NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

of Computer and Emerging Sciences

ACADEMIC RULES AND REGULATIONS

For Undergraduate Programs

Revised August 2020

Revised by:
Engr. Raza Ur Raheem

Compiled by:
Dr. Ayub Alvi
Dr. Aftab Maroof
Mr. Arif Khattak
 1. Introduction
Medium of Instruction
1.1 The medium of instruction and examinations for all courses is English (except language
courses, other than English, and Islamic Studies).

Academic Year
1.2 Academic Year of the university starts in August/September and ends in May/June of
the subsequent year.
1.3 There are two regular semesters, namely, Fall and Spring, in an academic year.
1.4 Fall semester starts in August/September and ends in December/January.
1.5 Spring Semester starts in January/February and ends in May/June.
1.6 A regular semester is spread over 15/16 weeks of teaching, and 2 weeks of final
examinations.

Credit Hour
1.7 One credit hour means teaching a theory course for one classroom-teaching hour each
week throughout the semester.
1.8 A classroom-teaching hour or one period is of 50 to 60 minutes.
1.9 A theory course is normally assigned 2 to 4 credit hours, depending on its content.
1.10 A lab or workshop is normally assigned 1 or 2 credit hours.
1.11 One credit hour of lab work is equivalent to 3 hours of laboratory or practical work per
week throughout the semester.
1.12 A 4 credit hour course, for example, having 3 credit hours of theory and 1 credit hour of
associated lab is designated as a (3+1) credit hour course.

Scheduling of Classes
1.13 All classes are held at scheduled hours, timely communicated to students through
notification of time table by the concerned Academic Office.
1.14 In case of any unavoidable situation a class may be postponed and rescheduled under
the following procedure:
a) All classes are rescheduled only through the Academic Office, with the approval of
the concerned Head of Department (HoD).
b) Faculty members shall not reschedule any class at their own discretion.
c) The academic office will be informed before the cancellation of class so that
students are informed well in time.
d) For pre-planned activities (conferences, etc.) during regular class hours, the
concerned Head of Department has to be informed and formal permission sought
beforehand.
1.15 If the requirement of minimum lectures is not being met (due to unavoidable
circumstances), and it is not possible to schedule them in free periods during the
working weeks, classes may be rescheduled on weekends, local or national holidays.
1.16 A class can be scheduled for 1½ period, that is, for duration of 80 to 90 minutes with
the approval of the Head of the Department.

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Normal Semester Course Load
1.17 Normal semester course load for undergraduate students, who are not on academic
warning/probation, is as per the university study plan.
1.18 The Head of Department may change the course load keeping in view the availability of
courses, student’s academic performance or academic warning status.
1.19 A student can register for a maximum of two courses in summer semester, in
accordance with the rules for summer semester.
1.20 A student can only register for courses for which he/she has passed all the pre-requisite
courses as specified in the approved curriculum.

Attendance Requirements
1.21 Students are required to maintain 100% attendance in lectures, labs, tutorials, seminars
and discussions as prescribed by the course instructor. Absence of a maximum of 20%
of the total attendance may be condoned by the HoD for genuine reasons, such as
illness, etc.
1.22 Failure to meet attendance requirements in a course will render the student ineligible to
appear in the final examination of the concerned course.

Bachelor’s Degree Requirements

1.23 The minimum duration of a bachelor’s degree is four academic years (8 regular
semesters) and a maximum of 7 years.
1.24 When a student is readmitted with credit exemptions from a previous admission, the
maximum duration allowed to complete the degree will be counted from the date of first
admission.
1.25 Each bachelor’s degree program is of minimum of 130 credit hours. A program may
have more credit hours as approved by the university.
1.26 Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.00 is required for graduation.

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 2. Grading and GPA Calculations
Grade Point Average
2.1 The Grade Point Average (GPA) provides a continuous scale for grades earned. Two
types of averages are computed for the grades obtained by a student, the Semester Grade
Point Average (SGPA) and the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). SGPA gives
the GPA of courses completed in a semester, whereas CGPA gives the GPA of all courses
completed so far by a student.

