Darden Graduate School of Business Administration: Academic Rules & Regulations

Academic Regulations

Students of the University of Virginia are subject to two sets of regulations, those of the University as a whole and those of the respective schools. Listed below are rules that apply within the Darden School. Appropriate excerpts from University regulations are set forth in the next section.

Academic Suspension Grievances

Students should consult PROV-019: Student Academic Suspension Grievance for the policy and procedure through which students can raise concerns about academic suspension decisions. Academic suspensions may be grieved within 14 days of notification of the suspension. Students who wish to grieve an academic suspension should file this in writing as outlined in PROV-019 to the school designated official, for Darden this is the Academic Standards Committee, who will adjudicate the case. The school designated official will communicate in writing their decision to the student.

Within five (5) calendar days after receiving the decision, the student may appeal in writing to the school dean. Dissatisfaction with the outcome of the initial adjudication of the grievance will not be grounds for appeal; however, students may appeal on the grounds that there was a failure to follow procedure.

Attendance Policy

Darden School students are expected to attend class in order to contribute as well as to learn. Each course must have a written attendance policy that describes the consequences of missed classes. The course policy must be distributed to students before the end of the first week of classes. Whenever students miss class, they should, out of courtesy, inform their instructor as to the circumstances, in advance if possible.

In accordance with the University’s Policy on Teaching Courses for Academic Credit (https://uvapolicy.virginia.edu/policy/PROV-008), Darden  faculty will reasonably accommodate students so that they do not experience an adverse academic consequence when sincerely held religious beliefs or observances conflict with academic requirements. The University has provided guidance and examples to faculty in implementing this policy here: https://eocr.virginia.edu/accommodations-religious-observance. 

Auditing Courses

An MBA candidate who is not under ASC jurisdiction may audit a Darden School elective if course capacity exists and with the permission of the instructor.

A doctoral candidate may audit a Darden School MBA course with the permission of the instructor if the major-field adviser and the Doctoral Operating Committee approve a program of study that indicates the desirability of the candidate’s taking that course on an audit basis.

Students enrolled in other schools of the University who are not candidates for the MBA or doctoral degree may not audit Darden School required courses but may audit Darden School electives with the permission of the instructor.

An audit grade (AU) may be listed on an official grade transcript if the instructor certifies that the candidate participated at a B− or better level in the course work with the exception of preparing written work and/or taking examinations.

Students auditing less than a full course will not be eligible to receive an AU designation for their work.

Credit/No Credit

Unless otherwise approved, students in the full-time MBA format are not allowed to take courses for credit/no credit.

Grade Appeals

Darden students who wish to appeal a grade must first attempt to resolve the issue with the instructor of the course. Absent a satisfactory outcome, the student should consult with the administration of their respective program to review the matter. The final level of appeal is the Senior Associate Dean of the students program and must be submitted in writing after the initial appeal decision has been communicated to the student.

Grading System

The Darden School recognizes the following grade categories: Distinguished Performance (DP); High Performance (HP); Standard Performance (SP); Low Performance (LP); Unsatisfactory Performance (UP); Fail (F). The following grade categories are recognized only for designated MBA for Executives, Global MBA for Executives and PhD courses: Satisfactory (S); Unsatisfactory (U).

Incomplete Grades

The IN grade should be assigned and administered consistently with the following IN grade policy statement:

From time to time, occasions arise that necessitate assigning a student a grade that falls outside the standard range. An IN grade implies that, for reasons known to the individual faculty member, the enrolled student has not completed their work at the end of the specified academic period.

The IN grade can only be assigned by the instructor teaching the course, only after the student has informed the instructor of the problem area, and only after the instructor has specifically reviewed in writing with the student the provisions under which the IN grade is granted.

An IN grade for a Residential MBA program student not resolved within 60 days from the ASC notification of the IN grade will automatically convert to an F grade. An IN grade for an Executive MBA or Part-Time program student not resolved within 30 days from the ASC notification of the IN grade will automatically convert to an F grade. Extensions of these deadlines may be granted only by the ASC Committee.

An IN grade can only be cleared by a standard letter grade or a W (withdrawn), not by a second IN. An IN grade that is not cleared by the student within the prescribed period will automatically become an F grade.

Students who receive one or more IN grades will come under ASC jurisdiction and will remain under the ASC until the IN grade becomes a letter grade. At that point, normal rules regarding ASC jurisdiction will apply.

No student can enter the second year or receive an MBA with an IN grade.

Performance Standards

The Darden School requires minimum performance standards for its students to graduate with an MBA degree. If a student does not meet these minimum performance standards, an automatic dismissal from the Darden School results and the student must petition for readmission. All performance standards are determined by the faculty and are based on ASC points.

