Academic Rules and Regulations

Semester deadlines may change slightly. As the semester approaches, it is the responsibility of the student to be aware of deadline changes.

·      In order to register for a course, students must complete all the prerequisite(s) for that course.

·      No student may enroll in a course if he/she has an Incomplete grade in their prerequisite(s).

·       Students who have not paid tuition fees by the applicable deadlines may have their registration cancelled. However, nonpayment of tuition fees does not necessarily result in cancellation of registration, nor is it an appropriate means by which to withdraw. A student wishing to drop or withdraw from a course should do so by following the proce­dures described in subsequent sections of this handbook, & by the applicable deadline. Failure to do this by the specified deadlines may result in continued registration and/or financial liability. Registra­tion may also be cancelled for students who fail to satisfy admission or registration requirements

·      Late registration takes place during the first two weeks of classes.

·      Students registering late have to pay a late registration fee.

·      Students will not receive credit for any course for which registration was not completed according to AUCE procedures.

·      Student is not allowed to attend or par­ticipate in any course that s/he is not registered in.

·      Student who has an obligation to AUCE (such as unpaid fines, tuition, fees, missing documents, etc.) can’t register for any courses in 

       subsequent terms until all obligations are met.

·      Student can’t receive retroactive enrollment for a period of time during which the student was not eligible to register.

      Each course in the academic programs carries a certain number of credits. Credits normally represent hours of instruction. Thus, for example, a course that carries three credits is normally taught three hours per week. On the other hand, some courses, mostly introductory courses, may need more hours of instruction to earn credits. The credits that students earn must conform to a specific pattern of distribution. This means that in addition to their major requirements (i.e., the specialized courses that constitute the backbone of the program) students are required to earn credits from different groups of courses, such as communication and computer skills.

·      The unit of credit at AUCE is the semester hour. Each semester hour represents one class period of a minimum of 50 minutes per week for each week in the semester.

·      A student’s course load includes all courses for which s/he is registered whether taken for credit or audited. A course from which a student has officially withdrawn is no longer part of his/her course load.

·      A minimum full-time load, in a regular semester, is 12 credits. A maximum load of 18 credits is allowed if specified by the Faculty Dean, and student has good academic standing.

·      The maximum course load per Summer semester is 9 credits.

·      Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.00, and above, are allowed to carry up to a maximum of 21 credits.

·      Students, in their last semester of graduation, may register for a maximum of 21 credits, provided they are in good academic standing.

·      Students on probation are not allowed to take more than 13 credits in the Fall or Spring semester.

·      Students not eligible to carry six courses but who wish to apply for special permission to do so must submit their petition to the Academic Affairs Office.

Students may apply for a Tutorial course in their senior year on exceptional basis:

·      GPA is 2.50 and above and the courses to graduate are not offered in their last semester at AUCE.

·      A substitute course is not offered at AUCE.

·      The approval of the Faculty and the Academic Affairs is secured.

·      The Coordinator and/or Dean shall assign the instructor who will follow up with the student.

·      Applied courses as labs and studios shall not be taken as Tutorials.

·      Tutorials imply close and regular monitoring of the student’s progress, consequently, all course requirements,

       and the grading standards are regularly applied on a Tutorial course

·      All financial aid will be eliminated from tutorial courses.

Student can request a course substitution under special and exceptional circumstances, upon the recommendation of the Department concerned, and the approval of the Academic Affairs. Substitution can only be made if the course(s) is not offered and the student is a senior graduating one.

 ·      During the first two weeks of each regular semester and the first week of the summer semester, students can change the courses or section for which they have registered. Students must consult with their coordinator before dropping/adding a course.

·      To drop/add a course, the student must complete a drop and add form, and submit to the Coordinator/Chairperson/Dean for approval.

·       Changes in tuition and fees will be made if needed. However, there is a charge of 25% for students who drop without adding. While every effort will be made to accommodate students’ needs, AUCE reserves the right to refuse changes in courses and/or sections both for educational and admin­istrative reasons. It is important to note that attending a different course or course section from the one a student has registered in, does not entitle them to receive grades and have the course recorded in their transcript.

·      After the end of the Drop and Add period, students are entitled to withdraw from a course(s) they are registered in, provided they fill-in a drop/add form at the registrar’s office and submit it no later than three weeks before the beginning of the final examination period for the fall and spring semesters or one week before summer semester final examination period. Students will not be re­imbursed for the courses they withdraw from.

·      Students who wants to cancel their enrollment and withdraw all their registered courses are charged as follows: 25% as drop fees of the tuition fees during the drop and add period, 50% as drop fees of the tuition fees after one week from the end of the drop and add period, and 75% as drop fees of the tuition fees in the fourth week of the semester. Later than the dates mentioned above, students who wish to cancel their enrollment have to settle the full tuition fees.

