Standards and Policies
From our Academic Integrity policy to the Withdrawal Policy. This is where you will find the details about our standards and policies.
For BSBA students, academic standing is reviewed at the end of the fall and spring semesters. As a result of this review, students are assigned one of the following academic standing codes:
Good Academic Standing
Students remain in good academic standing as long as they maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 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 (as well as “college in high school” courses taken through the University of Pittsburgh).
Academic Probation
Any student who has a cumulative GPA below 2.0 at the end of the fall or spring semester is placed on academic probation. Notice of probation is emailed to the student’s University of Pittsburgh email address.
Academic Suspension
An academic suspension from the School of Business prohibits students from enrolling in courses at the University of Pittsburgh 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.
Full-time students
If a full-time student on probation’s cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after one term of additional enrollment, 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 2.0 after an additional term of enrollment.
Part-time students
If, after attempting 12 additional credits, a part-time student on probation’s cumulative GPA remains below 2.0, the student is subject to suspension or dismissal.
Appealing a Suspension
Within ten days of being notified of a suspension, students can appeal that suspension by writing an email describing any extenuating circumstances to the Director of the Tafel Center for Student Success. If that appeal is denied, students can appeal for a second and final time by writing an email describing extenuating circumstances to the Associate Dean for the Undergraduate Program.
Reinstatement after the First Suspension
Near the end of the calendar year of suspension, suspended students are eligible to apply for reinstatement to the School of Business with a letter to the Director of The Tafel Center for Student Success 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 School of Business with a letter to the Associate Dean for the Undergraduate Program presenting a rationale for reinstatement.
Academic Dismissal
Dismissal from the School of Business is permanent and dismissed students are not eligible for reinstatement.
Required courses for the degree must be repeated if a grade does not meet the Program’s minimum requirements. If the minimum acceptable grade is not earned after meeting the course repeat limit, the student may have to select a different major within the School of Business or transfer out of the Program.
The School of Business Undergraduate Program Academic Records automatically submits the Registrar’s Course Repeat Form for students who have repeated a course. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure their repeat course grades have been updated with the “Repeated – Excluded from GPA” flag on their academic record and that all credits have been calculated correctly. Students should discuss repeat courses with their academic advisor at the beginning and end of the term of repeated enrollment.
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 3.5 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.
This policy applies to all courses offered by the School of Business.
An “I” 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. This grade may also be assigned to students who are unable to complete an internship or independent study due to the unique requirements or circumstances of the course.
Work submitted to resolve an incomplete is evaluated according to the grading criteria in the course syllabus, the same as work submitted during the term. Instructors may apply any late-work penalties described in the syllabus, so completing the outstanding work does not guarantee full credit for it. If the remaining work is not completed by the agreed-upon deadline and the instructor does not submit a final grade, the “I” will automatically be replaced by the lapse grade the instructor recorded at the time the incomplete was assigned. The lapse grade reflects the work the student had completed to that point, so the student will not necessarily need to re-enroll in the course — though a student who needs a higher grade to satisfy a requirement for graduation will need to repeat it.
The student should consult their Academic Advisor if they are considering a “I” grade. The student and instructor should complete the online School of Business “I” Grade Agreement form at least one day before grades are due at the end of the term.
Overall GPA
A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 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.
To qualify for graduation honors, a student must:
- Have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 for cum laude, 3.5 for magna cum laude, and 3.75 for summa cum laude
- Have completed at least 60 letter-graded credits at the University of Pittsburgh
Business courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis. In addition, courses taken to fulfill the requirements in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and calculus 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 grade 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. Note that an NC grade does not factor into or affect a student’s GPA. If a student selects the satisfactory/no credit grade option, the option cannot be reverted back to a letter-grade.
The deadline to elect the S/NC grade option and submit grade option forms to the associate dean’s office of the school offering the course is the end of the fourth week of the term.
The School of Business grade dispute policy follows a multiple step process:
1. A student initiates a grade dispute complaint through their academic advisor who contacts the Senior Director of the Tafel Center for Student Success to formalize the complaint.
2. The Senior Director of the Tafel Center for Student Success gathers details on the nature of the dispute, and counsels said student to contact the instructor of the course where the grade is disputed and attempt to resolve the issue.
3. The Senior Director of the Tafel Center for Student Success also contacts the instructor in question to inform them that a complaint has been filed. The Senior Director will maintain regular contact with both parties regarding possible resolution of the dispute.
4. If resolution is not achieved between the instructor and the student, the dispute is elevated to the Associate Dean of the School of Business.
5. When the dispute reaches the Associate Dean, the School of Business Academic Integrity Officer is contacted to discern whether the “alleged” grade dispute is solely a grade dispute, or if there are questions of academic integrity that are also part of the complaint. Once the core nature of the dispute is discerned the steps within the relevant policy are examined by the Associate Dean to ensure all steps have been completed in the process and a ruling on the content of the dispute is provided. It is the policy of the School of Business Undergraduate Program that the decision of the Associate Dean is final for all grade disputes.
6. All grade disputes must be initiated and resolved within a defined timeframe. A student must initiate a grade dispute no later than the end of the semester immediately following the semester in which the disputed grade was issued. All steps of the dispute process, including any elevation to the Associate Dean and a final ruling, must be completed by the end of that following semester. Disputes not initiated within this timeframe will not be considered, and any dispute left unresolved at the close of the following semester will be deemed concluded based on the standing of the originally issued grade. If, during the course of the dispute, the School of Business Academic Integrity Officer determines that the matter involves a question of academic integrity rather than a grade dispute alone, this timeframe is paused and the matter proceeds under the School of Business academic integrity procedure. The grade dispute timeframe resumes only if and when the academic integrity procedure concludes without resolving the underlying grade dispute.
Course Withdrawal
Until approximately the end of the ninth week of the fall and spring terms, and at various times in the summer, depending on which session a course is taken, a student can withdraw from a course. Withdrawing results in a W on the transcript, where a letter grade would go, but the W does not affect the GPA. The W does not indicate whether the student was passing or failing the course at the time of withdrawal. A W does, however, count as an attempt at the course.
Academic advisors should be consulted about withdrawal decisions. Withdrawing from a course may cause financial aid problems due to lack of satisfactory academic progress. Students who receive financial aid should consult with the Office of Financial Aid before withdrawing.
To withdraw from a business course, a student must complete the University Monitored Withdrawal Request Form via DocuSign. The form can be found here. The form requires two signatures: the student and a representative from the Dean’s Office. To withdraw from a non-business course, contact the school offering the course to determine the procedure to follow. Because the form requires multiple signatures, students should begin the process well in advance of the deadline; withdrawal requests will not be processed after the withdrawal deadline. For the complete policy, including current deadlines, see the Office of the University Registrar’s Enrollment page: https://www.registrar.pitt.edu/enrollment