General
A distinguishing feature of the IBA is its stringent adherence to the academic calendar. Students are required to attend lectures, laboratory sessions, seminars and fieldwork specified for every course in a semester. The course instructor takes attendance in each class. If a student accumulates more than the permissible absences, they should withdraw from that course. Students found tampering with attendance records in any way will immediately be expelled from the Institute. The permissible number of absences for students will include the participation of the IBA students in conferences/seminars/events, sports at the national/international level, an exchange program, religious activities (pilgrimage, etc.) and add-drop week.
A student may withdraw from courses if such withdrawal helps the student in improving their performance in the remaining courses. Withdrawal from a course is not treated as failure and it does not impact the GPA. A “W” grade would be indicated on the transcript for a withdrawn course. If a student has accumulated more than the permissible absences in any course, they must withdraw from that course. Students are allowed to withdraw from some or all the courses for which they have registered in a semester. Withdrawals from courses can be requested by submission of the course withdrawal form (obtainable from Program Office or downloadable from the IBA portal) to the respective Program Office 1 day before the commencement of the final examinations.
A semester freeze (or break) is a semester in which a student is not registered for any course due to personal reasons. Any student availing one or more semester freeze must complete the degree requirements before the stipulated time bar for the program in which they are enrolled. Every student who wishes to avail a semester freeze must formally inform the Program Office about it at least one week before the commencement of the semester. If a semester freeze is required during a semester, then the application must be submitted to the Program Office at least one week before the commencement date of final exams for that semester. All courses are marked as withdrawn when a semester break is applicable if such a break was requested during the semester.
The credits for courses studied from any of the top 100* universities of the world, LUMS, KSBL, and the universities with which IBA has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for student exchange, will be included in their CGPA after approval by the Academic Board of the IBA. However, the credits for grades earned from universities/institutes other than those mentioned above will be decided on a case-to-case basis by the Academic Board (AB) and will not be included in the CGPA calculation. This will be applicable to all degree programs at IBA. *Top 100 refers to Times Higher or QS Education Ranking.
Enrollment
5. Time Bar RuleEvery student admitted to some program at the IBA must complete the academic requirements of that program in the stipulated time called enrolment period to be eligible for the award of a diploma/degree for the program. The enrolment periods are given below for reference:
An extension of enrolment may be requested from the Academic Board (AB). The AB would consider the request on a case-to-case basis and may grant an extension of 1 to 2 semesters. If the appeal is rejected by the AB, then the student shall be eligible for a transcript of credit for the coursework only. His/her name shall be dropped from the rolls of the IBA. Any student with an expiring enrolment period should approach the respective program director and submit a formal application with strong justification for an extension in enrolment. For coursework, the period shall be counted from the date of admission.
| Program Enrollment | Period |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Programs (All) | 7 years |
| MBA Morning | 4 years |
| MBA Executive | 6 years |
| All MS Programs | 4 years |
| PHD | 8 years |
| PGD | 3.5 years |
Examination
6. Grading and evaluationStudent performance is evaluated through a system of assessments spread over the entire period of their studies. Students are assessed through a series of short quizzes, class discussions, written assignments, research reports, presentations on different topics, and midterm and final exams. All these assessments contribute to the final grade. 60% of the final grade is based on the semester work including the midterm exam and the remaining 40% is on the semester final examination. However, the Institute reserves the right to modify these weights. Faculty members have the option of choosing either the absolute or relative grading scheme and may also decide the percentage for A, B, and C grades. A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is computed as a weighted average of the grade points and credit hours for all the courses taken by the student at the end of every semester. Final grades in each course are converted to grade points according to the following absolute grading plan:
7. Grading Plan
Semester Calculation (Data Card):
Current Grading System
| Grade | Marks | GPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | A | 93-100 | 4 |
| A- | 87-92 | 3.67 | |
| B | B+ | 82-86 | 3.33 |
| B | 77-81 | 3 | |
| B- | 72-76 | 2.67 | |
| C | C+ | 68-71 | 2.33 |
| C | 64-67 | 2 | |
| C- | 60-63 | 1.67 | |
| F | F | 0-59 | 0 |
| I | I | Incomplete | |
| W | W | Course Withdrawn | |
Previous Grading System (2000 and before)
| Grade | Marks | GPA |
|---|---|---|
| A | 87-100 | 4 |
| B | 86-72 | 3 |
| C | 60-71 | 2 |
| F | Below 60 | 0 |
8. CGPA Calculation
| CGPA = | Sum of (Credit Hours X Grade Points) |
| --------------------------------------------------- | |
| Sum of Credit Hours |
The initial CGPA of MS program students is calculated based on the first 6 and 3 courses taken by them respectively.
