Policies

Grade Requirements

For Students Entering Questrom in Fall 2019 and beyond

Effective June 2019, students enrolled at Questrom must have earned a minimum grade of “C” in five of the following courses, and no less than “C-“ in the sixth course, in order to apply these courses towards their BSBA major and advance into 300-level Questrom courses. Students who do not meet this grade requirement and wish to remain in the Questrom School of Business have one opportunity to retake the course(s) and must retake the course(s) in one of the following two academic semesters (fall and spring). Only the first two graded attempts of a gateway course, including any attempt that results in a W, will be considered for the purposes of fulfilling this gateway criterion. However, it is strongly recommended students retake necessary course(s) as immediately as possible to remain on track with curriculum and requirements. Students who do not meet this requirement are required to transfer out of the Questrom School of Business after their sophomore year or, in the case of external transfers, in the year after they entered the Questrom School of Business. Such students may only take courses counted toward the Business Administration minor during the spring of their sophomore year while they prepare to transfer. This policy applies both to students who begin as freshmen or external transfers in the Questrom School of Business, or who seek entry as intra-University transfers from within Boston University. With the approval of their Academic Advisor, a student who has received a grade of D in one of these gateway courses may typically proceed to subsequent courses for which it is pre-requisite as long as they will be retaking the course with the D grade simultaneously or by the following semester. If a student has more than one grade of D, they must retake them prior to proceeding into classes for which the multiples Ds are pre-requisites, and should discuss their academic situation and curriculum planning with their Academic Advisor.

MA121 or MA123 (4 credits)
SM131 (4 credits)
SM132 (2 credits)
EC101 (4 credits)
EC102 (4 credits)
BU Hub First-Year Writing Seminar (4 credits)

Students must also receive grade of C- or better in all Questrom required courses and in any courses applied towards a declared concentration. With the approval of their Academic Advisor, a student who has received a grade of D in one Questrom degree requirement that is a pre-requisite for further Questrom degree required courses may typically proceed to subsequent courses for which it is pre-requisite as long as they will  be retaking the course with the D grade simultaneously or by the following semester. If a student has more than one grade of D, they must retake them prior to proceeding into classes for which the multiples Ds are pre-requisites. Students may not proceed into any Questrom elective courses (including courses counting towards their concentration) until the degree required prerequisite has been satisfactorily met with a grade of C- or better. In all cases, students will need to discuss their academic situation and curriculum planning with their Academic Advisor.

Students who began SM 131 and/or FE 101 prior to June 2019 will be held to the policy in place at the time of their enrollment in the course(s).

For Students Entering Questrom in Fall 2016 through Summer 2019

Effective June 2016, QST SM 131 Business, Ethics, and the Creation of Value (4 credits), and QST FE 101 Introduction to Finance (2 credits) must both be completed with a minimum grade of B– (2.70) in each. If a student repeats a gateway course, the average of the two grades for the course must be at least a 2.70. Only the first two graded attempts of a gateway course, including any attempt that results in a W, will be considered for the purposes of fulfilling this gateway criterion.

This policy applies both to students who begin as freshmen or external transfers in the Questrom School of Business, or who seek entry as intra-University transfers from within Boston University. Students earning less than a B– who wish to remain in the Questrom School of Business have one opportunity to retake the course(s) and must retake the course(s) in one of the following two semesters (including summer semester). Students earning less than a 2.70 average in either SM 131 or FE 101 are required to transfer out of the Questrom School of Business after their sophomore year or, in the case of external transfers, in the year after they entered the Questrom School of Business. Such students may only take courses counted toward the Business Administration minor during the spring of their sophomore year while they prepare to transfer.

Students who began SM 131 and/or FE 101 prior to June 2016 will be held to the policy in place at the time of their enrollment in the course(s). Students should refer to the 2015–2016 edition of the Boston University Bulletin for that policy.

Grade Points

Grade Point Average (GPA) is computed by dividing total Honor Points by total Credits Attempted, excluding courses with grades of P, W, I, or MG. Honor Points are calculated by multiplying the numerical equivalent of the grade received in the course (see below for chart) by the number credits of the course.

How to Calculate Your Major GPA

Grade		Grade Point Value		2 credit courses	4 credit courses	6 credit courses
A	=	4.0	=	8 honor pts	16 honor pts	24 honor pts
A-	=	3.7	=	7.4	14.8	22.2
B+	=	3.3	=	6.6	13.2	19.8
B	=	3.0	=	6.0	12.0	18.0
B-	=	2.7	=	5.4	10.8	16.2
C+	=	2.3	=	4.6	9.2	13.8
C	=	2.0	=	4.0	8.0	12.0
C-	=	1.7	=	3.4	6.8	10.2
D	=	1.0	=	2.0	4.0	6.0

How to Calculate Your Major GPA

Learn how to calculate your major GPA here.

