/Institutions/University-of-Dubai/json/2024-2025/Student-Handbook-2024-25-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Dubai/json/2024-2025/Student-Handbook-2024-25.json

Student Handbook 2024-25 > Academic Progress Policy

Academic Progress Policy

Policy 

1. Academic Standing

1.1 Undergraduate Programs

1. A student is classified as a full time student if his study load is between 12 and 18 CH in a regular semester. A student with a study load lower than 12 CH in a regular semester is considered as a part time student. 

2. After completing at least 15 CH, the academic standing of an UG student is recorded on the transcript as either “Good” or “Probation”. 

3. A student with a CGPA of at least 2.0 will be considered to be in “Good” academic standing. 

4. A student with a CGPA below 2.0 will be given an academic warning (i.e. At –Risk) status, and accordingly it will show on his/her transcript and in the student’s portal. The study load for a student who received an academic warning will be reduced to a maximum of 12 CH for the next semester and 3 CH for each short semester. Priority must be given to retaking either failed courses or courses where a “D or D+” grade were achieved, prior to registering for any new courses.

5. The academic warning will be removed only when the student’s CGPA reaches at least 2.0. However, the transcript will still show any academic warning in previous semesters. If a student fails to improve his/her CGPA sufficiently by the end of the following semester, he/she will stay on academic probation and will receive a second academic warning. If a student reaches the third consecutive academic warning, he/she shall be dismissed from the program. On a case-by-case basis and with the recommendation of the VPAA who has reviewed the case, the President may decide to grant a student an additional period to adjust their CGPA. This process is repeated anytime the CGPA drops below 2.0.

 

2. Normal Study Load

1. The normal study load for an UG student in “Good” standing ranges from 12 to 18 CH in a regular semester, and from 3 to 6 CH in a short session.

2. If a student wishes to take less than 12 credits in a regular semester, he/she has to confirm with their academic advisor. Such cases are evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director based on the recommendations of the Academic Advisor. Sponsored students must follow their sponsor guidelines and may be exempt from this point. 

3. A graduating student in good standing is allowed to raise his/her study load by 3 CH. 

4. The maximum study load for a student on academic probation will be reduced to a maximum of 12 CH for each of the Fall and Spring semesters and 3 CH for the short semester. The load is reduced by the advisor in order to address the student’s needs to improve his/her academic performance.

5. A student with conditional admission may have a lower load as mentioned in the Admissions Policy.

Other study load-related exceptions may be considered on a case by case basis based on the recommendations of the Academic Advisor with the approval of the Dean and in concurrence with the Registrar. 

 

3. Study Plan – Sequence of Courses

1. A student is expected to follow the UD-published plan of study which also outlines the pre-requisite courses, in coordination with his/her academic advisor. 

2. A student on “Probation” / “At Risk” must seek the advice of his/her academic advisor in planning his/her study plan every semester. 

3. A graduating student with a CGPA of at least 3.0 may be allowed to register in a prerequisite specialization course(s) as a co-requisite(s). Such cases must be recommended by the student’s advisor and approved by the Dean in concurrence with the Registrar. Other exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director in concurrence with the Registrar.

4. A student may be allowed to take some courses off-campus but this is subject to certain conditions. See the Transfer Policy (No. S 6.3).  

4. Attendance and Absenteeism Warnings

Attendance and participation in all classes and lab sessions are mandatory and essential to the process of education at UD. The University believes that class attendance ensures students’ involvement with their instructors and fellow peers, which is a vital component of the students’ academic preparation. For this reason, students are expected to attend classes regularly. Absences hinder progress for the individual as well as for the class, and affects students’ learning outcomes and grades.

 

UD regulations for class attendance and absenteeism warnings   imposed on all courses are as follows:

1. All credit courses are normally offered in two consecutive sessions of one hour and fifteen minutes each. A fifteen-minute break is given after the first session.  

2. Students’ attendance usually takes place at the beginning of the class and after students return from the break. The attendance should be recorded on CAMS. If CAMS is not working, faculty members must take attendance manually.  

3. A student has access to information related to his/her course attendance through the Students’ Portal (CAMS).

4. Student portal will remain open for one week, from lecture to lecture, to allow for amendments to student attendance records. For clarification, if a lecture takes place on a Monday at 10 am, the system will close on the following Monday at midnight (in essence, remaining open for a total of 8 days). After this 8-day period, no further attendance amendments will be accepted under any circumstances.

5. A student is sent a warning through his/her UD e-mail and CAMS (portal) when his/her absences reach 10% of class time for a given course. A pop-up message notifying the student regarding his/her attendance status will show once he/she signs into the Students’ Portal (CAMS).

