Study Period for the Bachelor & Honors Degrees:
 

The academic year at Jinan is comprised of two regular semesters (Fall and Spring) and a third non-compulsory semester (Summer) which doesn’t count in the minimum required study period.

The minimum required study period for a Bachelor’s Degree is three academic years whereas the maximum is six academic years, except for the Department of Islamic Studies.

The Honors Degree has a minimum study period of one academic year and a maximum of two.

In the Department of Islamic Studies, the minimum required study period for a Bachelor’s Degree is four academic years whereas the maximum is eight academic years.

Study Load:

A- Majors that require 99 credits to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree (except for the departments of the Faculty of Science with 98 credits, and the Islamic Studies Department with 108 credits)

The study load for one semester ranges from a minimum of 12 credits to a maximum of 18 which may be increased to 21 in some exceptional cases. The minimum study load might be less than 12 credits when the remaining number of credits before graduation is less than 12.

Students are allowed to register up to a maximum of 21 credits in the following cases:

1- Having a semester or general cumulative average of B+.

2- Graduating in the same semester.

3- Graduating in the following semester when the compulsory courses the student wants to register for are not normally offered.

The maximum study load for a summer semester is 9 credits. However, students with a semester or general cumulative average of B+ or those who are graduating the same summer semester, may be allowed to increase their load up to 12 credits.

Bachelor students are divided into three levels according to the number of registered credits:

1- First year (Sophomore): 0 – 33 credits

2- Second year: (Junior year): 34 – 66 credits

3- Third year (Senior year): 67 – 99 credits

B- Majors that require 144 credits to obtain an Honors Degree (Islamic Studies)

The study load for one semester ranges from a minimum of 12 credits to a maximum of 18 which may be increased to 21 in some exceptional cases. Students are allowed to register for up to a maximum of 21 credits in the following cases:

1- Having a semester or general cumulative average of B+.

2- Graduating in the same semester.

3- Graduating in the following semester when the compulsory courses the student wants to register for are not normally offered.

The maximum study load for a summer semester is 9 credits. However, students with a semester or general cumulative average of B+ or those who are graduating the same summer semester, may be allowed to increase their load up to 12 credits.

Bachelor students are divided into three levels according to the number of registered credits:

1- First year: 0 – 36 credits

2- Second year: 37 – 72 credits

3- Third year: 73 – 108 credits

4- Fourth year: 109 – 144 credits

Grading system:

Cumulative Average and Semester Average:

These two averages are calculated by multiplying every course grade by the number of credit hours corresponding to that course and then by dividing the outcome by the cumulative number of all course credits.

The semester average is the average of the grades of all registered courses by a given student in the corresponding semester. The cumulative average is the average of the grades of all the courses registered up to the calculation date.

Students whose average is  85 and above will have their names listed on the Honor Roll provided that their respective cumulative averages aren't less than 70 and their course loads aren't less than 15 credits with no disciplinary sanctions in their respective academic records.

Academic Warnings & Dismissal

A- Bachelor Period

Students with a cumulative average of less than 65 at the end of their second or any following semester at Jinan University, will be given an Academic Warning and will have their study load decreased to the authorized minimum number of credits. However, in coordination with the Admission and Registration Office and after approval of the Faculty Committee, the study load might be increased to a maximum of 15 credits, in the case of students graduating in the same semester.

Students that have received an academic warning must improve their academic standing within two semesters from the warning date by raising their cumulative average to a minimum of 65. Should the students fail to do so, they will be expelled, with the exception of those that already have 72 credits provided that their cumulative average is not less than 60; if these students get a cumulative average below 60 in any following semester, they will be dismissed without any prior warning.

Students dismissed for a low average may enroll in another major and will have the courses they passed counted toward the new major, provided that these courses correspond to the new program.

B- Honors Period

Students with a cumulative average below 70 at the end of their second or any following semester at Jinan University, will be given an Academic Warning and will have their study load decreased to the authorized minimum number of credits. However, in coordination with the Admission and Registration Office and after approval of the Faculty Committee, the study load may be increased to a maximum of 15 credits, in the case of students graduating in the same semester.

Students that have received an academic warning must improve their academic standing within two semesters from the warning date by raising their cumulative average to a minimum of 70. Should the students fail to do so, they will be expelled, with the exception of those already having 18 credits and provided that their cumulative average is not less than 65; if these students get a cumulative average below 65 in any following semester, they will be dismissed without any prior warning.