Incomplete Grades

An incomplete grade (I) is used only when the student has conferred with the instructor prior to the submission of grades and offered acceptable reasons for the incomplete work. An incomplete grade may be appropriate when the student has participated in and completed requirements representing a majority of the course, and circumstances prevent the student from completing remaining requirements by the conclusion of the course.

The instructor must submit an online Incomplete Grade Report to the Undergraduate Academic & Career Development Center regarding the reason for the “I” grade, the nature of the work to be completed, and the deadline for completion (if different from the default deadline). If the work to be completed is not received by the instructor by the last day of instruction in the following semester, then the I grade is permanently changed to an “F” grade. All “I” grades in Questrom courses must be resolved before graduation.

Grade Grievances

Students are urged to resolve any grade grievance informally by meeting with the instructor responsible for the grading of the course to discuss concerns (please click here for the faculty directory). If concerns are not resolved a formal appeal may be made in accordance with the University policy on grade grievances.

The exception to the policy stated above is cases of alleged discrimination. The problem solving process that is applicable in any kind of discrimination claim (race, sex, disability, national origin) follows a different process as described on the Dean of Students’ website. Discrimination charges or complaints may be filed directly with the Provost or the Dean of Students.

For non-Questrom courses, the student should inquire at that school’s academic advising or student services office about the proper method of disputing a grade. If a student is unclear as to where to go, he/she is welcome to consult the Questrom Undergraduate Academic & Career Development Center for direction.

Latin Honors

For the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, the faculty of the Questrom School of Business recommends candidates whose scholastic performance reflects high achievement. To qualify for summa cum laude, a student’s grade point average (GPA) must fall in the top five percent of the graduating class. The next 10 percent receive the designation magna cum laude, followed by the next 15 percent, who graduate cum laude. The grade point averages determining these percentages are fixed for May graduates after all spring grades are in. These grade point cutoffs are also used to determine Latin Honors for the subsequent August and January graduates.

Transfer credits are not considered in the final decision of awarding honors. Only the Boston University grade point average (all courses taken at Boston University except ROTC and PDP) may satisfy the GPA requirement for the awarding of honors.

The Latin Honor GPA cut-offs for May 2024, August 2024 and January 2025 Questrom School of Business graduates are:

Summa Cum Laude: 3.87-4.0
Magna Cum Laude: 3.70-3.86
Cum Laude: 3.52-3.69

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Academic Standards & Probation Policy

The Questrom School of Business Undergraduate Academic Standards Committee reviews the progress of all Questrom students after each semester. Those students currently in good academic standing who fall into one of the following categories are placed on probation for the following semester:

All students whose cumulative GPA is below a 2.0.
All students whose semester grade point index (GPI) is below a 2.0.
All students who complete fewer than 12 academic credits without prior approval of part-time status.

Students on probation are reviewed at the end of their first probationary semester. If they run afoul of one or more of the three categories stated above, they are placed on probation for a second semester.

Students are reviewed again at the end of their second probationary semester. If they run afoul of one or more of the three categories stated above, they are considered for permanent dismissal from Boston University with immediate effect.

Please note that, for the purposes of satisfactory academic progress, a completed course is considered as follows

For students entering Boston University in Fall 2019 and beyond:
- A grade of C or higher infive of the following courses, and no less than “C-“ in the sixth course: QST SM131; QST SM132; CAS MA121 or MA123; CAS EC101; CAS EC102; BU Hub First-Year Writing Seminar
- A grade of C- or higher in all additional Questrom required courses
- A grade of C- or higher inany courses applied towards a declared concentration in Questrom
- All other courses require a D or higher. No more than 16 credits completed with the grade of “D” may be counted toward a Boston University degree
For students entering Questrom in Fall 2016 through Summer 2019:
- A completed course is one in which a student receives a grade of D or higher. No more than 16 credits completed with the grade of “D” may be counted toward a Boston University degree.

Although Boston University Summer Term is not considered a probationary semester, coursework taken during the summer will be considered in determining probation and permanent dismissal. Coursework may be taken during the summer intervening a spring-to-fall probationary semester sequence, or the summer immediately following a fall-to-spring probationary semester sequence.