6. Once a student’s absence in a course reaches 25% or 8 sessions of class time, he/she will be deprived from attending the midterm and/or the final exam. A grade of “Administrative Withdrawal” (AW) will be recorded for the course. However, if a student’s absence is for a UD-valid reason, then the student’s “AW” status will be changed to “Withdrawn” from the course by the Registrar. A student may not attend any further exams; however, he/she still has the right to attend the remaining classes. 

7. Late Arrival: A student who arrives within the first 10 minutes in each of the first and second sessions will be marked as having “Late Attendance”. The system will automatically register one absence for each three “late attendances”. A student who arrives later than 10 minutes in either session will be marked as absent.

8. Absenteeism percentages are calculated according to Table 1 below:

Table1: Absence Decisions

 

4.2 Valid UD Excuses for Class Absences 

All excuses must be substantiated by evidence. UD-valid excuses include: 

1. Representing the UAE government on an official mission (e.g. competition/conference/exhibition), emergency in the Armed Forces or Police that necessitates the absence.

2. National Service, 

3. Leave to fulfill UD assignments,

4. Death of a close family member

• Bereavement not to exceed five (5) days for 1st-degree (Husband/Wife) relatives

• Bereavement not to exceed three (3) days for 2nd-degree (Child/Parents/Siblings/grandparents etc.) relatives starting from the date of death. 
  

      E. Certified hospital admission.

    F. Accidents Repeating Courses

 

5. Repeating Courses

A student who re-registers to repeat a course must attend all classes as a regular student and complete the required class work/homework/assignments/projects to earn the final grade for the course.

1. Failing Grade

• A student who fails in a non-elective course must repeat it. A student may not repeat a course more than twice. 

• A student who fails in a course three (3) times shall be dismissed from the program. 

• All grades shall appear on the transcript but only the passing grade is used to calculate the cumulative GPA.

• For elective courses, a student may repeat the same course or its substitute in accordance with the approved study plan, however only the passing grade is used in the calculation of the CGPA.

• Exceptions can be evaluated by the President based on the recommendations of the VPAA.

 

B. Passing Grade

 

• A student wishing to repeat a passed course in order to raise his/her grade/GPA, may not repeat that course more than twice.

• Both grades will appear in the transcript but only the higher grade will be counted towards the CGPA.  

 

6. Drop & Add

   A. The Drop & Add period is normally for one week after the start of classes, during a regular semester/term,, and for two days only during short semesters.

B. During this period, a student may drop or add a course or more.

C. A student who wishes to drop and add courses should normally consult his/her academic advisor and complete the Drop & Add form. Students on probation cannot make any changes to their study plan without the approval of their advisors. For more information, refer to the section titled “Study Load” in this policy.

D. There will be no financial penalties for Drop and Add activities in regular semesters. However, dropping a course in a short semester is liable to a financial penalty even if done in the first two days from the start of the semester. (See UD financial policies)

 

7. Withdrawal from Courses – Undergraduate

1. A student is permitted to withdraw from one or more courses at a later stage during the semester after submitting the appropriate Course Withdrawal form. (This is an automated form)

2. Withdrawal from courses must occur no later than the 9th week of studies in a regular semester for UG and at about one week after the midterm exam for short semesters.

3. The student must get the approval of his/her academic advisor before applying for withdrawal from the course. The advisor should specify the reason(s) for the student’s withdrawal.

4. A grade of “W” will be recorded on the student’s transcript for the withdrawn course(s). 

5. A student is not entitled to receive a refund for any such withdrawals.  

6. A student is not permitted to withdraw from courses beyond the period stipulated in the academic calendar, and the student must complete the course as scheduled. 

7. The VPAA shall consider cases of extenuating nature, in which case, the student shall withdraw from the whole semester not from a single course.

 

8. Registration Hold– Undergraduate

1. A student may be permitted to put a hold on his/her registration upon submitting an online request through the student portal to the Registrar. 

2. The request will be accepted on condition that the student has been a regular student at UD for at least one semester.

3.  The deadline for requesting a hold on registration is normally two weeks prior to the start of the semester and two weeks after.

4. During the entire period of study, the “Registration Hold” status must not exceed two consecutive semesters or four separate semesters. This includes the semesters from which the student has withdrawn without failure.

5. The accepted hold periods will not be counted as part of the duration of study. 

6. The list of all students who have requested “Registration Hold” will be forwarded to the Deans by the Registration Department every semester.

9. Discontinuation

1. A student who does not register for a particular semester /term and fails to make a request for Registration Hold is considered “Discontinued” in the Registry’s records. 

2. A Discontinued student is liable to financial penalties if he/she applies for re-admission (Or re-registration).

3. If the student’s “Discontinued” status exceeds two semesters (continuous or separate) for undergraduate, then the student’s registration status will be considered “Canceled.”

