Each professor will grade the assignments, presentations, exams, etc. in their course by assigning a raw score. After the course concludes, professors will multiply these scores by their corresponding weights and add them together to get a final, raw score. Thereafter, scores will be sorted and the corresponding grade will be assigned based on the grading distribution (“the curve”) used at IE Business School.
IE uses the following curved grading distribution for all courses unless indicated otherwise:
IE Business School uses this established grade distribution with three main goals in mind:
Additional qualifications without a distribution curve:
W-Withdrawal Grade Notation:
It is only awarded during the Electives Term. Students will receive the Withdrawal notation when they request to withdraw from a course outside the stipulated add/drop periods.
Whereas it will not have an impact on the student’s GPA, the W-notation will show in the student’s transcript. A student is only eligible for a W-notation if the course has not started yet.
There is no limit on the number of courses a student can drop during the add/drop periods; however, a student can only withdraw a maximum of two courses outside the add/drop periods.
More information on the electives term under the Elective period section of the student guide.
Seldom assigned, this grade represents a failure of achievement and/or commitment that results in the student falling below the minimum standards of the course.
This grade will be assigned to all those students whose performance is below the minimum required which is two standard deviations from the mean of his/her section. [minimum required = mean – (standard deviation*2)].
When students receive a Fail in a course, they have the opportunity to present themselves for reassessment in order to earn the necessary credits toward graduation.
The reassessment, including content and evaluation, is the responsibility of the course professor in agreement with the Academic Course Coordinator (appointed by the Dean of Faculty).
The re-sit should take place between 5 and 10 working days after the date of the review session, giving the student sufficient time to prepare for the reassessment of the failed subject.
Grades for the reassessment are limited to a Low Pass and Fail, both of which fall outside of the normal grade distribution.
In the case of a Low Pass, the student receives the corresponding academic credit (sessions/weight) associated with the Low Pass grade that carries a grade point of 1.0. In the case of a Fail, the student would be required to leave the IMBA Program for failure to meet the academic requirements of the program.
As soon as the final grade of a course is published, students will be informed about the date, time and place via IE Campus (under the section page on the left-hand menu). This session must take place within 10 business days of the grade being published. During this review session, students have the right to receive feedback from the professor in order to better understand the rationale behind their evaluation. If during the review session the student is contesting a grade, the professor may review the entire work, not only the assignment in question, and the final grade can be adjusted accordingly (either up or down). If following the review session the student believes there has been an objective error in the evaluation of their performance, he/she may proceed with a formal grade appeal to the Vice Dean of the Program.
The student can ask for a review of the qualification obtained in the final Master’s exam. In the case that the final Master’s exam is group work with individual assessment, the request will have to be made by all the members of the group to the Program Director, who will provide the feedback.
After receiving feedback, the student/group may request a review session with the Examining Board Secretary. During the review session, if a student/group does not agree with a section of their grade, the Examining Board Secretary may review all of their work and adjust the final grade accordingly – up or down.
If, after the review session, the student / group is not satisfied, they may appeal to the Vice Dean within a maximum period of 3 days after the review session – by the process described in a previous paragraph.
The arguments that support the appeal must be submitted in writing using the existing specific questionnaire to make the appeal.
It is understood that each professor has the right to determine the specific assessment parameters for their subject and has sufficient experience to evaluate the work done by each student. In the event that a student does not agree with the awarded grade and wishes to appeal the result based on objective and substantive evidence, these steps must be followed:
If you are considering the submission of a grade appeal, please review the specific requirements and instructions below.
Attendance is a critical aspect of the IE commitment. IE students are admitted in part because of the experiences they bring to the community and what they can add to class discussions (participation). Without attending, learning as a collaborative process cannot exist. In accordance with this belief, IE has implemented a policy to address excessive absences with escalated repercussions based on the percentage of class missed for a given course. Below you will find the full text for the Attendance Policy. Please bare in mind the IMBA is a 100% face-to-face Program.
With such a complex curriculum packed into less than a year’s time, missing academic classes and activities puts students at a significant disadvantage.
Please plan to stay on top of your classes and any related deliverables, as professors are not obligated to “excuse” absences or give assignments to make up for participation.
For planning activities outside of the class schedule, please use these resources:
Professors have the right to mark students absent and/or not let them in their class if a student arrives late (regardless it is just by a few minutes).
In order to limit disruptions during class, we ask students to make the most of the breaks between classes (restroom break, fill water bottle, etc.).
At IE, we believe that the benefits of engaging in extracurricular activities are endless. They complement the academic curriculum and are a key tool to the one’s personal development.
Extracurricular activities at IE can be student initiatives or sponsored and/or promoted by our school. We understand that students are attracted to these activities not merely for entertainment but the key here is to find a healthy balance between one’s academic responsibility and extracurricular engagement.
While we encourage and promote extracurricular activities, students will not be excused from class to participate in extracurricular activities. Those who choose the latter over the former will have to coordinate with their professors and cope with the potential consequences of missing class (i.e. negative impact on participation).
According to IE’s policy, auditing (a student not enrolled in a course attends class) is not allowed, and that includes inviting outside guests to sit in on a class. The only people allowed to attend class are students enrolled on the pertaining course.
Please note that this policy applies to all courses taught at the International MBA program, core and elective periods alike.
To calculate your cumulative GPA, please follow these steps:
