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Standards and Policies

Graduation Honors

Those members of a graduating class who have attained outstanding scholastic records are graduated with honors. To qualify for honors, a student must:

  • have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.250 for cum laude, 3.500 for magna cum laude, and 3.750 for summa cum laude; and
  • have completed at least 60 letter-graded credits at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dean's List

Early each term, students whose grades in the previous grading period indicate outstanding achievement are recognized in the Dean's List.

Full-Time Students

Full-time students (those enrolled in 12 or more credits) who earned 12 credits in the preceding term (not including courses taken on the Satisfactory/No Credit option) with a term GPA of at least 3.50 and no grade lower than a C are placed on the Dean's List.

Part-Time Students

Part-time students (those enrolled in fewer than 12 credits) who earned 12 credits in previous terms (not including courses taken on the Satisfactory/No Credit option) with a GPA of at least 3.50 and no grade lower than a C are placed on the Dean's List. Part-time students are evaluated for Dean's List recognition by determining if 12 credits on the letter-grade system have been completed since the last Dean's List recognition. If 12 credits have been completed, the GPA for the terms in which the last 12 credits were completed is used to assess Dean's List eligibility.

Academic-Standing Policy

For BSBA students, academic standing is reviewed at the end of the fall and spring terms by the CBA Student Records Office and the CBA Performance Committee, composed of faculty members on the Undergraduate Committee. As a result of this review, students are assigned one of the following academic standing codes: good academic standing, academic probation, academic suspension, or academic dismissal.

Good Academic Standing

Students remain in good academic standing as long as they maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 in all courses taken at the University of Pittsburgh.

The cumulative GPA includes all courses taken on a letter-grade basis at all campuses of the University of Pittsburgh. Any University course-repeat rules in effect cause only the most recent grade in a repeated course to be included in the GPA.

Academic Probation

Any student who has a cumulative GPA below 2.00 is placed on academic probation.

Academic Suspension

Full-Time Students

If after one term of additional enrollment, the cumulative GPA of a full-time student on probation remains below 2.00, the student is subject to suspension or dismissal.

Students on probation who enroll and then withdraw from all courses are still subject to suspension for not raising their cumulative GPA to 2.00 after an additional term of enrollment.

Part-Time Students

If after attempting 12 additional credits, the cumulative GPA of a part-time student on probation remains below 2.00, the student is subject to suspension or dismissal.

An academic suspension from CBA prohibits students from enrolling in courses as a CBA student for one calendar year. Students will not be awarded transfer credit for courses taken at other colleges or universities while on academic probation or suspension.

Reinstatement After the First Suspension

After one calendar year, suspended students are eligible to apply for reinstatement to the College of Business Administration with a letter to the CBA associate dean presenting a rationale for reinstatement.

Reinstated students return on academic probation and have one term of enrollment to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.0 or be subject to a second suspension or dismissal.

Second Academic Suspension

If suspended a second time, a student is not eligible for reinstatement for five years. After five years, suspended students are eligible to apply for reinstatement to the College of Business Administration with a letter to the CBA associate dean presenting a rationale for reinstatement.

Academic Dismissal

Dismissal from CBA is a permanent action, and dismissed students are not eligible for reinstatement.

Grade Point Average Standards

Overall GPA

A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 is required in all courses applied toward the BSBA degree.

Major GPA

A cumulative GPA of 2.25 (C+ average) is required in all courses applied toward a student’s major. A C- or better must be earned in each course applied toward a student’s major.

Full-Time Students

If a full-time student’s major GPA drops below 2.25 for two consecutive terms, no new major courses may be taken until the major GPA is raised to 2.25 through course repeats.

Part-Time Students

If a part-time student’s major GPA drops below 2.25 for nine consecutive credits, no new major courses may be taken until the major GPA is raised to 2.25 through course repeats.

Satisfactory/No Credit (S/NC) Grade Option Policy

All required BSBA core courses and all courses to be applied to a student’s major must be taken on a letter-grade basis. In addition, courses taken to fulfill the requirements in microeconomics, macroeconomics, calculus, statistics, and psychology must also be taken on a letter-grade basis. Language classes, arts and sciences courses, and electives may be taken on a satisfactory/no-credit grade basis.

Under the satisfactory/no credit option, a student who does satisfactory work (C or better) receives the grade of “S” for the course and earns credit for the course. If a student does unsatisfactory work (defined as C- or lower), the student receives the grade of “NC” and does not earn credit for the course.

S/NC Grade Option Procedures

Withdrawal Policy

Students may withdraw from arts and sciences and/or business courses. The withdrawal deadline for arts and sciences and business courses is the same; students should refer to the academic calendar to determine the withdrawal deadline for each term/session. Withdrawal requests will not be processed after the withdrawal deadline.

Procedure for a business student to withdraw from a course offered by the School of Arts & Sciences:

The student obtains the Withdrawal Request Form from their CBA advisor. The advisor and student both sign the form and print the instructor’s name on the form. Before the withdrawal deadline, the student takes the form to the A&S Office of Student Services, Room 140 Thackeray Hall, to be processed.

Procedure for a business student to withdraw from a course offered by the College of Business Administration:

The student obtains the withdrawal request form from their CBA advisor. The advisor and student both sign the form. The student must have the instructor of the business course sign the form. Before the withdrawal deadline, the student takes the form to the CBA associate dean’s office to be processed.

Students do not earn credit or receive tuition refunds for courses from which they withdraw. Students should discuss the implications of withdrawal (including financial aid, scholarship, and athletic eligibility concerns) with their CBA academic advisor before electing to withdraw from a course.

G and I Grade Policy

This policy applies to all courses offered by the College of Business Administration (CBA).

  • A "G" grade may be assigned at the option of the instructor during the last month of the term to students who have been making regular progress, but are unable to complete the work of the course by the end of the term due to extenuating personal circumstances.
  • An "I" grade may be assigned to students who are unable to complete an internship or independent study due to the unique requirements or circumstances of the course.

A course must be completed with the same instructor assigning the "G" or "I" grade by an agreed-upon deadline (usually within one month, but not later than one year from the end of the term). If the remaining work is not completed by the deadline, the instructor will submit a letter grade based on the work submitted by the deadline.

The student and instructor should complete the form and submit it to the CBA Office of the Dean, 2505 Sennott Square, at least one day before grades are due at the end of the term.

Course Repeat Policy

A course offered by the College of Business Administration may be repeated once. In the calculation of the major and overall grade point averages, the grade earned in the second taking of a course replaces the grade earned in the first taking; however, the grade earned in the first taking of the course, remains on the student’s transcript and is noted with an asterisk.

Courses cannot be repeated more than once. A student who fails a course twice (or who otherwise wishes to register for a course for a third time) must seek permission from the CBA associate dean to be allowed to do so. CBA advisors will not register a student to take a course for the third time unless the written permission of the associate dean is given.

Academic Integrity Guidelines

The CBA Guidelines on Academic Integrity (PDF) are applicable to students enrolled in the College of Business Administration, students taking courses offered by the College of Business Administration, faculty teaching courses in the College of Business Administration, and senior administrators of the College of Business Administration and the University.

It is very important that all students and faculty are familiar with these guidelines and follow them. Please contact the associate dean of the College of Business Administration with questions or comments about the CBA Academic Integrity Guidelines.