9. Make-up examinations
The following policy is applicable to all academic programs at the IBA. Full-time (morning) program students Under normal circumstances, no make-up examination shall be allowed for missing a midterm or final examination. However, if an exam is missed due to oversight or some non-emergency but urgent event, a makeup exam may be approved with a deduction of 15% of obtained marks. A make-up exam fee of Rs. 20,000 per course shall also be applicable. MBA, Executive MBA/MS program students, who are engaged with some emergency official work or sent out of Karachi on official assignments (during the exams) by their respective organizations may be allowed to take make-up examinations after submitting a request on the Student Facilities System (SFS) under the following conditions: This facility will only be availed once for either a midterm exam or a final exam of each course in a semester. The concerned student shall be required to provide the following documents at least one week before the scheduled exam: A certificate/official letter from their organization giving details of their official assignment. Evidence of official travel comprising tickets or other documents as applicable.
Procedure to apply for make-up exam (all students)
Make-up exam (Mid Term)
As per the decision of the Academic Board (93rd meeting in May confirmed in 94th meeting in Sep 2023),
A student who misses or will miss a midterm exam would request the subject teacher for a makeup of the midterm exam. The student has to provide relevant explanation and documentary evidence to the teacher if required.
Faculty members who wish to facilitate with a makeup exam should clearly articulate the acceptable/non-acceptable reasons/circumstances in which a makeup exam would be allowed/not allowed*.
Faculty members may decide to not allow a makeup exam. However they must formally inform the students about this at the beginning of their course.
Faculty members may choose from one of the following if they approve a makeup for missed midterm exam.
- Give an additional assignment or
- Give average marks based on the performance of the student in other assessments of the same course or
- Set another exam paper (with same level of difficulty as the actual midterm paper).
The extraordinary or unforeseen circumstances for a make-up exam are: All applicants will have to submit a request on the Student Facilities System (SFS) and produce verifiable documentary evidence to substantiate their request within 3 weeks of the midterm exam and 6 weeks of the final exam. Medical documents would require authentication by recognized hospitals for acceptance as evidence. Hard copies of evidence may be required. Similarly, proof of traveling (copies of tickets, passport visa page, and entry/exit endorsement pages), and official letter from employers are required for official visit cases.
- Personal illness requiring hospitalization or emergency medical care.
- Bereavement due to the demise of a parent, spouse, sibling or offspring.
- Severe illness of a relative (parent, spouse) e.g., their hospitalization for surgery or due to critical medical condition.
- Out-of-town traveling (official visit) for part-time students as mentioned above
- Event/ Conference (Participate in IBA approved)
Make-up exam (Final Term)
If a student misses the final exam of any course, then he/she is required to submit a formal application (within 6 weeks of the missed exam) on SFS (a portal for such cases) https://webapps.iba.edu.pk/sfs/home/login and the subject teacher shall be approached by the exams department for an exam paper after approval of the makeup exam request.
Decision of a make-up exam
The Academic Council (AC) may on the recommendation of the concerned program director/coordinator and faculty member, consider allowing make-up exam. The council’s decision in this regard shall be final. A make-up exam may be requested for either a midterm or final exam of each course in a semester. In case a student misses their midterm/final exam due to the above-mentioned circumstances they may apply for “I” (incomplete) with all supporting documents including medical certificates via the SFS to the AC. If the AC is satisfied with the genuineness of the claim, then it may award an “I” grade for the course. If an exam is missed due to some reason other than the abovementioned circumstances, then a deduction of 15% of the obtained marks shall be applicable if the case gets approved by the AC. However, if the AC is not satisfied with the genuineness of the case, then the grade applicable with respect to obtained marks shall be awarded by the course teacher.
Make-up exam fee
Rs. 20,000/- per course
Mode of make-up exam
After a formal approval of the make-up exam request the course teacher shall set up a make-up exam to be conducted by the examinations department.
Or
The concerned student may appear for the missed exam in the following semester (when the course is on offer) without attending classes provided the attendance of that student was complete.
10. Rechecking of final paper
Students may request for rechecking of their exam scripts subject to a deposit of Rs. 12,000/ - per course, which is refundable if any significant improvement in grades/marks is found after rechecking. They may request rechecking for either midterm or final exam per course within 1 month of the release of final grades of all courses studied in a particular semester.