Interpretation of Letter Grades

2.2 Interpretation of Letter Grades is as follows:

Grade Interpretation
A+ Outstanding
A, A- Excellent
B+, B, B- Good
C+, C Adequate
C-, D+, D Pass, the student may repeat the course
F Fail
FA Fail due to shortage of attendance
I Incomplete
W Withdrawn

Grade Points
2.3 The points for each letter grade are given as follows:

Grade Points Grade Points

A+ 4.00 C+ 2.33
A 4.00 C 2.00
A- 3.67 C- 1.67
B+ 3.33 D+ 1.33
B 3.00 D 1.00
B- 2.67 F 0.00

GPA Calculation
2.4 SGPA is calculated as follows:
SGPA = (P1*C1 + P2*C2 + P3*C3 + P4*C4)/C
2.5 Where P1, P2, P3 and P4 are the grade points earned in particular courses, while C1, C2,
C3, C4 are the credit hours of respective course studied in the semester and C is the
number of total credits attempted in the semester, that is, C= C1+C2+C3+C4.
2.6 CGPA is calculated as the weighted average for all semesters cumulatively using grade
points of all the courses taken by a student.
2.7 In CGPA calculation for such courses that have been repeated, only the most recent grade
points are used, even if they are less than the earlier attempts.
2.8 “W” will be awarded for withdrawn courses. It will appear on the transcript but will not
affect the CGPA.

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2.9 “I” is a temporary grade given for incomplete work. If it is not changed to an earned
grade, it shall automatically convert to F grade after a fixed time communicated by the
competent authority.

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 3. Admission Policy
New Admissions
3.1 Admission to a degree program is granted purely on merit.
3.2 The merit for admission is determined through admission test and past academic
record.
3.3 New admissions in undergraduate programs are normally conducted once in an
academic year, that is, before the commencement of Fall semester.
3.4 Concurrent admission in more than one degree programs at any institution including
NUCES is not allowed.

Admission with Credit Transfer from another University

3.5 Any student with credits earned at other institution(s), under formally accredited
programs, aspiring for admission into a degree program at NUCES, has to qualify the
merit so determined by the admission test for that year for the respective degree
program.
3.6 The relevance/compatibility/validity of the curriculum/contents studied at previous
institution is determined against the curriculum and contents of the relevant courses
taught at NUCES.
3.7 Exemption of courses studied at another university cannot be given to more than 50%
of the total credit hours of the degree program.
3.8 The HoD recommends courses compatible with NUCES courses for exemption to the
Director.
3.9 Recommendations for credit exemption are sent by the Director of the campus to
Dean of Faculty for validation who is the final authority to grant course exemption.
3.10 No credit can be given for a course in which the grade is below C, that is, a GPA of
less than 2.00 on scale of 4.00.
3.11 If credit is given for a course, then credit will also be given for its pre-requisite
course(s), provided a pass grade was earned in that course (pre-requisite).
3.12 Only credits of relevant courses with at least C grade are transferable, and NOT the
CGPA earned in the previous institution.

Readmission of former NUCES students

3.13 A former student of the university seeking readmission in an undergraduate program
can do so by taking the relevant admission test. After qualifying for the admission on
merit, the student is admitted as a NEW student.
3.14 A former student who has been on disciplinary warning shall not be readmitted.
3.15 A former student whose admission was closed due to 3rd academic warning will be
readmitted only once.
3.16 Only credits of relevant courses with at least C grade are transferable, and NOT the
CGPA earned in the transferred courses.

Re-admission in a different Degree Program

3.17 A student of the university who wishes to change the degree program can do so by
taking the admission test. After qualifying for admission on merit, the student is
admitted as a NEW student.

