General Regulations for Undergraduate Degree Programmes

1. Admission, Enrolment and Registration

1.1 Admission to undergraduate degree programmes is subject to satisfying both the stipulated General University Admission Requirements and Programme Admission Requirements (refer to the Section on “Admission of Students”).

1.2 All students enrolled in the University are required to register for courses in accordance with the study schedule of their programmes in every semester. Students should complete the appropriate procedures according to the official dates announced.

Registration of Courses

1.3 Students enrolled with the University will automatically be registered on courses which are required by their programme of study. For registration of elective courses, students have to participate in the pre-registration exercise in July and November for Semesters 1 and 2 courses respectively. Students who fail to gain admission to some courses due to limited places during the pre-registration exercise are required to complete the course registration during the first two weeks of classes.

Adding/Dropping of Courses after Registration

1.4 Adding and dropping of courses are allowed during the first two weeks of classes.

1.5 The University reserves the right to cancel courses with low enrolment anytime before the deadline for adding/dropping of courses.

Withdrawing from Courses after the Period for Adding/Dropping of Courses

1.6 Permission to withdraw from courses after the deadline for dropping courses will only be given under exceptional circumstances, such as a student is suffering from physical, personal or academic problems, or other unforeseen circumstances deemed acceptable to the Department/Programme.

1.7 Applications should be endorsed by the course instructor and approved by the Academic Registrar, with notification sent to student’s major Department/Programme, at least four weeks before the commencement of the semester examination.

2. Units and Study Load

Units

2.1 The number of units assigned to a course is indicative of the contact time with a teacher and/or the study time associated with that course on a weekly basis over a period of one semester.

2.2 In general, a single unit represents attendance once a week throughout the semester at a lecture lasting 50 minutes. For field studies and laboratory classes, a unit generally represents at least two 50-minute sessions. Each unit presupposes an average of two hours preparation each week on the part of the student.

Study Load

2.3 Normally, students are required to register for all courses prescribed on a particular programme, including elective courses, each year. Study schedules which are semester-by-semester listings of courses to be taken on different programmes are available in the University Cyber Port System (BUniPort) and the relevant programme document/handbook.

2.4 In special circumstances when a student cannot fulfil the graduation requirements within the normal period of study and is granted extension of study, he/she will be classified as “part-time” when registering for less than 12 units in a semester during the extension period.

2.5 Unless prescribed in an approved study plan, a student may not register for more than 18 units in a semester. Students who wish to register for more than 18 units must obtain approval from the appropriate Department/Programme Head or Programme Director and the Academic Registrar during the course add/drop period. Students who wish to register for more than 21 units must obtain support from the appropriate Department/Programme Head or Programme Director and apply to the Academic Registrar in writing. Approval for a study load in excess of 21 units will only be given under exceptional circumstances.

2.6 Students placed on academic probation must work out and agree on a study plan with their Department/Programme Head or Programme Director. Normally, this study plan will include a reduced study load according to the following guidelines:

1. Those with a failure of 0 – 6 units in the previous semester may be required to take not more than 12 units in the following semester.
2. Those with a failure of more than 6 units in the previous semester may be required to take not more than 9 units in the following semester.

2.7 The President and Vice President(s) of the Students’ Union will be allowed to suspend study or reduce their study load to any number of units during their tenure in the Students’ Union, and to extend their study period up to one academic year if they so wish. In such cases, an appropriate study plan should be drawn up by the student and approved by the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director.

Double Registration

2.8 Unless otherwise approved by the University, undergraduate students are not permitted to enrol on any other part-time or full-time UGC-funded programmes either at the University or at any other local institutions of higher learning. Students breaching this regulation are subject to discontinuation of their studies at the University.

3. Attendance

3.1 Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes for which they have registered. If absence is due to conditions beyond their control and they wish to establish that fact in order to justify make-up work (e.g. papers, assignments), a written explanation together with supporting documents must be presented to the course instructor for approval within five days after the absence.

3.2 Classes may be suspended in the event of typhoon or bad weather. Normally, classes will be cancelled upon hoisting of Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal. Students should take note of the arrangement of classes due to bad weather conditions which can be found on the Academic Registry Web page.

