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Section 1: Definitions and General Explanations Section 2: Study Prerequisites for Graduation from the University Section3: Conditions for Graduation and the Rules for Exams Section 4: Regulatory and Administrative Provisions
Section 1: Definitions and General Explanations Article 1: The terms used and their definitions: Credit System: The credit system sets the number of study credits that must be passed with a grade (determined by the University) as a condition for graduation from any of its academic departments. It also determines the distribution of these credits between the study areas, according to the provisions of this regulation. The student is thus left free to register in the required courses depending on his/her needs and aptitude with guidance from the advisor according to the system of priorities suggested for the minimum and maximum credit units allowed for every semester in the regulation.
This system offers the student the freedom to participate in planning his/her educational goal and decide on the speed of progress depending on his/her individual capability and the system in place. This system is also committed – in calculating the student's academic progress – to recognize the courses successfully passed by the student, and – in case the student fails some courses – to compel the student to restudy the failed courses and pass them or study other substitute courses that must be approved by the advisor in accordance with the rules in place.
Credit Unit: An academic unit registered for the student upon successfully passing a course. It usually equals one weekly theoretical study hour or two weekly practical study hours, at least. The credit unit is the basis for allocating the student's study load each semester, according to this regulation. The academic department in question allocates the number of credits for each course.
Academic Semester: The duration between the start and end of study, including the exams period, is between 15-17 weeks. An academic year consists of two semesters. The Summer Semester, which lasts for 8 weeks including exam days, is optional, as decreed by the University in this regard.
University Prerequisites: A number of academic courses relating to the social side of the university education, including human and ethical values and cultural and scientific concepts, to ensure that all students possess a common background about their society, nation, and modern time. Another goal of these courses is to develop the students' language skills (Arabic and foreign languages), which will enable students to absorb those values and concepts.
Academic Major: A number of courses that the department in question decides are necessary to specialize in a field of human knowledge.
Academic Minor: Scientific departments can include a section for academic minor in their major sheets, which is a number of courses (24 credits) studied in a field outside the major that focuses on an academic aspect useful for the student in his/her major.
Academic Year: It is determined by the number of credits studied and successfully passed by the student with grades determined by the University. For example, a student will belong to Year One if he/she passed less than 30 credits, Year Two if he/she passed between 30 and 60 credits, and so on.
Academic Course: A subject studied over one semester and covers a number of credits allocated by the department in question.
Study Load: A number of credits that the student registers to study during a semester.
Graduation Period Limit: 8 regular semesters for all programs whose credits do not exceed (132 credits). For the College of Engineering, the standard period for graduation is 9 semesters for all specializations, except the Department of Architecture in which the allocated period for graduation is 10 semesters. Study in the College of Medicine is seven years according to the three-stage program in the College. The semester in which the student studies the intensive program in English is not included in the required period for graduation.
Students' Affairs Committee: A committee that studies exceptional cases and considers students' appeals concerning their study; it includes the Dean of Students' Affairs (rapporteur), Dean of Admissions and Registration, and Dean of the college in question, or anyone who acts on their behalf. The Committee may delegate some of its powers, according to the provisions of this regulation, to a committee that is formed and supervised by the Dean of the college in question.
The Semester GPA to Remove Probation: It is the academic semester grade average that the student should achieve when studying 15 new credits so that his/her GPA reaches the minimum average required to lift a warning.
Student's Appeals Committee: It is a committee formed by the Dean of the college in question that considers and decides based on a student's written appeal, whether final grade is unjust and is not convinced by the course instructor's explanation, within the set period. The Committee includes the Vice-Dean for Students' Affairs in the College in question (rapporteur), Head of the Department offering the course, a faculty member in the Department specialized in the course in question, if available; if not, a faculty member in the Department. The committee can, to carry out its task, enlist the help of anyone they deem necessary.
Academic Affairs Committee: A specialized committee to consider academic affairs and includes: the Vice- Rector for Academic Affairs (rapporteur), the Deans of colleges, or the Vice-Deans for Academic Affairs they delegate, the Dean of Students' Affairs, the Dean of Admissions and Registration, and the Chairman of the Language Center.
