Academic Status
Listed here are the descriptions of some frequent terms used along with additional information.
• Full time
• Part time
• Leave of Absence
• Transferring to Another School or College
• Dean's List
• Latin Honors
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 SMG, 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. Approval for part-time status is granted on a case by case basis. To request to be changed to 'part-time status,' email the Associate Director of the UPO at upoforum@management.bu.edu. You will be considered as full-time status, regardless of your course load, until a petition for part-time status is approved. Since the School of Management is a full-time program, a student dropping to part-time status without prior approval of the Undergraduate Program Office will be subject to review by the Director and the Assistant Dean.Important Notes
- Dropping to part-time status may affect eligibility to remain in good standing in SMG 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 SMG.
- 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.
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 and/or SMG 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 official transcripts from the Office of the University Registrar at 881 Commonwealth Avenue, as well as recommendations from professors and/or academic advisors. If the school requires a College Official's Report or Dean's Report, contact Erik Linnane at linnane@bu.edu or drop off the form for Erik at the UPO front desk. If you decide to transfer, you must notify Boston University in writing. This is done by filing a withdrawal form at the University Service Center, located at 881 Commonwealth Avenue, lower level. Failure to do so will result in being charged 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 3.3 or higher, with final grades in a minimum of four academic courses totalling 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.
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 School of Management 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 during the spring semester. These grade point cutoffs are also used to determine Latin Honors for the subsequent September 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 2009, September 2009 and January 2010 School of Management graduates are:
| Summa Cum Laude | 3.74 - 4.00 |
| Magna Cum Laude | 3.49 - 3.73 |
| Cum Laude | 3.32 - 3.48 |