4. Assessment

4.1 Normally, students enrolled on an undergraduate degree programme are assessed by examinations and coursework.

4.2 A student who is found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty such as plagiarism, submission of material(s) for assessment which is not the student’s own work, the use of fabricated or copied data for assessment, shall receive an “F” grade for the course. In addition, the case may be submitted to the Student Affairs Committee for further action.

4.3 Students found to have committed academic dishonesty may be excluded from participating in the end-of-semester teaching evaluation for the course concerned.

4.4 Students should sit for all scheduled tests and examinations. A student failing to sit for test/examination without official permission will be graded F for the test/examination.

4.5 An end-of-semester or year examination will normally be required for a course. In general, examinations are scheduled within the University examination period by the Academic Registry as a two- or three-hour closed-book written examination. For alternative arrangements, the course instructor must submit the details with the approval of the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director to the Academic Registry for record.

4.6 Course instructors should follow the assessment method specified in the programme document.

Eligibility to Sit for Semester Examinations

4.7 Only students whose names are on the course enrolment record are permitted to sit for the semester examination of the course.

Make-up Examinations

4.8 A student who misses an examination because of extenuating circumstances such as illness, injury or other personal emergencies may apply in writing via an application form with supporting document(s) to the Academic Registrar for a make-up examination. Applications should be made within five working days after the missed examination.

4.9 In case of illness or injury, the application should include a completed “Form of Medical Certificate” stating that the student is unfit for examination and a medical certificate recommending for sick leave on the date of the missed examination by a qualified medical practitioner.

4.10 When students apply to the Academic Registry for make-up examinations, the following situations would normally not be considered:

1. Elective surgery scheduled to be held on an examination day;
2. Public examinations such as HKDSE Examination, TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT, etc., held on an examination day; or
3. Having forgotten or misread the examination schedule.

4.11 If the application is approved, the make-up examination will be arranged by the Academic Registry within six weeks after the examination period.

4.12 No other arrangements will be made if the student is unable to attend the make-up examination.

4.13 The course instructor should set a new examination question paper for the make-up examination. The relevant course instructor will decide if the grades for the make-up examinations should be downgraded.

4.14 A student who is absent from an examination and does not apply for a make-up examination or the application is disapproved, will receive zero mark for that examination.

Supplementary Examinations

4.15 Students who fail a course only due to failure of the end-of-semester examination or year examination of that course may be allowed to sit for supplementary examination, as may be recommended by the Department/Programme in consultation with the relevant course instructor.

4.16 Students, including final year students, are allowed to take supplementary examination for a maximum of one course per semester and Grade D is the maximum grade for the course after supplementary examination.

4.17 For final year students, recommendation to take supplementary examination for any failed course in semester 2 should be approved by the Senate.

5. Examination Regulations

5.1 Students are not allowed to sit for an examination if they:

1. have not completed the proper course/section enrolment procedures; or
2. have not settled any fees due to the University.

5.2 Students should read the examination timetable carefully and take note of the date, time and venue of the examinations. Having forgotten or misread the examination timetable is normally not an excuse to apply for make-up examinations.

5.3 Students should arrive at the examination venue at least 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the examination. Once they are admitted into the examination venue, they should sit in accordance with the seat number assigned to them.

5.4 Students will not be allowed to enter the examination venue after the first 30 minutes of the examination.

5.5 Students are not allowed to leave the examination venue after they are admitted into the examination venue (except with the permission of the Chief Invigilator), during the first 30 minutes after the examination has started, and the last 15 minutes of the examination.

5.6 Students should bring their Student ID Card (or HKID Card) which should be displayed at the top right-hand corner of the desk throughout the examination. Students without any such identification may not be allowed to sit for the examination.

5.7 Before entering the examination venue, students should make sure that unauthorized articles/items (e.g. books, manuscripts, notes, paper and all kinds of electronic/communication devices such as mobile phones, iPod, MP3 players, electronic dictionaries, databank watches) are taken out from their pockets and placed inside their bags.  Mobile phones/electronic devices must be turned off.

5.8 Once they have entered the examination venue, students should place their bags under their seats immediately. Students should, before entering the examination venue, make sure that no unauthorized articles/items are placed in their pockets or on the body. They should also make sure that no unauthorized articles/items are put on the desk unless prior approval is given by the Chief Invigilator.

5.9 No pencil case/box should be placed on the desk. Students who bring a pencil case/box must place the stationery on the desk and put the pencil case/box under the seat.