Section 2: Study
Prerequisites for Graduation from the University Section3: Conditions for Graduation and the Rules for Exams Article 7: In order for a student to receive a University Degree, he/she has to fulfill the following requirements: 1. Passing the required study credits for each major as stated in the major sheets. 2. The student's GPA should be no less than 2 points. 3. The student's GPA in the major courses should be no less than 2 points. Article 8: University Degree is awarded to students who transfer from other colleges or universities to Kuwait University provided that they pass at least 30 credits in the university, 15 of these credits at least are major courses. The student's overall and major GPA should be no less 2 Points, in addition to fulfilling the other graduation requirements. Article 9: 1. The student is evaluated during study several times every semester. 2. The final exam grade for any course is between 40-60% of the overall grade for the course, as determined by the scientific department in question. The course instructor clarifies the grades breakdown in the first lecture. 3. The Deanship of Admissions and Registration notifies the students in writing of their grades directly after they are posted. It also notifies the Deanship of Students' Affairs of the grades of scholarship students. 4. A student who feels there is a mistake in his/her final grade at the end of semester can consult the course instructor within two working days from the date of posting of the grade. In this case, the course instructor shows the student the exam paper. If the student is not convinced by the course instructor's justification, he/she may submit a written appeal to the Dean of the college, within a week of logging the grade to the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, who form, when needed, a committee for students' appeals to consider and decide what it deems necessary in a final decision no later than the first week of the start of study in the following semester. As an exception to this, the Colleges of Law and the Center for Medical Sciences put in place a special system of student's consultation with the course instructor, submission of appeals, and decisions about them. Article 10: When calculating the overall and major GPA, the student's grades in all registered courses are calculated, and the student will have to restudy the failed courses and successfully pass them with the required grade, or register in other courses as permitted by the system in place. A student may not restudy a course that he/she had passed with a grade C or above. In calculating the overall GPA for the first ten different courses that the student restudied, only the second grade is counted; for more than those, all grades are calculated. Article 11: The Point Scale First: A is divided into two levels: 1. A equals 4 Points 2. A- equals 3.67 Points Second: B is divided into three levels: 1. B+ equals 3.33 Points 2. B equals 3 Points 3. B- equals 2.67 Points Third: C is divided into three levels: 1. C+ equals 2.33 Points 2. C equals 2 Points 3. C- equals 1.67 Points Fourth: D is divided into two levels: 1. D+ equals 1.33 Points 2. D equals 1 Point Fifth: F is given 0 Points Sixth: The two grades Pass (P) or Not Pass (NP) can be given to certain specific courses specified by the college in question, but it will not count toward the overall GPA or major GPA. The credits of these courses will count toward the credits passed, if the student gets a P grade, according to the regulations set by the Committee for Scientific Affairs. A student's overall GPA, during his/her study at the university or by completing study therein, is calculated as follows: 1. The number of credit hours for each course is multiplied by the number of points the student gets. This is done for individual courses. 2. The total results of the different multiplications in step 1 are added up. 3. The result of the addition in step 2 is divided by the number of courses' credits. Article 12: Honors Degree and Graduation Grades: 1. A student who completes in any semester the standard study load at least and gets a GPA equaling 3.50 or above will have his/her name posted on the honors list. Colleges announce, by the end of each semester, a list of students' names reached the honors list, and honor those students in any way they see fit. 2. A student is awarded a university degree according to the overall GPA, and the student's transcript will detail the point scale. 3. A student who completes study at the university within the graduation period limit and earns a GPA equaling 3.67 or above will be awarded an honors degree. Article 13: Probation 1. Warnings start at the end of the second semester from the date of enrollment in the university. 2. A student is placed on the warning list if his/her overall GPA is less than the required minimum, according to the following levels of registered units:
Registered Credits Minimum Points Required 45 Credits or less 1.67 More than 45 to 60 credits 1.87 More than 60 Credits 2.00 The student will be notified when he/she is placed on the warning list via the Internet when trying to register, or the registration slip which mentions the overall GPA and the number of warnings he/she has. The student's transcript notes the major GPA warning if the GPA is less than 2 points. Calculation of major GPA starts after the number of registered credits reaches 60 Credits, and a major warning does not count toward the number of warnings which warrant student expulsion from the university. 3. The student should work to raise his/her overall GPA to the required level during the two semesters following placement on the warning list; otherwise, he/she will be expelled. 4. Subject to the provision of Article 5, an expelled student because of a third warning may be exceptionally allowed an additional semester to raise his/her GPA, if he/she falls into the following categories: Passed Credits The Maximum Semester GPA Required to Lift a Warning More than 100 Credits B+ 60-100 Credits B Less than 60 Credits B- If the student, after given the extra chance, is not able to raise his/her overall GPA, he/she will be expelled from the university, if not included in provision 5. 