Academic Status

Academic Level (class year)

Academic Level (class year) is determined based on units (credits) completed according to the following ranges:

First-year: 0 – 31 units completed
Sophomore: 32 – 63 units completed
Junior: 64 – 95 units completed
Senior: 96+ units completed

Full-time Students

To be considered a full-time degree candidate, you must be registered in at least three 4-credit academic courses per semester (12 academic credits). To remain in good standing in Questrom, you are expected to proceed at the rate of at least three academic courses per semester, with each course carrying a minimum of 4 credits. Full-time tuition covers from 12 to 18 credits (or 20 credits if a student is enrolled in a 6 credit course)

Part-time Students

Any student enrolled in fewer than twelve credits in one semester is considered a part-time student. Students may only receive approval for one semester of part-time standing. This approval is granted on a case by case basis and is typically limited to a student’s final semester prior to graduation. To request to be changed to ‘part-time status,’ submit a petition form. You will be considered as full-time status, regardless of your course load, until a petition for part-time status is approved. Since the Questrom School of Business is a full-time program, a student dropping to part-time status without prior approval of the Undergraduate Academic & Career Development Center will be subject to review by the Director and the Assistant Dean.

Leave of Absence

If you wish to take a leave from Boston University for personal or academic reasons, you must file an official withdrawal/leave of absence form with the University Service Center, located at 881 Commonwealth Avenue, lower level. You must file this form to be considered officially withdrawn from the University. Simply dropping out of courses does not officially withdraw you from the University. Once your withdrawal/leave of absence form is received by the University Service Center, refunds will be made according to the following schedule:

Prior to the start of classes – 100% tuition and fees
During the first two weeks of classes – 80% tuition
During the third week of classes – 60% tuition
During the fourth week of classes – 40% tuition
During the fifth week of classes – 20% tuition
After the fifth week of classes – no refund

Please click here for the Withdrawal and Tuition Refund Schedule

Transferring to Another College or University

You may decide that Boston University is not the place for you and that you want to transfer to a college or university better suited to your needs. Applications for transfer are obtained directly from the school to which you are interested in transferring. You will need to obtain your official transcript which can be requested on the Student Link. All transfer reports, Dean’s Certifications, Bar applications, medical school certifications, employer verifications and other authorized third-party inquiries are all processed the same way at BU, beginning with Judicial Affairs.Applicants should submit the following materials to Judicial Affairs at judws@bu.edu:

Process

A completed Judicial Affairs Records Release Form 2021and a copy of a photo ID. The release should include the name and email address of the recipient institution(s). If you are applying to multiple schools and space is limited on the release, you may list the names and email addresses in a separate document.

Note: you should take the time to find the specific contact names and addresses for the appropriate person or office at each school. Admission departments typically have specific email addresses for application submissions. If you simply provide “1 College Way” or “info@transferschool.edu” as mailing instructions, it is unlikely that the documents will be delivered or received.

A completed College Report, Coalition Report, Dean’s Certification or other application with the applicant’s portion (it may say, “To the Applicant”). If you are applying to multiple schools and some use the College Report and some use the Coalition Report, you should specify which school should receive which form when listing names and addresses.

Most transfer applications and many Dean’s Certifications ask questions pertaining to both academic and non-academic conduct. Judicial Affairs will complete the non-academic conduct related questions on the forms and forward the documents to the appropriate office in your home school or college for completion of the remainder of the form. Your school or college will be responsible for sending the completed documents to the requested recipients.

Timeline

Those requesting access to student records should also be reminded that all records requests are processed first-come, first-served and typically require 2-3 weeks (counted in business days) to process through Judicial Affairs. Please then allow additional time for your school or college to complete their components when necessary. There are no exceptions and Judicial Affairs does not entertain requests to expedite records. It is simply not fair to those students who have been patiently waiting in the queue. It is in the applicant’s best interest to plan ahead.

This information has been provided by the Office of Judicial Affairs. Please contact their team at judws@bu.edu with any questions.

PLEASE NOTE: If you decide to transfer, you must notify Boston University in writing. This is done by following the withdrawal procedures outlined here. Failure to follow these procedures will result in charges for any courses for which you may have registered, regardless of whether or not you attend the courses.

Dean’s List

Students are named to the Dean’s List when they earn a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher (effective Fall 2010), with final grades in a minimum of four academic courses totaling a minimum of 16 credits, and with no I (incomplete) grades. Dean’s List designation applies only to the fall and spring semesters in the academic year.

Important Notes

Dropping to part-time status may affect eligibility to remain in good standing in Questrom and may subject the student to academic probation. Please note that you are required to complete at least six academic courses per academic year, 24 credits total, (not including Summer Term) with a minimum of four credits in each course to be eligible to continue in Questrom.
Dropping to part-time status may affect eligibility for financial aid as well as graduation date.Please note that you are required to complete successfully (i.e. no grade of F) a minimum of 12 credits per semester during each academic year (not including Summer Term) in order to be considered for renewal of financial aid.
International students should check with the International Students and Scholars Office before attempting to drop to part-time status. In many cases, taking less than 12 credits in a given semester may result in falling out of visa status.
Dropping to part-time status can affect eligibility for a housing contract. Only full-time students are permitted to live in the university residences.

