Non-GPA Grade Notations
Beyond the scored letter grades, PBA uses several notations that carry no quality points and are not included in your grade point average:
- I — Incomplete, given for an unavoidable absence from a final exam or an excusable failure to complete assignments. It converts automatically to an F if not resolved within 30 days after the end of the semester or term.
- W — Withdrawal, for official withdrawal filed with the Office of the Registrar before the academic penalty period begins.
- P/F — Pass-Fail credit, for courses graded on a pass-fail basis.
- Y — a deferred grade for one semester, used only for a specific set of courses (Chapel, Workship, English Composition, Recitals, Recital Attendance, and Piano Proficiencies).
An F is counted in your credit hours attempted (at 0.00 quality points) even though W and I grades are not.
Source: Academic Policies - Grade Symbol definitions; Calculating the GPA footnote — verified Sep 2026
How Your GPA Is Calculated at PBA
Your grade point average is calculated by multiplying the credit hours attempted for each course by the quality points earned for the letter grade received, totaling those quality points, and dividing by the total credit hours attempted.
If you earn a D in a course, you may retake it at PBA — only the higher grade is computed into your GPA.
Any course may be repeated a second time for grade forgiveness; a third or subsequent attempt requires approval from the dean's office of the discipline the course belongs to.
Source: Calculating the GPA; Grade Forgiveness — verified Sep 2026
Academic Warning, Probation, and Suspension
You're in Good Standing with a cumulative PBA GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Falling below a 2.0 cumulative GPA places you on Academic Warning after your first term below that mark (given only once). If your cumulative GPA is still below 2.0 after a second semester, you're placed on Academic Probation. A third consecutive semester below 2.0 results in a one-semester Academic Suspension, after which you may apply for readmission — typically returning on probation with one semester to raise your cumulative GPA back to 2.0.
Source: Standards of Academic Progress — verified Sep 2026
Graduation Honors and Semester Honor Lists
Graduating with a cumulative PBA GPA of 3.75 to 3.81 earns cum laude; 3.82 to 3.89 earns magna cum laude; and 3.9 or above earns summa cum laude. These GPAs are not rounded up, and you need at least 54 GPA credit hours earned at PBA to qualify.
Each fall or spring semester, undergraduates earning a 4.00 GPA on at least 12 credit hours make the President's List, and those earning 3.75 to 3.99 make the Provost's List. A grade of F, I, or Y that semester disqualifies you from either list.
Source: Academic Honors - Graduation Honors; Semester Honors — verified Sep 2026
Transfer Credit Policy
PBA accepts transfer credit only for grades of C- or better, and only from institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education. Transferred grades do not count toward your PBA cumulative GPA.
A maximum of 67 semester hours may transfer from two-year or community colleges, and your last 32 credit hours must be earned at PBA.
Source: Transfer Credit — verified Sep 2026