5.10 Students must not turn over the pages of the examination question paper and must not start working until they are instructed to do so.

5.11 Students should remain absolutely silent once they enter the examination venue. They must not talk to or disturb other students. If they have questions, they should put up their hands and wait patiently for an invigilator.

5.12 Students who wish to leave the examination venue temporarily during an examination session should:

1. raise hand and wait for an invigilator;
2. leave only with the approval of the invigilator.

Before leaving the venue, invigilator has the right to check whether the student has placed any unauthorized articles/items in his/her pocket(s).

5.13 Students who have completed their examination and wish to leave the venue early during an examination session should:

1. first check the answer book(s) and papers that they bear their names, student numbers, course code and section number (even if no attempt has been made to answer any questions);
2. raise hand and wait for an invigilator;
3. leave only with the approval of the invigilator.

5.14 At the end of the examination, students should:

1. promptly stop writing, put their pens down at once, remain seated and wait silently until the invigilator has collected all answer books;
2. leave only when the chief invigilator tells them to do so;
3. not remove anything from the examination venue except personal belongings and the question papers (if allowed).

Penalty/Disqualification

5.15 Students have the sole responsibility to ensure that the examination regulations are observed and complied with. Students who are found to have breached any of the examination regulations will be subject to penalty or disqualification.

5.16 A student who has committed any of the following offences is subject to receiving an “F” grade for the course:

1. Copying other students' work or any form of cheating inside or outside the examination venue;
2. Having unauthorized articles/items on the examination desk, in the pockets or on his/her body after entering the examination venue and during the examination session;
3. Removing articles/items other than personal belongings from the examination venue;
4. Leaving the examination venue without permission;
5. Disobeying instructions of an invigilator.

In addition, such cases of breaching examination regulations will normally be submitted to the Student Affairs Committee for further disciplinary action.

5.17 A student who is absent from an examination without an acceptable reason and proper documentation evidence will receive zero mark for that examination.

Arrangement of Examinations on the Approach of Typhoon/Rainstorms

5.18 Students should take note of the arrangement of examinations due to bad weather conditions which can be found on the Academic Registry Web page and act accordingly.

5.19 All examinations which have been postponed due to bad weather conditions will be conducted at the same hours on the first working day after the last day of the examination.

6. Assessment Grading System

6.1 Letter grades are used to indicate the results of assessment. The number of grade points gained by a student in a particular course corresponds to the letter grade.

Grade A (i.e. A and A-) indicates that the student has an excellent performance on all Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) and a thorough mastery of the subject matter.

Grade B (i.e. B+, B and B-) indicates that the student has a good performance on all ILOs and is competent in knowledge of the subject matter; or the student has an excellent performance on the majority of the ILOs and is competent in knowledge of the subject matter.

Grade C (i.e. C+, C and C-) indicates that the student has a satisfactory performance on all ILOs and an acceptable level of knowledge of the course; or the student has a good performance on some ILOs which compensate for marginal performance on others, resulting in an overall satisfactory performance. In addition, the student should have an acceptable level of knowledge of the course.

Grade D indicates that the student has a marginal acceptable performance on the majority of the ILOs and is permitted to proceed to more advanced work in the subject area.

Grade E is a temporary grade applicable only to the first-semester component of a year course. A student who receives the conditional grade may continue to study the course in the following semester. If the student obtains a passing grade in the following semester, the first-semester grade E will be converted to grade D. In the case of failure (F grade), withdrawal from, or discontinuation of that course in the following semester, the first-semester grade E will be converted to grade F.

Grade F indicates an unsatisfactory performance on the majority of the ILOs. A student with grade F in the first semester of a year course is not allowed to continue his studies in that course in the following semester.

Grade I is a temporary grade to be given only when the required work for the course has not been completed due to unavoidable reasons acceptable to the course instructor. If the work is not completed within six weeks after the official announcement of the course semester grades by the Academic Registry, the grade I will automatically be converted to grade F. Grade I is not included in the grade point average calculation.

Grade S is used to indicate satisfactory completion of a course. It is not included in the grade point average calculation.

Grade U is used to indicate unsatisfactory performance in a course. It is not included in the grade point average calculation. The use of this grade has to be approved by the Senate.

