Grading

Grading System

The F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College uses one grading system for all programs. The official grades and their numerical values are: 

• A: 4.00  
• A-: 3.67
• B+:  3.33 
• B: 3.00
• B-: 2.67
• C+: 2.33
• C: 2.00
• C-: 1.67
• F:  0.00 

Incomplete Grades

A status of “Incomplete” (“I”) may be given to a student only when there is documented evidence of a valid reason for failure to complete the work required in a course (e.g., sickness, death in family). Students who receive an “I” must consult with the instructor to determine the work required to remove the “I.” Faculty may administer makeup examinations for this purpose. The instructor will submit the new grade to the Registrar’s Office after the student has fulfilled all course requirements. 

An “I” must be cleared (by taking a makeup exam or submitting missing work) before the last class of the next semester in which the student is registered. If the student is not registered in the semester after the “I” is recorded, the student will have either 12 calendar months or until the end of the next semester for which they are registered, whichever occurs first, to resolve the “I.” Incomplete courses that fulfill prerequisites for the following semester must be completed 72 hours before the end of the add/drop period. This earlier deadline provides faculty time to grade the outstanding work or exam and submit the final grades to the Registrar’s Office before the end of add/drop. Students who do not make up incomplete work within the specified time period will receive the instructor’s final grade based on normal course requirements, with a numerical value of “0” calculated into the final grade for all items that remain incomplete. 

Failing Grades

Students must earn passing grades in all required courses. If a grade of “F” is earned in a required course, that course must be repeated. If a grade of “F” is earned in an elective course, the student must either repeat the course or successfully pass another elective. In any case where a student receives an “F,” the original “F” grade and any subsequent passing grade are both factored into the student’s cumulative GPA. The original “F” grade will remain on the student’s transcript. 

MBA students who complete all course requirements with a GPA below 2.80 may be permitted to take up to 6 additional credits to raise it at the discretion of the Academic Standards Committee. MS students maybe permitted to take MBA elective courses (up to 6 credits) to raise their GPA with the approval of the Academic Standards Committee. If the student fails to raise their GPA to 2.80, the degree will not be awarded. In all cases, students are responsible for the additional costs associated with taking these courses.  

Certificates 

In the CAM program, if a grade of “F” is earned in any course the student will be dismissed from the College and the certificate will not be awarded. 

Makeup of Failed Course 

Students must earn passing grades in all required courses. If a grade of “F” is earned in a required course, that course must be repeated. If a grade of “F” is earned in an elective course, the student must either repeat the course or successfully pass another elective. In any case where a student receives an “F,” the original “F” grade and any subsequent passing grade are both factored into the student’s cumulative GPA. The original “F” grade will remain on the student’s transcript. MBA students who complete all course requirements with a GPA below 2.80 may be permitted to take up to 4.5 additional credits to raise it at the discretion of the Academic Standards Committee. MS students may be permitted to take MBA elective courses (up to 3 credits) to raise their GPA with the approval of the Academic Standards Committee. If the student fails to raise their GPA to 2.80, the degree will not be awarded. In all cases, students are responsible for the additional costs associated with taking these courses.

Grade Disputes

Requests for a review of a grade in any course, regardless if a final exam was given or not, must be presented to the faculty member before the last day of classes of the fall or spring semester immediately following the semester in which the grade was earned. This policy applies to all students regardless of the student’s status in the following semester. Please note a different policy applies to Incomplete grades. 

The following procedure should be followed in a grade dispute: 

1. The student should first contact the faculty member(s) involved to discuss the matter. The purpose of the meeting is to check the accuracy of the grading process (confirming how the final grade was determined and the percentage of each deliverable in the final grade; and catching errors, if any, in the faculty grade sheets) and for the student to learn about their inadequacies and strong points. This procedure does not require the professor and student to agree on the final result. The obligation is simply to help the student understand the faculty’s process in determining the grade. 
2. If the issue is not resolved, the student should then contact the respective division chair and file a written appeal explaining the student’s position. The division chair will consider the appeal and issue a decision with reasonable promptness. 
3. If the issue remains unresolved, the student should then appeal to the Associate Dean of Programs, whose decision is final and not subject to appeal.