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3.18 Only credits of relevant courses with at least C grade are transferable, and NOT the
CGPA earned in the transferred courses.
3.19 The Director of the campus shall recommend each case with full details to the
Controller of Examinations for approval.

Transfer to another NUCES campus

3.20 Request of a student for transfer from one campus of the University to another will be
considered only on the following grounds:
a) Death of a parent.
b) Posting of a parent to the city where the transfer is desired.
c) Marriage of a female student.
3.21 The request shall be considered by the competent authority, provided the Directors of
both the campuses have no objection to it and that there is a place available in the
destination campus.
3.22 Transfer shall not be considered in the following cases:
a) The student is under disciplinary punishment.
b) Disciplinary action is pending against the student.
c) Dues are outstanding against the student.
d) During the course of a semester.

Closure of Admission
3.23 Closure of admission results in termination of a student's studies at the University.
3.24 If the CGPA of an undergraduate student falls below the acceptable threshold of 2.00
for third consecutive semester, then his/her admission is closed.
3.25 A student’s admission will be cancelled automatically after completion of maximum
duration allowed to earn a degree unless extension is approved by competent
authority.
3.26 Admission may be closed for failure to restore suspended registration.
3.27 Admission will be closed if recommended by a Disciplinary Committee and approved
by the competent authority.
3.28 A new admission is closed if an awaited result does not meet the eligibility criteria of
a particular degree program.
3.29 A student can request closure of his admission to pursue studies elsewhere or for
personal reasons.

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 4. Registration
4.1 The recommended course registration procedure is as follows:
a) Clear all previous fees and dues before registration.
b) Register online.
c) Pay semester fees by the due date.
4.2 In a regular semester (Fall and Spring) students without academic warning are expected
to take courses prescribed in the prospectus.
4.3 The normal course load is 5 courses, however, students can register for more courses
provided they are not getting ahead of their batch.

Registration of Students under Academic Warning

4.4 A student under academic warning or probation:
a) Must register for all such courses, in which the grade was F, provided these courses
are being offered.
b) Should register for all such courses, in which the grade was D, D+ or C-, provided
these courses are being offered.
c) Should not register for more than five courses.
d) Parents/guardian will be called to the campus for a meeting with the HoD for
sharing the unsatisfactory academic performance of the student.
e) Students on 2nd academic warning must NOT register for a new course, unless
recommended by the HoD and approved by Controller of Examinations.

Registration of courses with Theory and associated Lab:

4.5 A student has to register for both the Theory and Lab part of a course.
4.6 A student cannot withdraw from either Theory or Lab part of the course. Must withdraw
from both.
4.7 If a student fails in Theory but passes the Lab, both theory and lab must be repeated.
4.8 If a student passes Theory but fails in Lab, only Lab needs to be repeated. In this case if
a student also registers for Theory, s/he may withdraw from Theory later and continue
with the lab.
4.9 If a student, who has passed both Theory and Lab, wishes to improve grade in the
course, s/he must register for both Theory and Lab. Rule 4.6 will apply.

Registration of Final Year Project (FYP)

4.10 Final Year Project (FYP) is offered in the second last regular semester. It spans over
two semesters (FYP-I and FYP-II).
4.11 A student must have passed all courses shown in the study plan of the degree program
(up to the second last semester) and his warning count must be zero to register for FYP-
I.
4.12 A student shall register for FYP-I in his/her second last semester. The Head of
Department will approve registration in FYP-I after being satisfied that the student will
graduate in the subsequent semester.
4.13 The Head of department can allow registration in FYP-I where there is a deficiency of
one course.

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4.14 The Director of the campus can allow registration in FYP-I where there is deficiency of
two courses.
4.15 Registration in FYP-II is allowed only after successful completion of FYP-I.

Suspension of Registration
4.16 Registration of a student is suspended in any of the following situations:
a) Failure to complete registration formalities in time.
b) Failure to apply for deferment of registration.
c) On recommendation of a Disciplinary Committee.
d) Unsettled matters with the University.