Grade W is applicable to students who have been approved to withdraw from the course after the deadline for dropping of courses as stipulated in the Academic Calendar. Students who wish to withdraw from a course have to apply to the course instructors concerned and the application should be approved by the Academic Registrar at least four weeks prior to the examination period for that semester. Grade W is not included in the grade point average calculation.

Grade YR is a temporary grade applicable both to the first-semester component of a year course and to courses that span over more than one academic year. The YR grade indicates that the student will be assessed at the last semester of the course. The grade will be changed to the same grade that the student receives for the last semester of the course; or to a grade different from that of the last semester. If the student drops or withdraws from the course in the last semester, the YR grade will be converted to grade W or any letter grade, depending on the student’s performance up to the end of each semester preceding the last semester of the course. Grade YR is not included in the grade point average calculation.

Grade NR is a temporary grade. The NR grade indicates that the grade for the course is not yet reported by the course instructor at the time the semester grade report is prepared. Grade NR is not included in the grade point average calculation. The conversion of NR grade to a normal letter grade should be made within six weeks after the announcement of course grades.

Grade PR is a temporary grade applicable to final year students whose honours projects are found to be unsatisfactory on submission and on the recommendation of the respective Department/Programme are granted an extended period up to the 1st of November of the same year for resubmission. If the project is considered satisfactory on resubmission, the grade will be converted to a letter grade not higher than C. Grade PR is not included in the grade point average calculation.

Grade Point Average (GPA) and Retaking of Courses

6.2 The Grade Point Average (GPA) is an important indicator of the academic standing of a student. It is obtained by adding all the grade points gained and then dividing the sum by the total number of units attempted.

6.3 The semester GPA is calculated from all the grade points gained and the number of units attempted in a given semester. The cumulative GPA (cGPA) is calculated from the cumulative grade points gained and the cumulative number of units attempted.

6.4 Students must obtain a passing grade on all courses required in the programme.

6.5 Students may only repeat courses with grade F to retrieve the failure.  Students, however, may be required by the Department/Programme to repeat courses with less than satisfactory grades to fulfil specific course or programme requirements.

6.6 For a course taken for more than once, only the highest grade* will be included in the calculation of cGPA with effect from the semester in which the highest grade is attained. The number of units gained for the repeated course is counted once only.

* If the grades attained at different attempts are the same, it is the latest grade that is included in the cGPA calculation.

6.7 Students can only repeat the same course twice.  There is no limit on the number of courses to be repeated.

7. Academic Results

7.1 Students’ academic results are officially recorded in the Academic Registry at the conclusion of each semester. A grade report will be released approximately five to six weeks after their examinations are completed. Students should report any inaccuracy or inconsistency to the Academic Registry within three weeks after the reports have been issued.

Academic Honours

7.2 For students taking a minimum of 12 units counting towards grade point average and attaining the following results in a semester:

* Students with a “U” grade in the same semester are NOT eligible for receiving the academic honours.

Academic Problems

7.3 For students taking 12 units or more in a semester

7.4 For students taking less than 12 units in a semester

Repeat Study

7.5 Students with poor academic results may, at the discretion of individual Department/Programme, be required to repeat a year of study with the approval of the Senate.

7.6 Students are required to fulfil certain study conditions (to be prescribed by the Examination Board, Department/Programme Head or Programme Director) during their repeating year. If they fail to meet the conditions, they may be recommended to the Senate for dismissal by the Programme.

7.7 A student, during his/her entire study at the University, is allowed to repeat only once in either Year 1, 2 or 3. A student who fails to fulfil the graduation requirements after the final year of study may also be granted concession of one additional year of study at the approval of the Senate.

8. Course Exemption

8.1 Students admitted to Year 1 may apply for exemption from taking certain courses in the curriculum if they have taken equivalent courses in other institutions previously, but they are required to replace the exempted courses with other courses to make up for the units being exempted. Students should submit their applications for course exemption within two weeks of commencing their first semester of studies.

9. Transfer of Units

9.1 Students admitted to Year 1 of study with advanced standing may be granted up to 15 units of transferred units at the point of admission.

9.2 For minor programmes, the number of units transferred from other institutions is limited to no more than 6 units.

9.3 For students with double major, the number of units transferred from another institution for the second major is limited to no more than 40% of the unit requirement for the second major.