Registration

Pass/Fail

Effective with the Spring 2017 semester, the University has adopted a new pass/fail policy. To encourage intellectual exploration, Boston University permits students to elect up to 8 credits of academic coursework on a Pass/Fail basis to satisfy requirements for the bachelor’s degree. P indicates a course grade of D or above.

In keeping with the intended use of Pass/Fail to encourage intellectual exploration, students elect Pass/Fail near the end of the course, rather than at the beginning. The deadline for a student to designate a course Pass/Fail is the course’s drop with a “W” grade date. Semester-long courses have a consistent drop with a “W” date, and it is published per semester on the official academic calendar of the University Registrar. The deadline for non-standard courses, such as half-semester courses, is computed individually and is published by the individual course on the Student Link and Faculty/Staff Link.

Semester-specific dates and additional important information can be found on the University website.

In general, with the exception of the Questrom required Executive Skills Seminar courses (ES110, ES210, ES215 and ES310) which are only available as a pass/fail courses, students enrolled in the Questrom undergraduate program may only complete academic courses Pass/Fail in the following categories: 1) the non-management elective requirement, and 2) the free-electives requirement. Students may not apply the course toward required electives which must be from Questrom, and Pass/Fail courses may not be applied toward a Questrom concentration. Additionally, the Pass/Fail option may not apply to gateway or the business minor requirements for non-Questrom students. The pass/fail option is also available for PDP (Physical Development Program) courses; in the case of PDP courses, the credit earned cannot be applied toward the degree requirements.

Auditing

Questrom students may not audit any course for which they intend to receive academic credit. An extra course (that is, one that the student does not need in order to fulfill graduation requirements) or PDP courses may be audited, provided that the professor teaching the course does not have a “No Audit” policy. A student auditing a course is required to attend and participate in class but is not required to take examinations. Students may change the status of a course from credit to audit or vice versa during the Add/Drop period. Although no credit is earned for a class taken as an audit, full tuition is charged for the course. A grade of “AU” will appear on the transcript for any course taken on an audit basis. Please note: It is the policy of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) that no CAS courses may be audited.

To audit a course, please complete the Permission to Audit a Course form (pdf).

Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload

Questrom may only give financial approval for credit overload to Questrom students taking courses on the Charles River Campus. Non-Questrom students must see their school or college of residence for such approval. Questrom students who are studying abroad must consult BU Study Abroad to determine appropriate course load.
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors: full time tuition pays for up to 18 credits
Seniors: full time tuition pays for up to 20 credits
Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher can register for up to 20 credits without accompanying charges. They must submit the Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload form to obtain overload approval.
The following courses will result in automatic approval of more than 18 credits without an additional charge. The courses and the number credits beyond 18 permitted when enrolled in said courses are as follows.

- ES110 – 1 credit
- ES210 – 1 credit
- ES215 – 2 credits
- ES310 – 1 credit
- SM395 – 0.5 credits

First-semester freshmen are not allowed to take more than four academic courses in their first semester at Boston University.
ROTC courses do not incur charges. Credits from these courses are not counted towards students’ total credits covered by full-time tuition.
Full-time tuition charges do not pertain to summer coursework, as all summer courses are charged on a per-credit basis.
PDP courses, Directed Studies, and audited courses are charged at the same rate as all other courses.

BU Courses that are Unavailable for Credit for Questrom Students

Questrom students cannot take the following CAS statistics courses:

MA 113, MA 115, MA 116, MA 213, MA 214, EC 203, EC 204, EC 303, EC304, EC 305, & PS 211 as the material in these courses is covered in QST QM 221, QM 222, and BA 222.

Graduation Requirements

The University Trustees award degrees upon the recommendation of the faculty of the Questrom School of Business. Students graduate according to the following requirements and regulations:

Students must complete all required courses.
Students must complete at least 3 semesters of full-time course work in residence. Please note that summer term does not count towards this residency requirement.
Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
All degree requirements must be completed within seven years of the initial date of registration in an undergraduate degree program.
Students will not graduate with an Incomplete or an MG (Missing Grade) in any course required for the degree.
Physical education courses, FYE and ROTC credits cannot be applied toward the degree or the final cumulative grade point average.
For students entering the Questrom School of Business between September 2013 and January 2016: In addition to fulfilling all other degree requirements, students in the Questrom School of Business must complete 129 credits. Please note that Career Management Seminars, Honors Program Seminars/Colloquia, Management Internship credits, PDP, ROTC, and 1-credit CFA courses do not count towards the 129-credit minimum.
For students entering the Questrom School of Business in September 2015 or after: In addition to fulfilling all other degree requirements, students in the Questrom School of Business must complete 133 credits. Please note that Honors Program Seminars/Colloquia, Management Internship credits, PDP, ROTC and FYE courses do not count towards the 133-credit minimum.

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