Restoration of Suspended Registration

4.17 A student whose registration is suspended may request for restoration of registration
provided s/he has settled all issues that resulted in suspension, and has paid all dues.

Freezing of Semester
4.18 A student may request freezing of his/her admission for up to 2 semesters along with
prescribed ‘Semester Freeze’ charges.

Adding or Dropping a Course

4.19 The request should be made within the first two weeks of a regular semester. Approval
of the Head of Department is essential.
4.20 Students are not allowed to drop any course in the first two semesters.
4.21 Students cannot drop a course in the summer semester.

Withdrawal from a Course

4.22 Fee is not refunded for a withdrawn course.
4.23 Application for withdrawal from a course must be countersigned by the parent or the
guardian of the student. Request for withdrawal must be approved by the HoD.
4.24 Students are not allowed to withdraw from any course in the first two semesters unless
necessitated by unavoidable circumstances. Request for withdrawal in the first two
semesters must be approved by the Director of the campus.
4.25 Deadline to withdraw from a course is the last day of classes.
4.26 Students on any form of financial support are not allowed to withdraw from any course.

Course Replacement Policy

4.27 Following conditions must be fulfilled before submitting a course replacement request
to the Dean for approval:
a) The student has either completed degree requirements or will complete at the end of
the current semester.
b) The Grade in the course to be replaced is ‘F’
c) The course to be replaced was not offered in the following semesters.
d) The replacing course was passed at least one semester after the course to be
replaced was taken.
4.28 A core course cannot be replaced by any other course.

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 5. Academic Assessment
5.1 The performance of students is assessed during the semester through midterm exams,
assignments, quizzes, case studies or any other method considered appropriate by the
course instructor and the University, communicated to the students at the start of a
course.
5.2 The semester work will normally contribute 50% towards the final grade, while the
final examination will contribute the remaining 50% of the total marks. A letter grade
will be awarded to each student based on his/her overall academic performance in a
course.
5.3 Any deviation from Rule 5.2 above if necessitated by the nature of course will be made
with the approval of Dean of the Faculty.

Academic Warning/Probation
5.4 Minimum CGPA required to avoid academic warning is 2.00 for all undergraduate
programs.
5.5 If at the end of a semester (including summer semester) CGPA drops below 2.00,
warning is issued and warning count is incremented by one.
5.6 If CGPA remains below 2.00 for 3 consecutive semesters, warning count becomes three
and the admission of student at the University is automatically closed.
5.7 If the CGPA equals or exceeds 2.00 after the 1st or 2nd academic warning, the warning
count is reset to zero.

Repeating a Course
5.8 A student must repeat a course in which s/he gets an F grade, whenever that course is
offered again.
5.9 A student may repeat any course to improve CGPA.
5.10 When a student repeats a course whose post-requisite course(s) s/he has passed, s/he
must give a written undertaking that if s/he fails the course, grades in all post-requisite
courses will be changed to F grade.
5.11 If a student repeats a failed course, the new grade will be used for CGPA calculation,
but if a student takes a new course in lieu of the course in which s/he failed, both the
grades will be used for CGPA calculation.

Late conduct of Final Examination

5.12 Late conduct of final examination can be held on the recommendation of the HoD and
approval of the Director, only in cases of unavoidable emergencies/situations. Examples
of such situations are hospitalization, serious road accident or death of a very close
blood relative.
5.13 The standing of a student in the pre-final semester work evaluation cannot be altered.
5.14 Late holding of final examination must take place as soon as possible, but not later than
one week before the start of the next regular semester. The grade in the course should
be finalized before the start of next semester.

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Complete Transparency in Evaluation
5.15 To ensure transparency, all instruments of evaluation must be shared with the students
after grading/marking.
5.16 Answer books of the final exams must be shared with students after marking, in a
formally scheduled open ‘paper viewing' session, and any issue arising there off will be
resolved.
5.17 Objections to grading/evaluation must be submitted in writing to the concerned course
instructor or staff supervising the paper viewing session.

