Diploma Degree

1.      The Ministry: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education.

2.     The Minister: The Minister of Education and Higher Education.

3.     The University: AlZaytona University of Science and Technology.

4.      The College: The Intermediate College at AlZaytona University of Science and Technology.

5.      The Dean: The Dean of the College.

6.      The Department: A department that offers one or more specific academic programs leading to the award of an academic degree.

7.      The Program: A field of post-secondary education and training with a study duration of no less than four semesters, comprising one or more academic specializations.

8.      The Specialization: A set of academic courses within a single field of one program, the successful completion of which leads to the award of the college diploma, provided that the specialization is accredited by the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission.

9.      College Student: Any student who has completed the registration procedures and is officially enrolled in the designated semester.

10.  Academic Course (Subject): An academic subject (with or without a practical component) offered during a single semester and assigned a specific number of credit hours.

11.  Credit Hour: One theoretical lecture hour (50 minutes) per week for 16 weeks, or one weekly practical session of 2–3 clock hours (in a laboratory or practical training) for 16 weeks.

12.  Semester: Sixteen actual instructional weeks, including examination and assessment periods.

13.  Summer Semester: Eight actual instructional weeks, including examination and assessment periods.

14.  Academic Year: Consists of two semesters and an optional summer semester.

15.  College Requirements: Specific courses that all college students must take and pass, regardless of their specialization.

16.  Department Requirements: Specific courses that all students of a given department must take and pass.

17.  College Requirements: Specific courses that all college students must take and pass, regardless of their specialization.

18.  Withdrawal: The removal of a student’s registration from a specific course during the official withdrawal and add/drop period (as per regulations).

19.  Addition: The registration of a student in a specific course during the official withdrawal and add/drop period (as per regulations).

20.  Withdrawal: Dropping one or more courses from the semester after the designated withdrawal period (in accordance with the regulations).

21.  Postponement: The deferment of registering for a course or courses in a particular semester to a subsequent semester, subject to official approval.

22.  Interruption: Failure to register for the semester or absence from studies without official approval permitting such absence (in accordance with the regulations).

23.  Prerequisites for a Course: Specific courses that a student must complete and pass before registering for that course, as stipulated in the study plan. No student may register for a course if they have failed its prerequisite due to absence.

24.  Co-requisites for a Course: Specific courses that a student must have completed in a prior semester or be registered for in the same semester as that course, in accordance with the study plan, or when graduation depends on registering for both the course and its co-requisite (with the recommendation of the head of the academic department and the approval of the dean).

25.  Passing Grade in a Course: Achieving a mark of 50% or above in the course.

26.   Faculty Minimum Score: The lowest possible failing mark (35%).

Admission and Enrollment

B. Admission and enrollment open at the beginning of the first semester of the academic year. Admission may also be opened for the second semester if resources and available seats permit.

C. Students are admitted to the faculty according to the following criteria:

1. The student’s secondary school stream, in accordance with the approved admission criteria.

2. The student’s preference.

3. The faculty’s capacity.

4. The ranking of applicants’ General Secondary Education Certificate Examination averages.

5. Medical fitness for the chosen specialization.

6. Passing an aptitude test, if required.

7. In accordance with the regulations and policies set by the Ministry and the University on this matter.

D. A student’s admission or registration shall be canceled in the following cases:

1. Failure to complete registration procedures within the specified period.

2. Failure to join the program within the designated enrollment period.

3. Submission of falsified documents.

4. Admission in violation of the regulations issued in this regard.

Duration of Study and Academic Load in the College

b. The maximum academic load for a student in a regular semester may be increased to 21 credit hours in any of the following cases:

1. If the total credit hours required for the major are 70 or more.

2. If the semester is the student’s graduation semester.

3. If the student’s cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) is 80% or higher.

c. The maximum academic load in a summer semester is 10 credit hours. However, it may be increased to 11 credit hours only if the summer semester is the student’s graduation semester.

d. The minimum academic load in a regular semester is 12 credit hours. In exceptional cases (such as when no other courses are available for registration), the Dean may approve a minimum of 9 credit hours.

e. A student’s academic load may be less than 12 credit hours in any semester after the fourth semester of study.

f. A student may be granted only one exceptional semester if they have successfully completed all program requirements and require this semester solely to raise their GPA to 60%.