Students dismissed from a given major for a low average might enroll in another major and will have the courses they passed counted toward the new major, provided that the courses correspond to the new program.

 
Attendance Policy:

Students are required to attend all lectures, practicums and laboratory sessions, fulfill all research and sit for all examinations related to their registered courses.

In case students are absent for more than 15% of the total number of classes, they will receive a warning from their respective instructors. Should their absenteeism rate exceed 20% of the total number of classes, students will be given a final warning by their respective Deans.

And in case their absenteeism rate exceeds 25%, students will not be allowed to sit for their final exams and will thus be considered failed except for those who submit a valid excuse like an illness or any other circumstances beyond control. These reasons should be approved by the Deans, Admissions, and the Registration Office.

 
Repeating Courses:

Students have to reregister for required courses they have failed or in the case of elective courses they can register for another course in the framework of their academic plan. The grades of both courses will count towards the semester and cumulative averages.

Students are allowed to reregister only once for courses they passed with a grade less than a C or 70, for the purpose of raising their semester or cumulative averages. In this case, only the higher grade is taken into account and the number of credits are counted only once for the calculation of the average.

Withdrawal from Courses or Semesters:

Provided that their remaining credits aren’t less than the minimum allowed, students are permitted to withdraw from one or more courses within the first two weeks of a regular semester, or the first week of a summer semester, without having such withdrawal mentioned on the academic transcripts. Students are also allowed, within the appropriate time period, to transfer the fees paid for these courses to other courses or semesters or to get a 75% refund of the paid fees.

When students withdraw between the second and eighth week of a regular semester, and between the second and fourth week of a summer semester, provided that their remaining credits aren’t less than the minimum allowed, such withdrawal will be mentioned on their respective academic transcripts. Withdrawal will be accomplished in conformity with the form adopted by the University and students will neither be allowed to get a refund of the paid fees nor to cancel the payments due before the end of the semester.

In case of circumstances beyond control, students can submit to their respective Deans requests to withdraw from all registered courses at a maximum of two weeks before final examination dates in a regular semester and one week in a summer semester. Such withdrawal will be considered as an interruption period which will count toward the maximum study period allowed before graduation. Two weeks after the semester starts, students will not be allowed to get a refund of the paid fees.

General Rules for Regulations for Behavior:

Students are adults, responsible for their behavior and their freedom is limited by the University's Rules and Regulations, according to commonly accepted moral standards. The following, is a non-comprehensive list of behavior necessitating disciplinary sanctions:

1. Breaking Lebanese Laws, the Rules and Regulations of Higher Education and the University's Rules and Regulations.

2. Behaving rudely, offensively or disrespectfully toward any faculty member, University staff or fellow student or intentionally causing harm to their persons or damage to their personal property.

3. Behaving rudely, offensively or disrespectfully toward individuals based on their gender, color, nationality or belief.

4. Causing disturbances in classrooms, laboratories, libraries or any of the University premises.

5. Causing intentional damage to the University buildings or property. Misusing the University premises or property, or using them for purposes other than those they are intended for.

6. Smoking on campus.

7. Inciting others to absent themselves from classes or not to fulfill their scheduled academic tasks and duties.

8. Violating examination rules and regulations or not observing the proctors' instructions during exams.

9. Cheating or attempting or assisting others to cheat during examinations or in any research work.

10. Behaving immorally or indecently, both on campus and outside, in a way that might damage the University or its staff's name and reputation.

11. Establishing or participating in any organization or association on campus without prior approval of the relevant academic authority.

12. Preaching political or ideological opinions through posters or leaflets without prior approval of the relevant academic authority.

Sanctions and Disciplinary Regulations:

Disciplinary regulations aim at preventing students from committing errors, violating rules or behaving inappropriately. Sanctions will be proportionate to the degree of violation, ranging from verbal warning to definitive dismissal from the University.

Sanction Scale:

1. Verbal warning.

2. Written warning.

3. Dismissal from the University for One week.

4. Exclusion from attendance in one course with a grade of F for said course.

5. Dismissal from the University for the Whole Semester.

6. Definitive dismissal from the University with the right to transfer to another higher education institution.

7. Definitive dismissal from the University with no right to an academic report or certificate.

In some extreme cases, the appropriate sanction might be immediate dismissal from the University without prior warning.

Students, who infringe upon the rules and regulations for behavior, will be referred to the University Disciplinary Committee, who will examine the violation and hear all involved persons and then report to the President's Office where the adequate disciplinary measure will be taken.