 Academic Standards Committee (ASC) Points  

All minimum performance standards are evaluated and enforced on the basis of ASC points. Students receive ASC points when they earn a UP or F as a grade of record in a course. ASC points are computed by multiplying the credit hours of the course by the weight assigned to the grade. A UP has a weight of 1 while an F has a weight of 2. For example, ASC points by course credit hours are as follows:

Mid-Degree Requirement

The Darden School has a mid-degree minimum performance standard that is evaluated by the ASC at the midpoint in each program.  Midpoint is defined as: end of Q4 for full-time, end of Q5 for Executive MBA and end of Q8 for Part time. The minimum mid-degree performance standard is not met when the student’s ASC points are 15% or more of the total credit hours required for graduation. For example, if a student accumulates 8.5 or more ASC points (15% × 57 credit hours) upon completion of each grading period prior to and including the midpoint grading period as defined above for each program format in their program, they are in violation of the mid-degree requirements. 

If a student does not meet the mid-degree requirement of their MBA program, automatic dismissal from the Darden School results. A student seeking readmission must petition the ASC in writing. Dismissed students petitioning for readmission under this Section may continue in previously enrolled classes until their petition has been reviewed by the ASC. A student whose petition for readmission is declined by the ASC may appeal by submitting the same petition to the Darden School faculty for readmission.  

Graduation Requirement

The Darden School requires a minimum performance standard for its students to graduate with an MBA degree (i.e., the graduation requirement). The minimum performance standard to graduate is not met when the ASC points are 25% or more of the total credit hours required for graduation. For example, if the total number of credit hours required for graduation is 57, then students with 14.25 or more ASC points (25% × 57 credit hours) will be automatically dismissed from the Darden School.

If a student does not meet the graduation requirement of the Darden School at any point of their program, automatic dismissal from the Darden School results. A student seeking readmission must petition the faculty in writing.

Consequesnces of an F Grade of Record

Each MBA format has a set of required courses. The designation as a required course by an MBA format determines whether a makeup assignment is required for receiving an F as a grade of record.

Required courses

If a student receives an F as a grade of record in a required course, the student must satisfactorily complete a written makeup assignment. Students must receive a grade of Low Performance (LP) or better on the written makeup assignment to receive the credit hours for the required course; however, the grade of F will remain on the transcript.

Students who do not receive a grade of LP or better will be dismissed from the program, and they must petition the faculty for readmission. Written makeup assignments will be given only for required courses.

The ASC will formally notify the student of the need for a makeup assignment. All required course instructors must stand ready to administer a makeup assignment to any student receiving an F. The form and the date of the written makeup assignment is at the discretion of the Associate Dean for the respective program in conjunction with the course head. The assignment should cover material representative of the entire course for which the credit hours are attributable. This makeup requirement will be administered by the course head of the relevant course, who must inform the ASC and the Registrar of the outcome through written correspondence. If the course head advises the ASC that the makeup activity has been completed satisfactorily, the original F grade remains on the transcript, but the notation “Credit by Additional Work” is added to the transcript.

Second Dismissal

A second dismissal from the Darden School is permanent.  Students dismissed a second time have no avenue for appeal, and may not return to the Darden School of the University of Virginia. 

Readmission

If a student does not meet the mid-degree requirement of their MBA program, automatic dismissal from the Darden School results. A student seeking readmission must petition the ASC in writing. Dismissed students petitioning for readmission under this Section may continue in previously enrolled classes until their petition has been reviewed by the ASC. A student whose petition for readmission is declined by the ASC may appeal by submitting the same petition to the Darden School faculty for readmission.  

Transfer Credit

The Darden School typically requires students to complete all 57 credits of the program during their period of enrollment. Transfer credits earned post matriculation to Darden that a student wants applied toward their degree must be approved by the appropriate officials of the Darden School, except in cases of approved International Exchange Programs. In such cases, credits for elective courses taken at the partner institution are offered under the following conditions:

• The course has been approved by the Electives Coordinator acting on behalf of the MBA Policy Committee. The Electives Coordinator shall require that the course be a graduate level offering that relates to or enhances the Darden MBA Program. Using Darden elective courses as a standard, the Electives Coordinator shall determine the credit hours allowed for such a course. Students must satisfactorily complete the course according to the standards of the partner institution. The Electives Coordinator shall determine whether any grade received is equivalent to less than a 2.7 on a Darden scale and report such determinations to the ASC.
• No more than 15 credit hours will be given for courses taken outside the Darden School (other University of Virginia courses outside Darden will count toward the 15-credit-hour maximum, provided the courses have prior approval from Darden).

Students will normally take a minimum of nine credit hours in Darden electives (excluding Business Projects and Research Elective courses).

Withdrawals

The Dean’s office may ask a student at any time to withdraw from a particular course or from the school because of unsatisfactory academic work or for other adequate reasons.