Academic Regulations

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Code of Conduct

The Olin Business School is a community of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests who share certain fundamental goals. Primary among these goals is the creation and maintenance of an atmosphere conducive to learning and personal growth for everyone in the community. Becoming a member of the Olin and Washington University community is a privilege that brings certain responsibilities and expectations. It is imperative that all individuals associated with Olin and Washington University conduct themselves with the utmost integrity in all aspects of their lives, both on and off campus.

Learn more about Olin's Code of Conduct by reviewing the Olin Undergraduate Policies site.
The Academic Integrity Policy for Undergraduate Students can be found on the Provost's website.
The University Conduct Code can be found on the Student Conduct & Community Standards website.

Attendance

Olin Business School allows each instructor of a course to decide how many absences the student may have and still pass the course. The Olin Business School expects faculty to give reasonable consideration to unavoidable absences and to the feasibility of making up work that has been missed. Students are expected to explain to their instructors the reasons for any absences and to discuss with them the possibility of making up missed assignments.

Enrollment

BSBA students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits to a maximum of 21 credits each semester. Olin undergraduates will be assessed a full-time tuition charge for their course of study through eight semesters of enrollment.

Credits and Grades

Credits (often called “units” at WashU) are assigned to courses based on measures of time in class and academic activities and engagement between instructors and students, as defined in university policy. Grade points per course are calculated by multiplying the number of units of a course by the grade points earned. The Undergraduate Study page details the grades and grade points in use.

Auditing a Course

A student may take a maximum of one course per semester on a Pass/No Pass/Audit basis. Students may not audit a business course. However, a student may take non-business courses for audit with the approval of the professor. An audited course does not count toward the student's degree requirements. A grade of L indicates the satisfactory completion of an audit; unsatisfactory completion results in a grade of Z. Fees for auditing a course are assessed at the same rate as for all other courses.

Pass/No Pass Option

A student may take a maximum of one course per semester on a Pass/No Pass/Audit basis. A grade of Pass indicates that credit has been awarded but the work was not subject to finer evaluation. The following policies are in effect starting Fall 2021. Courses taken previously will not retroactively be changed.

All Olin professional, major, and minor courses must be taken for a letter grade. This includes any non-BU courses counting toward Olin's professional coursework (i.e., ECON 1502 Introduction to Macroeconomics as a substitute for MEC 2920 Global Economy). For second majors and minors outside of Olin, students should speak with their second major or non-Olin minor advisor.
Olin courses taken Pass/No Pass cannot count toward the 60 required business credits. However, they will count toward the 120 credits required for graduation.
A maximum of 6 Olin credits may be taken as Pass/No Pass after a student has completed six full-time semesters of enrollment or if the student is in their senior year.
Pass/No Pass cannot be used for MATH 1510 Calculus I, MATH 1520 Calculus II, College Writing, or the Ethics and Values distribution requirement.
A maximum of 9 credits of distribution or advanced electives can be taken Pass/No Pass. The Pass/No Pass course may only count toward one requirement. In other words, a single Pass/No Pass course cannot be double counted toward a distribution and an advanced elective.
Not all courses have the Pass/No Pass option.

Incomplete Grades

A student may be given an I (incomplete) when extenuating circumstances preclude the satisfactory completion of course work during the semester in which a particular course is taken. While an incomplete grade is sometimes appropriate, a student should make every effort to avoid the accumulation of incomplete grades. Incomplete grades are expected to be finished. Failure to finish an incomplete grade within 120 days of the semester’s grades due date will result in a failing grade.

Grade Appeals

Course grade appeals must be made within 120 days following the official end of the semester in which the course occurred. The official end of each semester is available on the website of the University Registrar and should align with deadline date for course grades to be uploaded. Appeals after 120 days will only be allowed in extenuating circumstances and will require approval from the Vice Dean of Education.

Repeating or Retaking a Course

Most courses are designed to be completed once, and credit may only be earned once. A student may retake such a course if a higher grade is required (e.g., if the initial final grade is below that required to apply to major requirements). Students may not register themselves for another instance of a course in which the initial final grade is a B or higher, an Incomplete, a successful Audit, or a Pass. For a student retaking a course, credit is only given once; both grades earned remain on the record, but only the higher grade is used to compute the grade point average. An R notation is added to identify the retaken course.