9.4 Normally, a student’s transferred units (including units granted at the point of admission and units that students obtained through the exchange programme) should not be more than one-half of the total units required for graduation. A Senior Year entrant admitted directly to Year 3 of study will receive transferred units of not more than one-half of the total units required for graduation at the point of admission. For Senior Year entrants participating in an exchange programme, an additional unit transfer of up to a maximum of 16 units may be granted.

9.5 The University reserves the right to refuse to grant units for courses which are not deemed to be equivalent to the University courses and for courses with grades below the equivalence of grade C in the University grading system.

9.6 Students may be required to sit for proficiency test(s) or qualifying examination(s) prior to the granting of transfer units.

9.7 Units transferred from other institutions are recorded without inclusion in grade point average calculations.

10. Change of Study Programme

10.1 Non-final year students may apply to the Academic Registry for change of study programme in April each year. No application will be entertained in other time of the academic year.

10.2 Students are normally expected to have met the admission requirements of the new study programme and to have attained a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.0 in their studies in order to proceed with the application.

10.3 Applications will be sent to the Department/Programme Heads and Deans of both the transfer-out and transfer-in programmes for approval. The application will first be sent to the transfer-out programme for approval. Only applications that are approved by the transfer-out programme will be passed to the receiving programme for consideration.

10.4 If the application is approved, the receiving programme will decide to admit the student to the year of study which it considers appropriate.

10.5 Changing to the new study programme will take effect in the following academic year. A study plan should be filed with the Academic Registry by the transfer-in programme before the beginning of the student’s study.

10.6 A student is only allowed to change his/her study programme once throughout his/her undergraduate studies.

11. Suspension, Withdrawal and Dismissal

Suspension

11.1 Under special circumstances, a student may be permitted to suspend his/her studies for a period of up to two semesters. This is granted in cases of health problems, financial difficulty, urgent family affairs or other circumstances as deemed acceptable by the student’s department/programme.

11.2 In all cases, supporting documents together with an explanatory letter must be submitted to the Academic Registrar normally no later than four weeks before the commencement of the semester examination. The Academic Registrar will consult with the Department/Programme Head before making a decision.

11.3 The Academic Registry would consider such applications and inform students of the application results. For successful applications, students will be notified of the effective date and end date of the period of suspension.

11.4 Upon expiration of the suspension period, the student must resume his/her study. If the student fails to report to the Academic Registry according to schedule, he/she will be classified as having unofficially withdrawn from the University.

Withdrawal

11.5 Students intending to leave the University prior to graduation must apply for official withdrawal. A student who leaves the University without following the proper procedures will be considered as having unofficially withdrawn. No official documents will be issued to such students, and they will not be re-admitted in the future to any programme.

11.6 For official withdrawal, students must complete the clearance procedures at the department office, Library, Office of Student Affairs, Finance Office and Academic Registry. Students must settle any outstanding tuition fee before an official withdrawal status is given by the Academic Registry.

Dismissal

11.7 The University may at any time, by action of the Senate, require any student to terminate his/her study at the University either on academic or disciplinary grounds, or on other grounds deemed as appropriate.

11.8 The Senate may also dismiss a student whose conduct or general influence is considered harmful to the institution. Such a student will normally not be considered for re-admission.

12. Graduation, Graduation Honours and Honours Classifications

Graduation Requirements

12.1 Students are approved for graduation by the Senate after fulfilling all the graduation requirements stipulated by the University. These requirements include: University general requirements, programme requirements, and unit and grade point average requirements. Students who have course, unit or GPA deficiencies may be granted summer study or supplementary examination or a concession of one additional year to complete their studies by the Senate.

12.2 Each Department/Programme is responsible for checking the fulfilment of these graduation requirements and the Academic Registry provides a counter-checking mechanism.

University General Requirements

12.3 Undergraduate students are required to complete a minimum of 36 units of courses (including honours project) at Levels 3 and 4.

12.4 Undergraduate students are normally expected to complete 38 units of General Education courses, which include 26 units of core requirements and 12 units of distribution requirements. Students may take additional GE courses in any categories to fulfil the “Free Electives” requirement but only a maximum of 6 units will be counted towards the fulfilment of the “Free Electives” requirement.

