Department of English

Academic Regulations and Rules

Attendance and absence

1. Attendance

a. Participation in the work of a course is a precondition for a student’s achievement of credits in that course.

b. A student whose studies are discontinued will not be permitted to attend classes during the period of suspension.

2. Absence

a. A student who cannot attend classes because of illness must inform the Dean of the academic unit concerned in writing at the earliest opportunity. When longer absence is necessary (over three days) or when absence from examinations is in question, a student must submit in writing an application for leave of absence to the Dean of the academic unit concerned, together with a certificate signed by a registered medical practitioner.

b. A student who, during his studies, desires leave of absence for more than two full consecutive days for non-medical reasons must apply to the Dean of the academic unit concerned in writing at the earliest opportunity, stating the reasons for which the leave of absence is sought. Permission for such leave will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis.

c. A student who is absent without applying for leave of absence from a course for more than 20% of its scheduled teaching periods in the aggregate will not be allowed to take the final examination and will receive a failing grade for that course.

d. If the expected period of leave is of a significant duration, students should apply for deferment of studies.

Grading system Undergraduate

Graduation

1. Students admitted from academic year 2014/2015 onwards are required to fulfil the following requirements in order to graduate:

a. GPA Requirement

For programmes using GPA system, students are required to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.

b. Residential College (RC) Requirement

Mandatory residence of two semesters is normally required for the 1st year students. All students are required to fulfil the requirements specified by the RC system and the affiliated RC.

The University will NOT issue any certificates to those students who pass all the required courses but do not fulfil both the minimum GPA requirement and the RC requirement for graduation. However, transcripts will be issued to the students.

2. Graduation and Issue of Graduation Certificates

Upon successful completion of studies, fulfillment of both the GPA requirement and the RC requirement at the University, and with the approval of the University’s Senate, academic awards are conferred on students at a congregation.

Students eligible for academic awards for that particular year, including those graduating after semester 1 and semester 2, will be notified in writing of the details regarding the congregation, the collection of academic dress, and the award certificate.

The graduation certificate will be issued once only, as there will be no second printing. Students are therefore strongly advised to ensure the safe-keeping of this important document.

The University reserves the right to withhold conferment of an award on a student who has outstanding fees owed to the University, or who has otherwise failed to discharge all obligations towards the University.

Academic warning, probation and discontinuation of studies

1. Academic Warning

A student shall be placed on Academic Warning if he/she has obtained a semester GPA or cumulative GPA below 1.70 in any registered semester.

A student on Academic Warning will receive a written warning about his/her unsatisfactory academic performance and the required academic advising from the concerned academic unit.

2. Academic Probation

A student shall be placed on Academic Probation for one semester if he/she has obtained a semester GPA or cumulative GPA below 1.70 in any two consecutive registered semesters.

A student on Academic Probation will receive a written warning about his/her unsatisfactory academic performance. The study load of the student shall be restricted to a maximum of 12 credits. Such student shall be required to seek academic advice from his/her home academic unit on a regular basis (usually at least once a month) during the probation semester. His/Her performance shall be reviewed at the end of the probation semester:

a. If a student obtains both semester GPA and cumulative GPA of 1.70 or above in the probation semester, his/her Academic Probation will be lifted.

b. If a student obtains either a semester GPA or cumulative GPA below 1.70 in the probation semester, his/her Academic Probation will be extended for one more semester.

c. If a student obtains both semester GPA and cumulative GPA below 1.70 in the probation semester, he/she will be required to discontinue his/her studies.

The Registry will send the list of students to be discontinued of studies to the concerned academic units for confirmation. For special cases, the Dean of the academic unit concerned may extend the probation period for one more semester with strong justifications. In any case, a student shall be placed on Academic Probation for not more than three registered semesters.

3. Students whose studies have been discontinued due to unsatisfactory academic performance or who have exceeded their maximum study period cannot register as a student of the University within the subsequent three years, unless special approval or authorisation has been granted by the party concerned.

Discontinued students returning within the subsequent three years

For students who have been discontinued from their studies due to unsatisfactory academic performance, they should apply for re-admission and such application must be approved by the Vice Rector (Academic Affairs) with the recommendation from the Dean of the academic unit concerned.

For students who have been discontinued from their studies by exceeding the maximum study duration, they should apply for regular admission as new students and such application must be authorised by the government on the recommendation of the University authority.

Discontinued students returning after three years

Three years after the discontinuation, regardless of the reason for discontinuation, they should apply for regular admission and be admitted as new students following all the procedures and rules for new students.