Rechecking of Final Exams

5.18 The Rechecking Committee shall have the following composition:
a) Head of the Department
b) A Subject Specialist from the Department
5.19 Application to recheck a final exam must be submitted on prescribed form together with
rechecking fee.
5.20 Student application should reach the Examination Office within seven days of the
announcement of the result.
5.21 Committee should follow the following guidelines to handle rechecking cases:
a) Committee should recount marks awarded by the concerned instructor.
b) Unmarked question or part should be sent to the instructor for checking/marking.
c) Committee should not discuss the outcome of the rechecking with the students.
d) Committee recommendation should be submitted to the Director’s office using the
Change of Grade Form for final approval.
5.22 Examination Office will inform the student about the outcome of the rechecking
application.
5.23 A student who has not viewed his final exam paper in the scheduled paper viewing
session may also request rechecking of the final examination by paying the prescribed
fee.
5.24 Rechecking fee will be refunded if there is an increase in marks.

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 6. Rules for Summer Semester
6.1 Summer semester will be offered as an optional semester of 8 to 9 weeks’ duration.
6.2 The contact hours per week during the Summer Semester will be doubled to ensure that
the course is completely taught in summer (with half the duration as compared to a
regular semester).
6.3 Research courses or projects will not be offered.
6.4 A student cannot register for a new course. Exception to this rule is granted when:
(i) an elective course is being offered by a distinguished scholar or professional who is
only available during summer.
(ii) a student needs one or two new elective courses to graduate at the end of summer.
6.5 Students can register in summer semester for courses which they have previously taken,
and were awarded a letter grade (including W).
6.6 A student will be allowed to repeat a maximum of 2 courses (with associated labs if
any).
6.7 A student can withdraw from a summer course on or before the last day of classes.
6.8 Summer courses cannot be dropped, hence, fee is neither refunded nor carried forward
to next semester(s).
6.9 Financial assistance, scholarship or fee concession is not available in summer semester.
6.10 Minimum of TEN (10) students should register in a summer course.
6.11 Warning Count is incremented/decremented in summer semester.
6.12 A student can study summer semester in another campus, provided that the parent
campus is not offering that course. Student must obtain, in writing, prior permission
from Director of the parent campus.
6.13 Visiting faculty shall not be employed during summer semester, except where the
course was offered in a regular semester by the same visiting member.

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 7. Awards and the Honor System
Graduation Awards
7.1 Following awards have been approved to honor outstanding students of the University.
These medals will be awarded to position holders of each degree program upon
graduation at each campus. To qualify for the medal, minimum CGPA required is 3.00
for undergraduate programs:
a) Agha Hasan Abedi Gold Medal awarded for First position
b) Mahboob ul Haq Silver Medal awarded for Second position
c) Akhlaque Hussain Bronze Medal awarded for Third position
7.2 Students earning high CGPA as below would have the following distinguishing remarks
on their degrees:
a) CGPA of 3.90 or more Suma cum laude
b) CGPA from 3.75 to 3.89 Magna cum laude
c) CGPA from 3.60 to 3.74 Cum laude

Rector’s List of Honors

7.3 Students earning an SGPA of 4.00 with at least 30 credit hours shall be included in a
prestigious list called Rector’s List of Honors.
7.4 The Rector's list will be issued and displayed after each semester and a recognition
certificate will be issued. Student’s name is also placed on the University’s website.
7.5 Only those students are included in this list who have completed the semester with
regular course load prescribed in the study plan.

Dean's List of Honors

7.6 Students with an SGPA of 3.50 to 3.99 would be included in The Dean's List of Honors
which shall be maintained in each campus at a prominent place to give recognition to
their distinguished performance.
7.7 The Dean's list will be issued and displayed after each semester and a recognition
certificate will be issued. Student’s name is also placed on the University’s website.
7.8 Only those students are included in this list who have completed the semester with
regular course load prescribed in the study plan.