·      If a student withdraws from a course a “W” will ap­pear next to that course on their academic transcript. If students do not withdraw from a course according to the procedure outlined here and miss the final examination, they will automatically get an “F” on that exam.

·      Students should realize that withdrawing from a course might seriously jeopardize their chances of completing their studies within the period they had originally planned. AUCE does not guarantee that it will offer the course(s) from which the student withdraws from in a semester that will ensure prompt completion of their studies.

·      Academic withdrawal occurs when a student is automatically withdrawn from a course because his/her absences exceed the permitted limit or coursework (e.g., tests, assignments) is incom­plete. It should be noted that a teacher does not have to warn students that they will be withdrawn from the course. Hence, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that s/he does not exceed the maximum number of absences allowed and that s/he fulfills the course requirements as set out in the syllabus.

·      Cross-Registering Between AUCE Campuses:

Students may be allowed to Cross-Register by securing the authorized signatures of the Faculty and the campus director.

 ·      Cross-Registering to Other Universities in Lebanon:

Cross-Registration to another accredited university in Lebanon may be allowed, only if the course is needed for graduation, and the course is not offered on any AUCE campus. Therefore, there should be an agreement between AUCE and the university where the course is to be taken before allowing the student to Cross-Register. The course will be treated as a transfer course. Students may be allowed to Cross-Register by securing the authorized signatures of the Faculty, the campus director and the VP of Academic Affairs.

·      AUCE students may audit courses; however, they should take the approval of the instructor, and the Faculty, prior to registration. Students auditing a course will not receive credit for it.

Grading System:

The work of students is reported in terms of the following grades:

Grade                                                             Quality Points

A                      90.0-100                                4.00    Outstanding

B+                   85.0-89.5                               3.5      Very Good

B                     80.0-84.5                               3.0      Good

C+                   75.0-79.5                               2.5      Very Satisfactory

C                     70.0-74.5                               2.0      Fair

D+                   65.0-69.5                               1.5      Poor Performance

D                     60.0-64.5                               1.0      Unsatisfactory

F                      Below 60                               0.0      Failing Performance

 W= Withdrawal from course two weeks before the beginning of the final exams in the fall and spring semesters and one week before the final exams in the summer semester. No drops are allowed after this date except in the case of medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances judged appropriate by the instructor and the registrar’s office.

I= Incomplete grade is given if a student is unable to complete all assignments by the end of the semester due to factors beyond the student’s control.

An I grade must be completed within the first 8 weeks from the start of the following semester. It will automatically be changed to “F” unless another grade is issued by the instructor and signed by the Vice President of Academic Affairs and/or the Dean.  The VPAA and the instructor are both responsible for the final clearance of the I grade.

T=Transfer credits

AU=Audit. Non-credit participation in a regularly scheduled course.

No final grade assigned or credit awarded.

P= Pass in a P/NP course.  It is not included in the grade average.

NP= Non-passing grade in a P/NP course.  It is not included in the grade average.

 Grade Point Average:

The grade point average is the ratio of the number of quality points gained to the number of credit hours attempted for all courses taken at AUCE.  As stated above, an “A” counts as four points for each credit hour carried, a” B” counts as three points, a “C” counts as two points, a “D” counts as one point and an “F” as zero point.

  SEMESTER GPA = Total Semester Points / Total Semester Credit Hours Attempted = 28/13 = 2.15

 The cumulative GPA is the ratio of the total earned quality points to the total credits accumulated since the student started studying at AUCE.

 GRADUATING G.P.A REQUIREMENTS:

To graduate, all students must obtain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in major courses and an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

In the semester prior to your last semester you must complete and submit:

“A Graduation Check List with your Academic Advisor
“An Application for a Degree (available from the Registrar’s Office)
Please also ensure that the Registrar’s Office has your current mailing address.

AUCE DEGREES ARE AWARDED ON THE FIRST GRADUATION DATE FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF ALL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS.

This means that if a student plans to complete his/her requirements in the summer semester, the degree will not be awarded until the following August.

Students completing requirements in the summer semester may petition Academic Affairs for permission to receive his/her degree in the graduation ceremony.

INCOMPLETES in courses/EXTENSIONS on Senior Essays or Projects:
If a graduating senior is granted an ‘Incomplete’ or an ‘Extension’ on a senior essay/project, s/he will receive a degree dated the semester in which the outstanding work is complete

major courses and an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

·       An Undergraduate student may repeat a course, up to three times, and will receive credit once for the course. Students are not allowed to repeat a course in which they have earned a grade above “C+”, or an Incomplete. When a course is repeated, only the highest grade earned in the course will be included when calculating the student’s cumulative, and major, GPA.

·       All semester grades must be turned in to the Registrar’s Office no later than 72 hours after the particular final examination is given.

·       Course grades will not be changed, except in the case of an Instructor’s mistake. A change of grade will not be allowed after the lapse of one semester. The corrected grade should be processed using the Change of Grade Form.