5. Subject to the provision of Article 5, it is possible, in exceptional circumstances, for the Committee for Students' Affairs at the university to consider petitions submitted by students who got a fourth overall GPA warning to grant the students a last exceptional opportunity, according to the following conditions: · The period needed by the student to graduate does not exceed one semester. · The student's overall GPA and major GPA is not less than 1.90 If the student is granted this opportunity and still does not raise his/her GPA to the required average, he/she will be permanently expelled from the university. Article 14: Cheating in Exams 1. When discovering any case of cheating or an attempt to cheat, the supervisor has to attest to that in a report which includes the student's name, number, the course, the time and date, with a description of the incident, and then submit it to the dean of the college in question. The operation of any electronic device during the exam is considered as an attempt to cheat> 2. The dean of the college, in which the student is enrolled, investigates the incident and hears the statement of the student, and when cheating or attempting to cheat is confirmed, the dean decides the following in writing: · The student will be given an F in all registered courses in the semester in which cheating happened. · The Dean of Admissions and Registration, the Dean of Students' Affairs, the Dean of the College which offers the course, in which the student is caught cheating, and all faculty members who teach the student will be notified of the taken measures. 3. In case of a repeated cheating, the student is permanently expelled from the university, and the incident is noted on his record. 4. The above provisions apply to anyone caught cheating or attempting to cheat and anyone who facilitates cheating for others. Section 4: Regulatory and Administrative Provisions Article 15: Numbering of Courses To facilitate the selection of the student for his/her courses and how he/she progresses in his/her curriculum according to the progression of academic courses, the following system of numbering of courses is followed: · From 1 to 99 for introductory courses (do not count toward the credits required for graduation. · From 101 to 199 for courses that belong to first college year level. · From 201 to 299 for courses that belong to second college year level. · From 301 to 399 for courses that belong to third college year level. · From 401 to 499 for courses that belong to forth college year level. · From 501 and above for graduate courses Article 16: Admission Students who apply for admission at the university should fulfill the following conditions: 1. Their applications should meet all the conditions of admission at the University. 2. Their applications should be submitted to the Deanship of Admissions and Registration in the dates announced by the university. Article 17: Registration 1. The Deanship of Admissions and Registration announces the dates of registration for every semester through the appropriate means. A student's registration will be deemed valid if he/she registers for the minimum study load stipulated in this regulation – according to Article 4 – during the announced period. Article 18: Guidance Every student is assigned an advisor, who is a faculty member from the same department of that of the student. The advisor helps the student in the selection of his study schedule in light of the student's major sheet, taking into account not to select courses which have prerequisites not passed by the student yet. Registration cards, add and drop, will not be accepted unless they are endorsed by the advisor or the head of the department. Moreover, the student can resort to his/her supervisor to find solutions for any problems he/she may face. Article 19: Rules of Dropping Courses 1. A student may, with the approval of the academic advisor, drop courses during the first six weeks of the start of fall and spring semesters. If the withdrawal is done after the first week of study, the letter W is added to the student's record, and the dropped courses do not count toward the calculation of the student's grade. If the student does not drop courses during the set period, he/she is required to complete them. Anyhow, dropping courses should not result in the number of registered credits being less than the minimum number of credits allowed as a study load. 2. A student may – in exceptional cases – withdraw a whole semester with the approval of the Students' Affairs Committee. In this case, too, the letter W is added to student's record for all the withdrawn courses in that semester. With the approval of the Students' Affairs Committee, the withdrawn course may not be included in the allocated period for graduation. Article 20: Rules of Addition Non-freshmen students are allowed to modify their schedule by adding or dropping courses during the week before the start of study in regular semesters, and the letter W is not added in the student's record for withdrawn courses in this week. A committee, chaired by the Dean of Admissions and Registration, his Vice-Dean (member), and Director of Registration (member), is formed to study cases where students did not complete their registration in the set period, and the Committee may allow those with compelling excuses to complete their registration in a day or two in the first week of the semester. The second week of any regular semester is set for students expecting to graduate, as recognized by the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, to complete their schedules if delayed because of the results of the deferred exams. Article 21: Change of Major 1. A student may transfer from one college to another only once, provided that the number of passed credits does not exceed 45 credits, in accordance with the rules approved by the Deans' Committee. The Students' Affairs Committee may consider cases of students who passed more than 45 credits, based on a suggestion by the Deanship of Admissions and Registration, and take whatever action it deems appropriate. 2. Each college lays down its special conditions concerning transfer between its academic departments, in which case the above provision does not apply. 