AAU Academic Issues

1. Semester Load
A student is required to register for a normal load which is measured in terms of the total sum of
ECTS/Credits of the modules/courses he/she registers.

The load varies according to the type of the program (regular, extension, summer and Distance).
More details can be found inside the curriculum of the program to which the student is enrolled.

The normal semester load for regular masters program students shall be 30-35 ECTS, for those
placed in summer in-service, extension, and distance programs, it shall be 20-22 ECTS.

For the purpose of determining academic status of evening and summer in-service/kiremt
students, one academic year shall be regarded as equivalent to two semesters and one summer in-
service/ kiremt term for evening program students and three summer in-service/kiremt terms for
summer in-service/kiremt program students.

2. Duration of Study

The duration of study in Master’s degree in the regular program shall be 1½ – 2 years, and 3-4
years in the evening/weekend and kiremt/summer in-service program. A student who withdraws
for valid reasons shall be granted readmission within 2 and 4 years after the date of withdrawal
for regular and evening/kiremt, respectively. If not, he shall be dismissed from the program.

The duration for the completion of a Ph.D. or specialty certificate program shall be four years
except in the case where it can be established that a candidate can complete his Ph.D. or
specialty program in three years without compromising University academic standards.

The duration of sub-specialty certificates shall be between two to three years.

Extension of the duration of study may be allowed as provided herein where a candidate shows
that he was unable to complete his studies within the specified period due to force majeure and
where the extension is recommended by the DGC endorsed by AC and approved by ASPRC:

 for a Master’s degree a maximum of four years;

 for a specialty certificate a maximum of five years; and
 for a Ph.D. a maximum of six years.

A candidate shall complete at least 50% of the required duration of study at the University to
qualify for graduation.

Residency requirements for special graduate programs shall be set by guidelines to be issued by
ASPRC.
3. Student assessment and grading system of Graduate Students
Examinations are graded on the following letter grading system, with corresponding points.

Raw Mark Letter Grade Grade Points

[95, 100) A+ 4.00
[85, 95) A 4.00
[80, 85) A- 3.75
[75, 80) B+ 3.50
[70, 75) B 3.00
[65, 70) B- 2.75
[60, 65) C+ 2.50
[50, 60) C 2.00
[40, 50) D 1.00
< 40 F 0.00

Thesis or Dissertation evaluation shall be graded on the following ranking system, with
corresponding grading scales and letter grades;

Rank Grading scale in percent Letter Grade

Excellent ≥ 85 A
Very Good 75 ≤ X < 85 B+
Good 60 ≤ X < 75 B
Satisfactory 50 ≤ X < 60 C+
Fail < 50 F

Getting a grade less than ‘B’ in individual subjects and/or courses by a graduate student may be
tolerated. However, to complete the program, and be eligible for graduation, a graduate student
shall have to obtain a minimum CGPA of 3:00 (‘B’).

4. Semester Academic Achievements and Academic Status

Students are required to achieve a certain level of score to be promoted to the next semester. This
achievement is measured by (1) Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA), and (2) Cumulative
Grade Point Average (CGPA).

SGPA is calculated by considering only the modules/courses for which the student is registered
for the semester.

CGPA is calculated by considering all the modules/courses the student accumulated so far. The
GPAs are obtained by dividing the sum of all grade points for the modules/courses divided by
the total sum of ECTS/credits. For example Course A has 5 ECTS and the student scored C+.
The same student is also registered for Course B which has 7 ECTS and the student scored A-.
Therefore

GPA = (5*2.5)+(7*3.75)/(5+7)=3.23

After calculating the GPA, the student will be given status by his/her dean.

5. Academic Status for Graduate Students

 A first year graduate student is subject to dismissal without first being put on probation if
his performance falls below 2.50 in his first semester results.
 Any first year graduate student with a first semester GPA (SGPA) between 2.50 and 3.00
shall be placed on probation and will be subject to dismissal if he fails to achieve a
semester GPA of 3.00 in the next semester.
 If, however, a student on probation for the first time achieves during the next semester, a
SGPA of 3.00 or above but his CGPA still falls below 3.00, the relevant DGC may place
the student on final probation if it finds that there is reason to believe that the student will
attain a CGPA of 3.00 or above in the third semester.
 A graduate student may be put on probation for a second time provided it is ascertained
that s/he has successfully come out of the previous probation. However, where a student
who has been placed on a second probation fails to achieve a CGPA of 3.00 in the next
semester, s/he shall be dismissed.
 No candidate subject to dismissal may expect discretionary probation as a matter of right.

6. Discontinuing study

A. Dismissal

A student may be forced to discontinue his/her study because of academic reasons for at least
one semester. One of these academic reasons is a “dismissal” status of a student. Such type of
discontinuity may allow a readmission in which a student will be readmitted to repeat the
modules/courses he/she failed. A student with a “dismissal” status should formally withdraw
from the university.

B. Dropout

Students dropping out from the University must consult their academic advisors and explain why
they wish to drop out. Students dropping out from the University for inadequate reasons will be
denied readmission.

C. Withdrawal

Any student who wants to discontinue his study should formally withdraw and complete
Withdrawal Form (or clearance) within 8 weeks after the beginning of the semester. The
University does not accept readmission requests if an applicant has not withdrawn properly.
A student who discontinued his study due to either “dismissal” status or dropping out may
request for readmission as per the procedures.

D. Clearance

Students should fulfill the proper clearance procedure at the end of each academic year or Kiremt
session or upon graduation or when they discontinue their study. Every student must collect the
Clearance Form from the College Registrar Office. After properly completing such forms and
getting them signed by the appropriate offices, the student must submit it to the college registrar
office, and keep a copy with him/her. No transcripts, degrees, diplomas and letters of
recommendation will be issued to a person who cannot produce his/her copy of the clearance
from every time such services are requested. Moreover, readmissions are processed if and only if
a student presents a duly signed clearance.

7. Graduation requirements

A candidate who fulfils the requirements laid down in this Legislation and whose research, study
and examination results are judged to be of sufficient merit shall be recommended by the Office
of the Registrar to the Senate for graduation and award of appropriate credentials by the
University.

a. Credit Requirements

The total number of ECTS for course/module work in Masters Programs shall be from 59.5 to 70
ECTS for programs requiring thesis work and from 89.5 to 100 ECTS for non-thesis programs.

The minimum number of ECTS in Ph.D. programs requiring coursework shall be 28.

Departments/schools/centers may administer comprehensive examinations for non-thesis

programs as partial fulfillment for graduation.

Upon the recommendation of their advisors, Master`s and Ph.D. students may audit courses.

b. Thesis/dissertation

For Master’s degree, a thesis shall constitute a partial fulfillment of the requirement except in a
program where it is not required. A Ph.D. dissertation is a requirement for a Ph.D. degree.

Candidates in the graduate programs shall select topics for their thesis/dissertation in
consultation with their advisors.

Thesis/dissertation topic of each candidate shall be recommended by the DGC and approved by
the AC.

A thesis/dissertation shall be rejected if it is judged as plagiarized or does not meet the required
standard
 c. Waiver of rules

Minor academic requirements may be waived by the Academic Standards and Curriculum
Review Committee (ASCRC) of the Senate. Each case is studied by the relevant Department
Academic Committee (DAC) which forwards its recommendations to the College Academic
Commission. The dean of the College forwards a formal request for waiver along with the
academic commission minutes to the ASCRC. The Committee considers the case and gives final
decision in granting or denying waiver of the rules. The decision of the ASCRC will be final.
The ASCRC does not entertain direct student petitions for waiver of rules. All requests should be
filed at their respective departments.