Top three position holders in Bachelor’s Degree programs

7.9 The university awards medal and a certificate to those students of BBA & BS programs,
who are among the top three in their department at the end of each regular semester.
7.10 Eligibility for the medals and certificate is as follows:
a) Student must have passed the prescribed course load (for his/her batch) in that
semester
b) Student must not have failed, repeated or withdrawn from a course in that semester
c) Position is determined by the GPA earned in that semester.
d) Student must have earned GPA of 3.00 or higher in that semester.
7.11 In case, more than one student qualifies for a position medal by earning the same
SGPA, all will be awarded the position medal.

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 8. Academic Honesty
Students are expected to adhere to honest practices throughout their stay at the university.
Some (not all) of the acts of academic dishonesty are described here:

Cheating: Any act that is intended to gain unfair academic advantage. Examples of cheating
include, but are not limited to the following:
8.1 Any attempt to give or obtain assistance in a formal academic exercise, like an
examination.
8.2 Disseminating or receiving answers, data, or other information by any means other than
those expressly permitted by the teacher, as part of any academic exercise.
8.3 Copying answers, data, or other information (or allowing others to do so) during an
examination, quiz, laboratory experiment, or any other academic exercise, in which the
student is not expressly permitted to work jointly with others.
8.4 Assuming another individual's identity or allowing another person to do so on one's
own behalf for the purpose of fulfilling any academic requirement or in any way
enhancing the student's grade or academic standing.
8.5 Using any device, implement, or other form of study aid during an examination, quiz,
laboratory experiment, or any other academic exercise, without the teacher's
permission.
8.6 Deception or providing false information to a teacher concerning a formal academic
exercise, e.g., giving false excuse for missing a deadline or falsely claiming to have
submitted work.

Plagiarism: Deliberately presenting work, words, ideas, theories, etc., derived in whole or in
part from a source external to the student as though they are the student's own efforts.
Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to the following:
8.7 Failing to use proper citations as acknowledgment of the true source of information
presented in a paper, assignment, or any other academic exercise.
8.8 Presenting any work completed in whole or in part by any individual, group or
organization other than the student, as though the work is the student's own, in any
academic exercise.
8.9 Buying, selling, bartering, or in any other fashion obtaining or distributing material to
be used fraudulently as part of any academic exercise.

Other Academic Violations: Falsifying or fabricating data, records, or any information

relevant to the student's participation in any course or academic exercise, or tampering with
such information as collected or distributed by a teacher. Examples of academic misconduct
include, but are not limited to the following:
8.10 Falsifying, or attempting to falsify attendance records, graded exercises of any kind, or
any information or document that is relevant to smooth operation of the academic
system.

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8.11 Inventing, fabricating, or falsifying data as part of completion of any academic
exercise.
8.12 Bribery or paid services. Giving assignment answers or test answers for money.
8.13 Sabotaging or acting to prevent others from completing their work. This includes
cutting pages out of library books or willfully disrupting the experiments of others.

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty

8.14 The teacher (under intimation to the HoD) can award a "zero" in a specific instrument
of academic evaluation, such as, assignments, quizzes, project deliverables, etc. if
evidence of academic dishonesty or cheating is found.
8.15 If the teacher refers a case of cheating (through the HoD) to the Department
Disciplinary Committee (DDC), then the maximum punishment can be award of 'F'
grade in that course.
8.16 If the HoD refers the matter to the Campus Disciplinary Committee (CDC), then the
maximum punishment can be award of 'F' grade in all the courses taken in that semester
and suspension from the university rolls in the next semester.
8.17 An extreme act of dishonesty, e.g., paying someone to get access to a question paper
before the examination or cheating again after being punished for it, will result in
expulsion from the University.
8.18 A student who is found guilty of an academic or other violation by a Disciplinary
Committee is disqualified from any academic honor, e.g., a medal or scholarship.

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