3. If a student transfers from the College of Medicine, previous failing grades for post-preparatory period which differ from the new major in the new college are excluded. Article 22: Rules of Transfer to the University Transfer applications are subject to the university's capacity and policies. A transfer application should observe the following: Clause 1 was modified in the decision by the Deans' Committee on 30/7/2007, in light of approval of the University Council to modify the conditions of transfer to the university on 9/6/2007. 1. The student should have spent two regular academic semesters, at least, and passed 45 credits, at least, in academic courses in a foreign university that follows the four-year system. The student's overall GPA should be 2.67 or above in the Four-Point system, or its equivalent in other systems. 2. In case the transfer of the student is approved by the college in question according to the provisions in clause 1 above, the Deanship of Admissions and Registration will include the courses approved by the academic departments which the student passed with an average no less than 2 points. 3. Applications to transfer to the university are submitted in the dates announced by the Deanship of Admissions and Registration every semester. Article 23: Determining the Student's Academic Year 1. A student who completes 29 credits at most is considered in First College Year. 2. A student who completes 30-59 credits is considered in Second College Year. 3. A student who completes 60-89 credits is considered in Third College Year. 4. A student who completes 90-131 credits is considered in Forth College Year. 5. A student who completes 132 credits or more is considered in Fifth College Year. Article 24: Attendance and Absence 1. Students must regularly attend all lectures and academic and practice lessons. 2. A student who misses three hours in any course will receive a first warning. 3. A student who misses additional three hours (total 6 hours) in any course will receive a final warning. However, if the student is absent – for no more than six hours, as noted above – for a valid excuse accepted by the Students' Affairs Committee, he/she can re-sit any exams given during that period. 4. If a student is absent for more than 6 hours in any course, he/she will fail that course, and he/she will be notified by the head of the academic department. Article 25: Dropping out 1. Dropping out means not registering for one semester or more. 2. If a student drops out, or withdraws, in the first semester he/she is admitted or transferred to the university, his/her admission or transfer will be annulled. The Students' Affairs Committee may approve the postponement of a student's admission to the following semester for health or social reasons. 3. If a student gets an F for failing an exam or FA for missing an exam in all the registered courses in the first semester he/she is admitted in the university or transferred to it, and still dropped out in the following semester, he/she will be expelled. 4. Subject to Clauses 2 and 3 above, a student may optionally discontinue studying with the approval of the dean of college, provided that this discontinuation does not exceed two regular semesters throughout his/her enrollment in the university, and the period of this optional stoppage will count in the standard period for graduation. The dean of the college in question will notify the Deanship of Admissions and Registration of his/her decision. 5. A student may, with the approval of the Students' Affairs Committee, discontinue studying if he/she has compelling reasons that prevent him/her from studying, provided the period does not exceed six regular semesters throughout registration at the university. The college in question determines the major sheet that applies to the student if his dropping exceeds two consecutive semesters. Obligatory stoppage period does not count toward the allocated period for graduation. 6. Admission of a freshman or transferred student is postponed for the conscription period if he is not eligible for postponement of conscription. Article 26: Provisions for Postponing Exams Final exams can be postponed for some students exceptionally and in limited cases if the student has compelling reasons that warrant postponement, according to the following conditions: 1. The student misses the final exam for a compelling excuse that prevents him/her from taking the exam. 2. There should be a combined approval by the course instructor, the Head of the Department in question, and the Dean of the College for every course at a time. 3. The course instructor sends the student's card (or transcript) to the Deanship of Admissions and Registration without grade and puts the symbol I. 4. The student should re-sit the exam, and the course instructor notifies the Deanship of Admissions and Registration with the result on the following dates: · Within two weeks of the start of study in the fall semester for the courses of the previous spring and summer semesters. · Within two weeks of the start of the spring semester for the previous fall semester. 5. If the student does not sit the exam in the set dates, he will fail. 6. The results of graduation projects in the College of Engineering and Petroleum should be sent within a year of the student's registration for the project. Article 27: The System of Un-Enrolled Students It is possible to register students who do not meet the conditions of admission, or persons who do not seek to get a University Degree from the university, in accordance with the rules set by the University Council concerning un-enrolled students. Article 28: A dean of a college may delegate some of his/her responsibilities stated by this regulation to the Vice-Dean or the Head of the academic department. Article 29: Study Outside Kuwait University 1. The university may allow its students to study in accredited foreign universities which follow the Four-year system for a period of no more than two regular semesters, in accordance with the rules certified by the Deans' Committee. 2. The university may allow students who accompany their spouses or parents on scholarships or official missions abroad to study in accredited foreign universities which follow the Four-Year system, in accordance with the rules certified by the Deans' Committee. The period of study abroad does not count as a discontinuation period stated in Article 25 above. |