12.5 All undergraduate students are required to take the non-credit bearing course University Life as part of the graduation requirements. A student will be given a “S” grade for satisfactory completion of the course or a “U” grade for unsatisfactory performance. A student who is unable to complete the course by the deadlines specified will be barred from access to course grades immediately and will not be allowed to enrol on courses in the following semester until his/her course deficiency has been made up. Students should take note of the deadlines shown in BUniPort.

Programme Requirements

12.6 Students are required to fulfil their respective programme requirements listed in the University Student Handbook at the year of their admission, or in some instances where revisions have occurred, the revised requirements available at the BUniPort or as advised by their Department/Programme Head or Programme Director.

12.7 The following applies to students who wish to graduate with a second major programme and/or a minor programme.

1. Students satisfying the graduation requirements of the home major programme but failing to satisfy the second major and/or minor requirements will graduate with the home major only. No extension of study period will be allowed for such students for the purpose of fulfilling the second major and/or minor requirements.
2. Students who have satisfied the second major and/or minor programme requirements but failed to satisfy the graduation requirements of the home major programme cannot graduate with the second major and/or minor programme only.

Attendance, Unit and Grade Point Average Requirements

12.8 In addition to the University general requirements and programme requirements, students must meet the following requirements for the award of degrees:

1. to have enrolled in the University for at least four years, or as specified by the programme requirements (for students admitted to advanced standing, the period of attendance may be reduced accordingly);
2. to have successfully obtained the total number of units required by the programme, subject to fulfilling all University general requirements and programme requirements; and
3. to have attained a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 for all courses attempted and have passed all courses stipulated by the programme.

Language Requirement for Graduation

12.9 In addition to passing the language courses as required under the General Education programme, undergraduate students are required to reach foundation Putonghua proficiency before they graduate. Students must fulfil one of the following requirements for graduation:

1. Pass a 3-unit Putonghua course which is valid for fulfilling the Putonghua requirement; or
2. Take a 25-hour non-credit bearing preparation course AND pass the Putonghua Proficiency Test conducted by the Language Centre. Students who fail the test must take the 3-unit Putonghua course.

12.10 Students may apply for exemption from the above Putonghua requirement if they meet one of the following criteria:

1. Non-Chinese speaking students such as those from foreign countries and international schools in Hong Kong who have been granted exemption from taking GCLA1005 'University Chinese';
2. Students who have attended the Chinese Language examination in the Tertiary Entrance Examination or Multi-admission Programme conducted by the Ministry of Education in the Mainland or Taiwan respectively;
3. Students who have attained Grade C or above in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination Putonghua subject;
4. Students who have passed the Test of Proficiency in Putonghua conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority;
5. Students who attain third class, Grade A or above in the Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (a National Putonghua Proficiency Test);
6. Students who have obtained a qualification that is deemed to be equivalent to one of the above by the Language Centre;
7. Students who have passed the Diagnostic cum Exemption Test conducted by the Language Centre.

Supplementary Examination and Summer Study

12.11 Candidates who do not satisfy the graduation requirements may be allowed to take summer study/supplementary examination in order to make up for their unit- or GPA-deficiency for graduation. The grade received in the supplementary examination will replace the F grade for the course and the maximum grade given is D.

12.12 The candidates must attain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above on all courses attempted including summer study and supplementary examination for graduation.

12.13 The availability of summer study and supplementary examination is subject to the arrangements of the department/programme concerned.

Unsatisfactory Submission of Honours Project

12.14 Students whose Honours Project submitted is unsatisfactory may, at the discretion of the respective programme examination board, be given an extended period of until the 1st of November of the same year to resubmit the Honours Project. A student will only be considered for graduation in the same year if the final grade reaches the Academic Registry on or before the 1st of September. The final grade should not be higher than C.

Concessional Year of Study

12.15 For students who cannot complete the graduation requirements within the normal period of study of the programme because of academic problems, a concession of one additional year to complete their studies may be allowed. This concession is subject to the approval of the Senate. The additional year of study should immediately follow the candidates’ final year of study at the University.

Honours Classifications

12.16 There are two different systems of classification for degree programmes, one for Honours Degree programmes and the other for General (Non-Honours) Degree programmes.

12.17 Students enrolled on Honours Degree programmes will be awarded, upon completion of all requirements, the appropriate Bachelor’s degree with one of the following classifications:

First Class Honours
Second Class (Division I) Honours
Second Class (Division II) Honours
Third Class Honours
Pass

In the case of a Pass, the General Degree with a Pass will be awarded.