Grades, GPA Calculation, and Academic Standing

b. The grade for a theoretical course consists of the following components:

1. Final exam: 50%.

2. Midterm(s) during the semester: 30–40%, with no more than two exams, each announced at least one week in advance.

3. Coursework and participation: 10–20%.

c. The grade for a practical course (without a theoretical component) or a laboratory course consists of the following:

1. Final exam: 50%.

2. Midterm exam: 20%, announced at least one week in advance.

3. Coursework, reports, and participation: 30%.

d. The grade for a course with both theoretical and practical components shall be distributed proportionally to the credit hours assigned to each component, as follows:

1. Final exam (theoretical and practical): 50%.

2. Midterm exam (theoretical and practical): 30%, announced at least one week in advance.

3. Coursework, reports, and participation: 20%.

e. All daily test papers administered to the student during the semester shall be returned after correction at least two weeks before the subsequent exam. Practical exam results, research assignments, and reports shall be communicated to the student.

f. Students shall be informed of their total coursework grades in all courses at least one week before the start of final exams, and they have the right to review any grade with the course instructor through the department head.

g. The final exam schedule shall be announced by the Admission and Registration Department at least two weeks before the exams, posted on designated notice boards in the college.

h. The course instructor is responsible for grading the exam papers, recording the grades on the designated forms, and submitting them.

i. Final exam answer booklets shall be kept in the Admission and Registration Department or the Dean’s Office for one academic semester after results are announced, after which they shall be destroyed.

j. Final results shall be announced by the Admission and Registration Department after approval by the College Council.

k. The passing mark for any course is 50%.

l. No final grade shall be recorded for any course below 35%, which is considered the college’s zero mark.

b. If a student is absent from the final examination without an excuse accepted by the Dean of the Faculty, a grade of zero shall be assigned for that examination. If the absence is due to an excuse accepted by the Dean (provided the excuse is submitted within three working days from the date of absence), the course shall be marked as Incomplete. In such cases, the student shall sit for the make-up examination within a maximum period of two weeks from the start of the following semester.

c. If a student is absent from a midterm examination without an excuse accepted by the Chair of the Academic Department, a grade of zero shall be assigned for that examination. If the absence is due to an accepted excuse (provided it is submitted within three working days from the date of absence), a make-up examination shall be arranged at a time determined by the course instructor.

d. A student may submit a request to the Dean (through the Admissions and Registration Department) to review their final examination grade for a specific course within one week from the date of the announcement of results, subject to payment of the required fee.

e. A committee consisting of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs (or their representative), the Chair of the relevant department, and at least one instructor familiar with the course shall re-mark the answer script, verify the calculation of grades, and ensure consistency. The results shall be submitted to the Dean for approval. If no other instructor is available, the same course instructor shall re-mark the script in the presence of the other committee members.

f. The Faculty shall submit students’ grade records to the University’s Admissions and Registration Department within a maximum of three weeks from the end of the semester, after verification, approval, and signature by the relevant authorities and the Dean.

g. The grading scale for individual courses, as well as for semester and cumulative GPAs, shall be as follows:

b. A student who is still enrolled and whose cumulative GPA is below 70% may repeat any course in which they scored less than 70% in order to raise their cumulative GPA. The new grade will replace the previous one, regardless of whether it is higher or lower, and will be marked with the code “Repeated (R)”.

c. In calculating the student’s semester and cumulative GPA, the credit hours and grades of courses taken are included, with each course being counted only once in the cumulative GPA.

d. A student may register for a course whose prerequisite they have previously failed, upon the recommendation of the Department Chair and approval of the Dean, provided that the course is taken in the same semester or a later one (except in cases where failure was due to absence, in which case this is not permitted). The Admissions and Registration Department must be formally notified in writing.

b. Notwithstanding the provision in the previous clause, a student may withdraw from a course up to the end of the twelfth week of the regular semester or the end of the sixth week of the summer semester, by submitting a written request (using the designated form) to the Admissions and Registration Department with the approval of the Department Chair. In such cases, the student forfeits the fees paid for the course, provided that their study load does not fall below the minimum permitted. The withdrawal will be recorded in the student’s transcript as “Withdrawn.” If the student does not withdraw within the specified period, they are considered committed to completing the course.

c. A student may submit a request to the Admissions and Registration Department to withdraw from all courses for which they are registered in a given semester, at least two weeks before the start of final examinations in the regular semester or one week before in the summer semester, subject to the approval of the Faculty Council. In this case, their study for that semester will be considered deferred, and they will forfeit the tuition fees paid for that semester. This provision does not apply to newly admitted or transfer students until they have completed at least one semester of study.

1. The student’s illness, supported by a certified medical report submitted within three working days from the date of their return.

