Study Plans:

The study period that a student must spend in a Diploma Program ranges from a minimum period of two academic years, up to a maximum period of four academic years. The study period that a student must spend in a Bachelor Program ranges from a minimum period of four academic years, up to a maximum period of eight academic years. However, if the student joins in second or third year the maximum period will be proportionately reduced.

Credit Load:

1. A full-time student should register for not less than 12 credits and no more than 15 credits (18 for engineering and Law students) in any regular (Fall and Spring) semester.
2. A student may register for up to 18 credits (19 for engineering and Law students) if he/she has a cumulative average of at least 80 or a semester average of 80 for two consecutive semesters. However, the approval of the college is required for cases beyond these conditions.
3. A student can register in a summer semester for a maximum of 6 credit hours. There will be no academic status (probation) for the summer semester. The student’s academic status will remain as it is in the previous semester.
4. Credit for incomplete courses will be included in the semester in which the incomplete courses were taken. The evaluation for that semester will be carried out as soon as the grades for the incomplete courses have been finalized.

Tuition Fees:

• 900 RO for each of three semesters for the Centre for Preparatory Studies (CPS).
• 70 RO for each credit hour taken in the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters for all Undergraduate Programs.

The above fees do not include books, transportation or late registration.

Tuition Fees Refund:

A student may withdraw from a semester after registration, but the refund of tuition fees depends on the timing of the withdrawal:

1. Full tuition fees will be refunded only to those students who withdraw from the semester before the end of the first week of classes.
2. 50% of tuition fees will be refunded to those students who withdraw before the end of the second week of classes.
3. NO REFUND to be made to students who withdraw from the semester from the beginning of the third week of classes onwards.

Drop-and-Add Period

The drop and add period is announced in the DU academic calendar. Only the courses that remain in the schedule after the add-and-drop period will appear on the student’s permanent academic record and transcript.

Class Attendance and Absence Rules:

Attendance of all classes and course-related activities is obligatory. The maximum absences allowed for a student is 25% of the total number of sessions of a particular course. Before reaching the withdrawal stage, DU system warns the students by way of three warnings sent to their DU email account by DAR. This email messages to students is a formal communication of the university with its students so they are strongly advised to access their DU email accounts on daily basis to track their absences, along other important things, to respond appropriately when needed.

1. First warning: this is when a student’s absence reaches 7% of the total number of sessions of a particular course.
2. Second warning: this is when a student’s absence reaches 14% of the total number of sessions of a particular course.
3. Third (Final) warning: this is when a student’s absences reach 21% of the total number of sessions of a particular course. If the absence crosses 25%, the student will be dismissed from the course and a
   “WA” will be shown in his/her transcript against the dismissed course and dismissal letter will be sent to his DU email account.

Withdrawal from Courses:

A student may withdraw from one or more courses after the Drop-and-Add period subject to the following conditions:

1. Student cannot withdraw or be withdrawn from a course after the announced deadline (not later than 14 weeks from the start of the semester or the number of the week in the Summer Term as mentioned in the academic calendar). Student cannot withdraw or be forced to withdrawn from a course if this results in his/her being registered for less than 12 credits without the approval of his College Council.

Students who withdraw from a course are given a grade of “W”, but those whose absences exceed 25% will receive a grade of “WA”.

Failing Courses:

If a student fails a course, no re-sit examination is permitted. A student who fails a required course must repeat the course at the earliest opportunity. A student who fails an elective course may not have to repeat it as long as he/she can achieve the minimum cumulative average and the minimum number of credits required for graduation. A student must pass all core courses to be eligible for graduation. Please read the “Academic Dismissal” section for related important information.

Repeating Courses:

1. 1. A student may repeat any course for which he/she received a grade of less than 70.
   2. A student who fails in a course four times (Original attempt plus three repeats) will be dropped from the University/ College/ program/ major depending on the case of the student.
   3. When a course is repeated, the highest grade will be considered in the calculation of the CGPA/ CMGPA. All course grades will remain a part of the student’s permanent record.
   4. A student who, at the end of her/his forth year, fails to attain CGPA of 65% or CMGPA of 70%, will be required to repeat courses in which the student has scored low grades.