4. The discontinued periods will be counted as part of the student’s duration of study.

5. “Canceled” students must apply for re-admission if the interruption of study period does not exceed 7 years for UG. (See Admission Policy S 6.1 for full conditions).
   
   

10. Withdrawal from Semester 

1. A student may request to withdraw from the semester at any time. 

2. If the request is approved by the Dean, the student must withdraw from all registered courses. A “W” grade will be reported for these courses. 

3.  The withdrawn semester  will be considered as Registration Hold.

4. The refund terms stated in S6.10 Student Finance Policy shall apply.

11. Withdrawal from the University

1. A student may request to withdraw from the University or to cancel his/her enrollment at any time during the year. 

2. The student must first withdraw from all registered and incomplete courses during that semester/term. A “W” grade will be reported for these courses. 

3. The student must complete the automated “Withdrawal Clearance” Form and obtain signatures from the concerned Director and Dean. 

4. Withdrawn students will also be required to complete the “Discontinuing Students’ Exit Survey which forms a basis for continuous improvement at UD. 

5.  The refund terms stated in S6.10 Student Finance Policy shall apply.

6. A withdrawn student may be readmitted to UD. See Admission Policies S6.1  for full conditions.

 

12. Dismissal from the Program

 A student may be dismissed from the program in the following cases: 

1. Exceeded the number of permissible academic warnings / probations. 

2. Exceeded the maximum allowable duration of study listed in this policy.

3. Failed a course three (3) times for (UG).

Exceptions may only be granted by the President upon the recommendation of the VPAA. 

13. Dean’s Honor List 

   A. To be eligible for the Dean’s Honor List, a student must have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours, discounting courses taken for pass/fail credit, transfer and exempted courses. The categories for the Dean’s List honors are based on the following scale:

• Highest Honors:       CGPA 3.90 through 4.0 (Excellent)

• Great Honors:          CGPA 3.70 through 3.89 (Very Good)

• Honors                      CGPA 3.50 through 3.69             (Good) 
  
  

 

 B. To be eligible for the Dean’s list, a student must fulfill the following requirements: 

 

• The student is taking no less than 12 credit hours in the said semester.  

• The student’s file should not reflect any “Disciplinary Warning”.

• A student who has committed/ sentenced for a criminal act (conviction, caution, warning, reprimand or bind over) will not be eligible for the Honor Award.   

 

 C.  A Dean's List notation will appear on the student's academic record.

 

The maximum period of study for undergraduate programs are as follows

1. The maximum period of study may not exceed 14 regular semesters (or equivalent).

2. For a student transferring to UD or changing his/her major or degree, the number of semesters achieved will be one semester for every 15 credit hours counted towards the academic plan. 

3. Two short semesters are considered as one regular semester.

4. The period of “Registration Hold” is not included in the aforementioned periods.

5. The discontinued and withdrawn semesters are included in the duration of study.

6. The student shall be dismissed from the program if the duration of study period is exceeded. The President can extend the period on a case by case basis based on the recommendations of the Dean and the Registrar. 

 14. Declaration/Change of the Major of Study 

1. An UG student must declare a major of study after the completion of at least 45 CH. 

2. A student wishing to change his/her major after the initial declaration is allowed to do so up to two (2) times using the Automated Change of Major form and the payment of the applicable fees).

3. Requests for a change of major/degree must be submitted to the Registration Department at any time during the semester. The Change of Major form must be fully completed and duly signed by the student, the advisor and the Dean.  

4. If the change is done during the semester/term, the change will apply from the following semester.

15. Double Major 

1. A student is allowed to pursue a double major for any two of the offered majors within the same degree program. 

2. The student must submit the relevant form (available from the Registration Department) upon completing a minimum of 60 credit hours at UD.

3. The student has to take 10 additional major courses (30 credit hours) related to the second major. This also includes a second internship. 

4. The student must maintain a CGPA of 2.0 in these 10 additional courses. 

5. If a student completes a double major, the student will receive one certificate with both majors mentioned.

6. Double major programs are not currently applicable to CEIT students.

16.Dual Degree

A dual degree is granted to students receiving a Bachelor’s degree from each college (UD-CEIT and UDDBS). The student should meet the admission requirements of the second degree and must have completed all first degree requirements at UD and then have taken additional courses related to the second degree and meeting the specific requirements for its major. The additional courses should be at least 30 CH that are distinctive to that particular program/ major and not taken to meet requirements of the first degree. In addition to having a CGPA of 2.0 for the first degree, the student must obtain a minimum CGPA of 2.0 in these additional courses. The student will be awarded a separate Bachelor’s diploma for each degree.

* 1 semester credit equals approximately 1 hour of time in class per week over a semester of 15 weeks or longer.

For laboratory or studio-based courses, the allocation of credit differs; 1 semester credit normally is given for two hours of laboratory or studio time per week over a 15-week semester or longer.