12.18 The various classifications are based on the cumulative grade point average. The general guidelines are as follows:

12.19 For programmes which award the General Degree as a distinct pathway option open to students, the cumulative GPA is again employed to determine different designations:

12.20 In all cases of classification/designation of degrees, the cumulative GPAs cited above are indicative. The Senate reserves the right, upon recommendation of appropriate Department/Programme Management Committee, to make exceptions in the application of these indicative grade point averages.

12.21 Individual faculties/schools may develop additional or alternative indicators for the award classifications in the programmes.

Scholastic Awards

12.22 Student(s) having awarded the First Class Honours and is the top two percent of graduate(s) (rounding to the nearest integer, but at least one award would be given for each programme/major) with the highest cumulative GPA (cGPA) in the graduating class of their programme/major will be granted the Scholastic Award of that programme/major for that year.

12.23 If the percentage of graduates eligible for the award exceeds the limit of two percent because there are graduates with the identical cGPA, all graduates concerned will be granted the Scholastic Award of that programme/major.

12.24 For programme of which no graduate is awarded the First Class Honours, the Department/Programme may provide strong justifications on academic grounds to nominate, for consideration of the Senate, the graduate who has attained the highest cGPA in the programme/major and whose cGPA is not less than 3.20 to receive the Scholastic Award.

12.25 The Senate reserves the right to refuse granting Scholastic Award to students who have satisfied the above award criteria but have breached the University's standards of conduct.

13. Student Enquiries and Appeals Regarding Academic Matters

13.1 Students may address queries on academic matters to the Academic Registrar, the Dean of the Faculty/School, the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director, or any member of the teaching staff as relevant. The usual channel is for students to consult the course instructor when the query is about work in a particular course on a programme, the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director when the matter is related to the programme as a whole, and the Academic Registrar when the query concerns academic policies and procedures. If the query has the potential to become a matter for appeal, students should submit their official enquiries in writing to the Academic Registry.

Student Appeals against Course-Based Assessment

13.2 Students who wish to appeal against the result of course-based assessment should follow the following procedures:

1. A student who wishes to appeal against course-based assessment including examination grades should first appeal in writing to the course instructor and Department/Programme Head or Programme Director concerned within three weeks after students are notified of the course semester grades.
2. The course instructor, or a review panel as decided by the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director, shall review the case and report to the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director, giving explanations. The student should be informed of the decision within six weeks since he/she lodges an appeal. Any changes in grades should be reported to the Academic Registry at the same time.
3. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the reassessment, he/she may appeal in writing to the Academic Registrar within two weeks after receiving the decision from the Programme, giving full reasons in support of the appeal. A fee will be charged for the appeal.
4. The Academic Registrar shall review the case and determine if there are grounds for re-consideration:
   (i) If the Academic Registrar considers that there are insufficient grounds for the appeal, the appeal will be refused and the decision is final.
   (ii) If the appeal is accepted, the Academic Registrar shall reconsider the case in consultation with the course instructor and the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director to make a final decision. If deemed appropriate, the Academic Registrar may convene an Appeal Panel to review the case to make a final decision.

Student Appeals against Academic Decisions (Repeat a Year of Study and Dismissal)

13.3 Upon the recommendation of the Department/Programme Head or Programme Director, the Senate may require students with poor academic results to repeat a year of study or be dismissed from the University. A student who wishes to appeal against such academic decisions should do so in writing to the Academic Registrar before the deadline set for the completion of clearance procedures, giving full reasons in support of the appeal. A fee will be charged for the appeal.

13.4 The Academic Registrar will determine if there are grounds for re-consideration:

1. If it is considered that there are no grounds for the appeal, the original Senate decision requiring repeating a year of study or dismissal will be upheld and the decision is final.
2. If the appeal is accepted, an Appeal Panel will be convened to consider the case. A decision of the Appeal Panel to uphold the original Senate decision of requiring repeating a year of study or dismissal is final.

Any recommendation of the Appeal Panel to revoke Senate decision shall be subject to ratification by Senate.

13.5 The Composition of the Appeal Panel shall be as follows:

1. Chairman—Chairman of Undergraduate Regulations Committee; or in his/her absence, a senior academic nominated by the Academic Registrar;
2. One senior academic nominated by the Chairman;
3. Academic Registrar.