Withdrawal from a Semester :

A student can apply to withdraw from a semester at any time after the Add-and-Drop period until the last day of course withdrawal, using the Clearance and Withdrawal forms on the DU SIS. The maximum number of times a student can withdraw from a semester is four times, given that he/she does not exceed the maximum period allowed to study the program, i.e. eight years for bachelor program and four years for the diploma program. When a student returns to the university after semester withdrawal (for one semester or more), he/she should
fill in and submit a ‘Resumption of Studies Approval Form’ for this purpose through the DU SIS.

Withdrawal from the University:

A student may apply to withdraw from the University by submitting a Student’s Clearance and Withdrawal forms available on the DU SIS/DU Website.

Postponement of a semester:

A student can apply to postpone a semester at any time up to the last day of the Add-and-Drop period using the Clearance and Postponement forms on the DU SIS. The maximum number of times a self-funded student can postpone a semester is four times while it is two times for a MoHE sponsored students as of its instructions for the academic year 2019-2020, given that he/she does not exceed the maximum period allowed to study the program, i.e. eight years for bachelor program and four years for the diploma program. When a student returns to the university after semester postponement (for one semester or more), he/she should submit a ‘Resumption of Studies Approval Form’ for this purpose through the DU SIS.

Performance Assessment:

A student’s academic performance is assessed throughout the semester using various instruments: home works, exams, research papers, projects, practical works, researches, etc. The student has the right to receive continuous feedback about his/her performance. The instructor completes a through-the-term performance assessment to give students a chance to withdraw from the course before the end of the withdrawal period and to help academic advisors to better advice students for the next semester registration. Normally, all courses have final examinations that students must take. The instructor announces the course syllabus at the beginning of the semester where course components and associated assessment criteria are clearly stated. The course components and their allotted grades comply with the University policies.

Incomplete Work – “I”:

A student who misses the final exam shall receive a grade of zero for that. However, if the student makes a petition (through the DU website) with a valid excuse for his/her absence, and the petition is approved, a grade of incomplete ‘I’ would be posted on the student’s record. Normally, no incomplete grade of “I” is given as a final grade in any course. In exceptional cases, and provided the guidelines stated below are met, a student may be allowed to make up the incomplete work. These guidelines are:

1. For securing permission to complete the work for a course, a student must submit an online “incomplete petition” with a valid excuse up to two weeks from the last day of the scheduled examination for that semester. Students should be aware that approval is not automatically
   granted.
2. Students permitted to complete the work for a course must do so up to two (2) weeks of the start of the immediate next semester. However, incomplete work of Spring semester can be completed within two (2) weeks of Fall semester.
3. After the incomplete work is done and evaluated, the course instructor submits a “change of grade” form to DARSA after approving it by the concerned College Council.
4. If no valid excuse is presented or the work, if permitted, is not completed within the time limit specified above, the “I” will be replaced with numeric grade scored that becomes the final grade in the course.

Grading System:

Academic Probation for Students Admitted to Colleges:

before Fall 2018-19

A diploma or a bachelor student is placed under “Academic Probation” if:
a) His/her Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) is less than 63% at the end
of the second semester.
b) His/her SGPA is less than 64% at the end of the third semester.
c) His/her SGPA is less than 65% at the end of the forth semester or any subsequent semester, excluding the summer semester.

The probationary status of a student shall be removed when he/she attains a SGPA of 64% or more in the third semester or a SGPA of 65% or more in the fourth or any subsequent semester.

A student can be placed under probation for a maximum of three times. The 3rd (Strict) probation is the final stage of academic probation, which means that the student must clear his/her probation or else he/she will be dismissed from the program, college or from the university depending on the case of the student.

Fall 2018-19 onwards

1) A diploma or a bachelor student is placed under “Academic Probation” if

his/her SGPA is less than 65% at the end of the first or any subsequent semester.

2) The probationary status of a student shall be removed when he/she attains a

SGPA of 65% or more in the second or any subsequent semester.

A Diploma degree student can be placed on “Academic Probation” for a maximum

of two times; while a bachelor degree student can be placed on “Academic

Probation” for a maximum of three times. For the diploma degree student, the sequence of probation is: first probation and strict (final) probation. Likewise, for the bachelor degree student, the sequence of probation is: first probation, second probation and strict (final) probation.