2. Exceptional circumstances approved by the Dean.

b. If a student’s excused absence from any course exceeds 30% of the scheduled class sessions during the semester, the student shall be considered withdrawn from that course, provided that proof of the excuse is submitted within one week from the date of their return to study.

c. The Admissions and Registration Department shall notify the student in writing when they have reached the maximum allowable absence limit (in due time).

b. The Faculty Council may approve a student’s request to postpone their studies, and the University Council shall be notified within two weeks of the postponement decision.

c. Postponement requests are considered based on a written application submitted by the student stating the reasons for the request, and a decision must be issued within two weeks from the date of submission.

d. The postponement period is not counted as part of the maximum period allowed for completing the program at the Faculty.

e. The postponement provisions apply to a student who is registered for the semester and wishes to withdraw from that semester in accordance with paragraph (c) of Article (12).

f. A newly admitted or transfer student may not postpone their studies until they have completed at least one semester, and paragraph (c) of Article (12) does not apply to them.

a. The student must present an excuse acceptable to the Faculty Council.

b. The period of interruption must not exceed two semesters.

c. The student must have successfully completed at least 12 credit hours.

d. The student must submit a request for re-enrollment before the end of the first week of the semester.

e. The student shall be subject to the study plan in effect at the time of their return.

1. The student’s high school average must meet the admission requirements of the major they are transferring into, based on the year of admission to their original faculty.

2. A seat must be available in the desired major.

3. The student’s cumulative GPA must not be less than 60%.

4. The student must not have been dismissed from the original faculty for disciplinary reasons.

5. An official transcript, certified by the original faculty, must be provided.

b. All courses completed by the student at the original faculty that are included in the study plan of the new major shall be counted toward their degree.

c. The student shall take the Comprehensive Community College Diploma Examination (Al-Shamel) at the faculty where they have successfully completed more than 50% of the credit hours required for their degree program.

d. In accordance with Article (6) of these regulations, and with the approval of the Dean, a student may take up to 9 credit hours at another faculty for graduation purposes.

e. A student who has completed all the courses in their study plan but has not met the graduation requirements due to failing certain courses or having a low cumulative GPA is not eligible to transfer.

1. A seat is available in the desired major.

2. The student’s cumulative GPA is not less than 60%.

3. The number of transferred credit hours does not exceed 50% of the total credit hours required for the new diploma program.

4. No more than two years have passed since the student’s withdrawal from the previous major.

5. The student submits a transfer application to the College before the start of the semester.

6. The student provides an official university transcript certified by the Ministry.

7. The student has not been dismissed from the university for disciplinary reasons.

b. A student on academic probation may not register for more than 15 credit hours.

c.      A student will be dismissed from their major in the following cases::

1. If they obtain a GPA of less than 50% in the first semester.

2. If they receive two consecutive academic probations.

3. If they are absent for more than 20% of the semester without a valid excuse accepted by the Faculty Council.

d. The summer semester is considered an extension of the second semester for the purposes of probation or dismissal.

e.       A student will be dismissed from the College in the following cases::

1. If they are absent for two or more consecutive semesters without an excuse approved by the Faculty Council.

2. If they commit cheating in an exam more than once, in accordance with the University’s approved disciplinary regulations.

3. If they are dismissed from a second major after being academically dismissed from their first major.

4. If they exceed the maximum allowed duration of study for their program.

5. If they commit an offense that warrants dismissal from the College in accordance with the University’s approved disciplinary regulations.

b. A student dismissed from their major who enrolls in another new major at the College shall receive credit for all courses common to both the previous major’s plan and the new major’s plan, provided they achieved a grade of no less than 55% in those courses and no more than two years have passed since their dismissal.

c. One semester will be deducted from the maximum duration of study for every 15 credit hours counted toward the new major. In such cases, the student will not be treated as a new student.

b. Requests to change a major shall be submitted in writing by the student to the Admission and Registration Department before the start of the semester. The Dean must approve the change within a maximum of one week from the start of the semester.

c. A student who changes their major to another shall receive credit for all courses successfully completed in their previous major if these courses are required for the new major.

d. If a student graduates in one major and wishes to pursue a new major, they shall receive credit for all courses completed in the previous major with a grade of 60% or higher, provided that:

1. The number of credited hours does not exceed 50% of the total credit hours of the new major.

2. No more than three years have passed since the student’s graduation from the previous major.

b. Upon request, the college shall issue a transcript to any student showing all the credit hours they have completed, according to a format approved by the University President.

c. A student graduates with honors if their cumulative GPA is 90% or higher.