11. Cheating and plagiarism
The IBA maintains a strict policy on academic impropriety based on its zero-tolerance for such activity. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against any student found cheating or using unfair means in examinations. He/she may be suspended or expelled from IBA and declared ineligible for re-admission. A fine of Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 shall be applied to students who violate this rule.
A booklet highlighting IBA’s policy on plagiarism is available on the portal for all students to read and comply with Mobile phones, smart watches, and any other communication devices are strictly prohibited during examinations: https://www.iba.edu.pk/News/iba-plagiarism-policy-2024-25.pdf
12. Improvement of grades
Students are allowed to repeat the course(s) for improvement of grades with the following conditions: The better grade of the repeated course shall be considered towards CGPA calculation and there would be no averaging. A student who repeats course(s) would not be eligible for the medal. This option will not be available to those students who have graduated or have dropped out. If a student has repeated a core course for a better grade, then he/she is required to intimate the examinations department about the course and request for the exclusion of poor grades. The transcript processing for graduating students shall remain on hold until the provision of this information.
13. Minimum GPA Requirements (Graduation, Drop, & Probation)
Graduation:
- Undergraduate (BBA/BS) and Graduate (MBA/MS) Programs: A minimum CGPA of 2.20 is required for graduation. If a student’s final semester CGPA is between 2.00 and 2.19, they must repeat a semester or specific courses to raise their CGPA to 2.20.
- Postgraduate (PhD) Program: A minimum CGPA of 3.00 is required after completing coursework to be eligible for the comprehensive exam and degree.
– For all programs, if the student successfully improves their CGPA, they will be eligible
for graduation upon fulfilling all degree requirements.
– If unsuccessful, a transcript of earned credits will be issued, but no degree will be awarded.
– Students have up to one year to improve their CGPA within the enrolment period.
- Undergraduate Programs: First-year students with fewer than 30 credits and a CGPA below 2.00 are placed on probation for one semester, during which they must raise their CGPA to 2.00 or higher. Students with a CGPA between 2.00 and 2.19 will be placed on probation and must improve their CGPA to 2.20 by the end of the next semester. Probation continues until the required CGPA is achieved.
- Graduate Programs: Students with a CGPA between 2.00 and 2.19 are placed on probation and must improve their CGPA to 2.20 or higher by the next semester. Probation continues until the required CGPA is achieved.
- Postgraduate Programs: PhD scholars whose CGPA falls below 3.00 after coursework must improve their CGPA to continue in the program.
- Undergraduate and Graduate Programs: Students with a CGPA below 2.00 at the end of the probation semester will be dropped from the program. Any CGPA below 2.00 at any point will result in removal from the Institute.
- Postgraduate Programs: PhD scholars with a CGPA below 2.50 at any point will be dropped from the program and will receive a transcript of earned credits.
Probation:
Drop:
14. Criteria For Deans’ List
The following will be the criteria for including a student’s name on the Dean’s List, which will be finalized by the Deans’ List committee:
- The cumulative grade points average (CGPA) must be greater than or equal to 3.5.
- The student must have completed at least 4 (3 or more credit hours) courses in a regular semester.
- Undergraduate students in their last semester with 3 or less courses remaining are required to take 4 or more courses in order to be eligible for the Deans’ List provided all other criteria are met.
- Executive MBA students must have completed 3 (3 or more credit hours) courses in the semester.
- The student must not have been subjected to any disciplinary action within the Institute during the semester. (Disciplinary actions will include all those actions for which a student can be suspended).
- Students who obtain an academic semester average of 90% or more will earn the honor of the Deans’ List with distinction.
15. Award of medals or shields for best student
All awards may not necessarily be given each year and for each degree program. The criteria for the award of medals/shields is mentioned below:
- The top student of each program qualifying the following criteria will be awarded the IBA medal.
- The 2nd and 3rd best students would be awarded shields.
- The student who has the highest CGPA, without any failure, shall be eligible, provided the CGPA is 3.5 or higher.
- In case of a tie where the CGPA is the same, the student with the higher average percentage marks shall be eligible for the award of medal.
- No award will be made unless there is a candidate of sufficient merit. For example, if only one student qualifies according to the abovementioned criteria, they will be awarded a medal and there will be no shield.
- No distinction shall be made between different batches from different admission cycles or campuses i.e., all graduating students of a particular program satisfying the above criteria would be considered as a large group of candidates for the award of medal/shield described above.