Student Support

As a Bachelor IBA student you can find the conditions to graduate (summa) cum laude in Article 6.3 Paragraph 2 of the Rules and Guidelines BScIBA 2024-2025.

In the table below we have summarized the differences between the classification ‘cum laude’ and ‘summa cum laude’ for the Bachelor International Business Administration:  

*The ‘Grade Point Average’ (GPA) is the weighted average grade for all the BScIBA courses. This only concerns the final grade for each course and thus not the partial grades. The final grade per course is rounded off to one decimal for the GPA calculation (a 5.45 will be rounded to a 5.5 for instance).

**No rounded grade for a course can be lower than a 5.5. This only concerns the final grade for each course and thus not the partial grades. For partial grades, insufficient grades are allowed, as long as the minimum grade requirement (if applicable) is met. (Minimum grade requirement: if the assessment of a course is based on more than one test, no final grade for the examination will be calculated if one of the test grades is lower than a 4.5). In the Course Manual you can find whether there is a minimum grade requirement applicable to the course concerned.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

Does the grade that I have obtained for a minor or elective also count towards my GPA?

The result obtained for an elective or minor at a Dutch university counts towards the calculation of your GPA because a grade will be registered in Osiris. However, results obtained for an elective/ minor at a foreign university or language electives are registered in Osiris with a ‘pass’ (or ‘fail’) and therefore do not count towards your GPA. 

I cannot or do not want to participate in the regular written test or assignment of a course and am planning to do only the re-sit. Does this then count as a first attempt or as a re-sit with respect to the (summa) cum laude regulation?

Only if a grade result, including pass/fail assessments, is officially recorded in Osiris this will be considered an official test attempt. If you don’t participate in the regular written test or assignment for a course a No Show (NO) will be registered in Osiris. In that case, participation in the test or assignment in the resit round counts as a first attempt and therefore not as a resit with regard to the (summa) cum laude regulation. For more information about the results in Osiris see the article Explanation Osiris grades. Please note that you always must check beforehand in the Course Manual of the course concerned whether it is allowed to do only the re-sit, because in some courses you are only allowed to participate in the re-sit when you have also done the first regular written test or assignment. 

I want to improve my GPA. Can I re-sit an examination of a course that I have already passed to achieve a higher grade? And which result will then count: the highest grade or the last obtained grade?

It is possible to retake a written test that you have already passed within the same Academic Year if a re-sit opportunity has been scheduled in the official exam timetable. As long as you have not yet passed all courses of the Bachelor degree programme you can also try to improve your grade in a following Academic Year, but in that case you have to redo the whole course – including all tests and assignments. In both cases the highest-grade counts. Please note that this does count as a re-sit with respect to the (summa)cum laude regulation!
For more information see Article 3.1 Paragraph 5 of the TER BScIBA 2024-2025.

I have compensated an insufficient course grade in B1 and/or B2 or B3. Can I still graduate (summa) cum laude)?

The answer is no because no rounded final course grade may be lower than 5.5. Students who have compensated a B1 course and/or one failed course in B2/3 are therefore not eligible for a (summa) cum laude classification. For more information see the article Is it possible to compensate an insufficient grade from my Bachelor programme?

Does an exempted course also count towards the GPA?

No, if you have received an exemption for a course an EXEMPT will be registered in Osiris instead of a grade. This means that the result of this course does not count towards your GPA. Once granted an exemption cannot be withdrawn. 

Does the re-sit of an examination that is assessed with a pass/fail also count as a re-sit with respect to the (summa) cum laude regulation? 

Yes, also examinations that are assessed with a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ instead of a grade count towards the maximum number of re-sits that are allowed for the (summa) cum laude classification. For an overview of the courses that are assessed with a pass/fail instead of a grade see Article 4.3 Paragraph 3 of the Rules & Guidelines BScIBA 2024-2025 

I am registered for an (elective) course, but I haven’t yet have made any tests or assignments for this course. If I unregister for this course does this then count as a first attempt?

This does not count as a first attempt if you didn’t participate in any test or assignment for this (elective) course. However, if you did participate in any test or assignment for this course for which an official result for this test or assignment is registered in Osiris, then this does count as a first attempt for the (summa) cum laude classification.