Course Conflicts

Per University Policy, students may not enroll in courses with any time conflict. Exceptions will only be made in the most extraordinary of circumstances. Any and all exceptions must be approved by the Office of the Provost and the student's home school. Questions should be answered by reviewing the University Policy.

Minimum and Maximum Course Loads

Olin Business School students are required to enroll in a minimum of 12 credits to a maximum of 21 credits each semester at Washington University. For more information, please visit the Undergraduate Study page of this Bulletin.

Academic Standing

Olin students are expected to maintain a high level of scholarship during their time at Washington University. Approximately three weeks after the end of a semester, the Academic Review Committee reviews the record of each enrolled student. Students must attain and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA in their professional (business), semester, and cumulative GPAs to be in good academic standing. In addition, students must be making progress to complete their professional requirements within a reasonable time period. Failure to achieve minimum standards may result in the student's academic records being reviewed for academic action.

To learn more about academic standing, please review the University’s policies.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Title IV Federal Financial Aid

The minimum GPA requirements needed to maintain eligibility for Satisfactory Academic Progress are dictated by the specific program of study. In each case, per the requirements of 34 C.F.R. 668.34(a)(4(ii), the federal student aid program requires a minimum of a C average to maintain eligibility for aid, but an individual degree or certificate program may have a higher minimum GPA for federal Satisfactory Academic Progress. Olin Business School requires a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA for Satisfactory Academic Progress. (Additional information about Satisfactory Academic Progress is available from Student Financial Services.)

Time Away: Leave of Absence or Withdrawal

Olin undergraduate students who need to take time away from their studies, whether a temporary leave or a withdrawal, must formally request to do so. This helps ensure enrollments, grades, accounts, and statuses are updated properly. For students requesting a temporary leave, this process helps maintain academic continuity and ensures that students have the necessary resources when planning their return. Please review the Office of the University Registrar's website for additional information.

Transfer Credit

The Olin School expects that all degree requirement courses be taken at Washington University. However, students who are enrolled at Olin and wish to receive transfer credit for course work taken at another institution may request course approval. Transfer course approval must be received prior to the start of the transfer course. General guidelines are as follows:

A grade of a C or better must be earned for all transfer credit to be accepted (including course work taken through a Washington University–approved study abroad program).
The Olin School expects that all business courses will be taken at Washington University. Under certain circumstances, permission may be granted for a student to take a business course from another university with accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. For consideration to be given, a syllabus showing the text used must be submitted.
All business major and minor course work must be taken in residence. Although major and minor course work can be taken through an approved study abroad program, only one course will be counted for each major and minor.
The institution must meet accreditation requirements.
A syllabus for each course must be submitted with the request for review.
No credit will be granted for course work taken online through another university.
54 of the 60 Olin professional credits must be taken in residence.
A maximum of 6 credits may be taken during a summer program from another university.
Credit will not be given for course work taken at another institution during a student's last 30 credits.
No course work may be taken at a two-year institution after a student has accumulated 60 credit of work.
No transfer credit will be accepted for courses taken while a student is suspended from Washington University for violations of the University Student Conduct Code or Academic Integrity policy.
No transfer credit will be accepted for courses taken while a student is on a leave of absence.

School of Continuing & Professional Studies Courses

Courses taken through the School of Continuing & Professional Studies will not count toward the 120 credits needed for the BSBA degree nor toward the student's GPA.

Pre-Matriculation Credits

Pre-matriculation credits are earned before the student's enrollment at Washington University as a first-year student. These credits would include Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, British Advanced (A) Levels, and college credit earned after the student's sophomore year in high school. These credits will be noted on the student's transcript. The maximum number of pre-matriculation credits awarded is 15. These pre-matriculation credits will transfer as general elective course work and will not satisfy any distribution requirements. If a student takes a course in residence for which they have already received AP credit, the AP credit will be removed automatically. All BSBA students and second majors will be required to take DAT 1200 Managerial Statistics I, even when AP credit is earned for SDS 2020 Elementary Probability and Statistics.

Olin Undergraduate Student Handbook

The Olin Undergraduate Student Handbook includes general academic policies and procedures for the undergraduate programs of the Olin Business School at Washington University. Please read and refer to the handbook to answer any questions about the undergraduate business program. If a student has questions about the interpretation of the policies and procedures or topics that are not in the handbook, they should consult their academic advisor.