DUI can directly interfere with a student’s ability to pursue their schooling path of choice for multiple reasons.
First of all, they may lose financial backing. The school may revoke any scholarships or awards given to the student. While their federal financial aid may remain intact, this is not always enough to carry a student through the cost of attending college.
On top of that, many colleges will ban a student from staying on campus if they have a DUI on record. This means they will have to pay for off-campus housing, which costs a lot of money.
Loss of career options
Second of all, they could lose access to certain career paths. Many careers do not hire people with a DUI on record. This includes jobs that require commercial driver’s licenses, government positions, and any job that works with children.
Because the student can no longer access those career paths, they may find it pointless to attempt getting education in those fields, especially if the education includes on-site training which they cannot participate in.
Because of the serious repercussions one DUI conviction can hold, students facing a charge should take it seriously from the start.