There is a limited literature on academic failure in higher education despite the fact that failure is a common experience among undergraduates. Student and course characteristics were examined in relation to proportions of fail grades assigned in a Faculty of Arts. Concerns had been expressed that combinations of two grades, F (failure to reach a satisfactory standard) and FNS (failure to submit assessment work), resulted in high fail rates. Regression analyses indicated that students assigned higher proportions of fail grades tended to be male, Indigenous, younger, had lower entry scores, had deferred fees, were not full-time day students, lived at home, and had histories of incomplete studies. However, university entrance score was the strongest predictor of F, while being male and deferring payment of fees were the strongest predictors of FNS. Variations in awarding types and levels of fail grades were evident between schools in the faculty, indicating different grading practices. The findings suggest that personal and institutional factors interacted to increase the risk of academic failure for these students. (Contains 4 tables.)