Applicable to both the categories of students mentioned in 1.2 and 14.3

In general, a student under probation cannot register for more than 12 credit hours. However, a student under strict probation cannot register for more than 9 credit hours.

Appeal for the Final Course Grade:

Any student, who feels that the grading was unfair, must promptly discuss the matter with the course instructor. If the student and the instructor are unable to arrive at a solution, the student can submit an online “Grade Appeal” petition available on the DU Website up to one week from the end of the final exams period. The Department Chairperson of the concerned course investigates the student’s arguments and may request the College Council to review the instructor’s evaluation of the student. If the grade is due for change, an approved electronic change-of-grade form should be sent to DARSA by the college/CPS(see 9.5).

Removal of Academic Probation:

For a bachelor student, probation is removed when s/he attains a semester average of 64 or more in the third, or a semester average of 65 or more in the fourth regular semester or any subsequent regular semester.
Probation should be removed within two regular semesters, excluding summer, after placing a student on probation, or when the student completes her/his graduation requirements; otherwise the student shall be on strict probation for one final semester.
The probation of a diploma student is removed when s/he attains a cumulative average of 65 or more in the third regular semester. Probation should be removed within one regular semester after being placed on academic probation; otherwise the student shall be on strict probation for one final semester.

Academic Dismissal:

A student can be dismissed from a major, college or DU for any of the following reasons:

• If he/she fails to clear her/his strict academic probation, which, as was stated earlier, is the final stage in academic probation, excluding the Summer term. The dismissal from a major, college or DU depends on the student’s specific problem which should be determined by the college Council based on the advisor’s opinion. That is, the student is dismissed because of a major required course then the dismissal should be from the major. If, otherwise, the probation was caused by a particular failure in a college required course, then the dismissal should be from the college and the student should change the college.
• If he/she fails in any compulsory course for a total of four times. A student can be dismissed for this reason even if he/she is in the final year at DU. When a student is dismissed from DU because of this reason, he/she cannot resume at DU in any program or college till he/she passes the same/similar course (approved by the course department) from other recognized HEI.
• A student who is dismissed from a major can change it to another major within or outside the college. A student who is dismissed from a college should change the college.

Re – Admission:

A student will normally be considered for readmission to the University and the same college only if, after spending a year at another recognized institution of higher education during which the student took at least 24 credit hours, the student is able to present a satisfactory record and recommendation. Exceptions may be made for students who leave the University for personal or health reasons. Transfer credits will be considered after evaluation of a student’s course work. The student must achieve a grade equivalent to the grade of 70 at DU in each of the courses for which transfer credits may be granted.

Study Period:

The study period that a student must spend in a Diploma Program ranges from a minimum period of two academic years, up to a maximum period of four academic years.
The study period that a student must spend in a Bachelor Program ranges from a minimum period of four academic years, up to a maximum period of eight academic years. However, if the student joins in second or third year the maximum period will be proportionately reduced.

Graduation Requirements:

Diploma

To receive a Diploma, students must satisfactorily complete 60 – 75 credit hours, depending on the program, with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 65 percent. Other graduation requirements are stated in the corresponding section of this catalogue.

 Bachelor Degree

To receive a Bachelor Degree, a student must satisfy the following conditions:

1) Complete the total number of credit required for the program which ranges from 120 up to 150 credits based on the major.

2) Reach a (CGPA) of 65 percent,

Residency Requirements

Students transferring to DU from other Higher Education Institution (HEI) must earn at least 60 credits (30 credits) required for graduation while in residence at DU for a Bachelor Degree (Diploma). In other words, an equivalency of a transfer student cannot exceed 50% of the total number of credits for the academic program he/she is joining at DU.

Studying Abroad

A DU student in good academic standing who did not transfer to DU from another HEI and wishes to study abroad must seek the approval of the College Council to spend up to one year and earn up to 30 credits at another HEI; however, the student must spend his/her final year of study at DU.

Dean’s Honor List:

To be placed on the Dean’s Honor List at the end of a given Fall or Spring semester, a student must:

1) Be carrying at least 12 credits

2) Never been on probation

3) Have passed all the courses of the semester and attained a semester average of 90 or more.

4) Have finished at least 24 credits

5) Have not been subject to any disciplinary action within the University, and be deemed worthy by the Dean to be on the Honour List