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Registration Exceptions

Pass/Fail

The pass/fail option may not be utilized for any course at the School of Management, with the exception of the SMG required course, SM411: Charting Your Career Path, which is only available as a pass/fail course. All other courses fulfilling degree requirements must be taken for a letter grade. The pass/fail option is available for PDP (Physical Development Program) courses. Credit is earned for courses taken pass/fail, but the credit earned cannot be applied toward the degree.

Please note: It is also the policy of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) that no CAS courses may be taken as pass/fail.

Auditing

SMG 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 generally through the fifth week of classes. Please see the academic calendar for the specific 'Last Day to Change from Credit to Audit Status' date in each semester. The status of the course cannot be changed after the fifth week of classes. 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.

Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload

  • SMG may only give financial approval for credit overload to SMG students taking courses on the Charles River Campus. Non-SMG students must see their school or college of residence for such approval. SMG students who are studying abroad must consult the International Programs Office to determine appropriate course load.
  • Students' full time tuition pays for up to 18 credits.
  • When enrolled in a 6-credit course, students are entitled to take up to 20 credits without accompanying charges, but must submit a Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload form to obtain overload approval.
  • SMG students taking SM395 and/or SM411 are automatically approved for 18.5 credits.
  • Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher or with senior standing (10 courses or less remaining in their degree requirements) are entitled to enroll in up to 20 credits without accompanying charges, or up to 22 credits if one of their courses is a 6-credit course. Again, students must submit the Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload form to obtain overload approval.
  • First-semester freshmen and external transfer students 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.

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