Registration Rules

A. Registration

Registration is required of all students in accordance with the university’s procedures and regulations. Late registration requires payment of an additional late registration fee. Students will not be permitted to register after the late registration period.

B. Cross-Registration

A student may request permission from the concerned school/department to cross-register at another institution of higher education that is of academic standing comparable to LAU if a course needed for the student’s graduation is not offered at the university, provided that the number of credits transferred/cross registered does not exceed the number of credits allowed to be transferred as stated in “Rules & Procedures”, section C, on “Transfer of Credit”.

C. Course Changes after Registration

Course changes after registration are permitted subject to the following provisions:

1. Any course change must be made during the Drop/Add period.
2. Students will get no refund for courses withdrawn after the Drop/Add period.
3. All course changes which increase the student’s tuition obligation will be noted by the Business Office, and the added fee shall be collected before the change is finalized; changes decreasing the tuition obligation are subject to the refund policy.

Scholastic Standing

A. Grading System

The university grading system uses a series of letters that correspond to grade quality points. The Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated according to a procedure outlined in the following section.

• Grade A: Indicates work of excellent quality (4 points per credit hour).
• Grade B: Indicates work of good quality (3 points per credit hour).
• Grade C: Indicates work of unsatisfactory quality (2 points per credit hour).
• Grade D: Indicates work of poor quality (1 point per credit hour).
• Grade F: Indicates work of unacceptable quality (0 point per credit hour).
• Grade P: Indicates that the student has successfully passed the defense of the thesis/project.
• Grade NP: Indicates that the student has failed to pass the defense of the thesis/project.
• Grade U: Assigned to a course taken on audit basis. It adds no credits and it has no quality points.
• Grade I: Represents an incomplete work. Grade I is exceptionally given by the course instructor when a student with a valid excuse did not complete some of the course requirements. To be entitled to an I grade, a student should have fulfilled the minimum attendance condition and completed a minimum of 60% of the course requirements with a satisfactory grade. An I grade does not count in the Grade Point Average.
• Grade IP:  Indicates that the student is still working on the graduate thesis or project. An IP grade does not count in the Grade Point Average.
• WI: (early withdrawal) indicates withdrawal from the course, after the Late Registration Period and until the end of the 5th week of the fall and spring semesters, and until the 14th day of the summer term. It has no quality points. It does not count in the GPA, and no credits will be added to the student’s record.
• WP: (Withdrawal Pass) indicates withdrawal from the course, after the 5th week and until the end of the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters, and from the 11th day of classes until 25th day of the summer term. It has no quality points. It does not count in the GPA, and no credits will be added to the student’s record.
• WF: (Withdrawal Fail) indicates withdrawal from the course, after the 5th week and until the end of the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters, and from the 11th day of classes until the 25th day of the summer term. It has no quality points. It does not count in the GPA, and no credits will be added to the student’s record, but is counted as repeat. A Withdrawal Form must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office.

(*) Grades P/NP, U, I, IP, WI, WP, WF are not calculated in the GPA.

B. Academic Standing

(revised as of Spring 2023)

Graduate students are considered to be in good academic standing if they maintain a minimum cumulative GPA (CGPA) of 3.00 on all graduate coursework. 

C. Probation and Dismissal

(revised as of Spring 2023)

1. Students whose CGPA falls below 3.00 at any time after the completion of a minimum of nine credits will be placed on First Graduate Probation.
2. The student may register a maximum of six credits after First Graduate Probation.
   a. At any time after First-Graduate Probation the student will be placed in Good Standing After Probation if the CGPA ≥ 3.00
   b. If CGPA is still below 3.00 after completion of six credits, the student will be placed on Second Graduate Probation.
   c. To proceed with the program, the student must submit a petition to the University Graduate & Research Council (UGRC) for approval.
3. The student may register a maximum of six additional credits after Second Graduate Probation upon approval of UGRC.
   a. At any time after Second Graduate Probation if the CGPA ≥ 3.00, the student will be placed in Good Standing After Probation.
   b. If the CGPA is still below 3.00, the student will be dismissed.

Thesis & Project

A. Thesis

The thesis shall be based on original research work carried out in the basic and/or applied field of study.

B. Project

The project shall be based on substantial applied work, involving, for example, critical literature review, experimental or analytical studies, development of kits/systems, empirical testing of theories, etc.

C. Registration & Time Limit

Students may register for the thesis/project at any time after completion of 12 credits. Before registration, the student should have secured the consent of a faculty member to serve as thesis/project advisor. Once registered for the thesis/project, a student must complete a thesis within two calendar years, and a project within three regular semesters (not counting the summer).

Registration for thesis/project will allow students to retain their status with the university for two years/three semesters with no additional tuition fees provided that the student re-registers every term (for zero credit and no fees) if they are not taking other courses. Past that date, students allowed to have a thesis or project extension by the School Academic Council will be required to register for a residence fee (0 quality points), and to pay for 50% of one graduate credit per semester.

D. Guidelines

1. A student seeks a faculty member’s consent to serve as the thesis/project advisor. The advisor should be a full-time (or retired) faculty member at the professorial rank in the concerned department. The dean approves the selection of the advisor, based upon the recommendation of the department chair.
2. A thesis committee shall be made up of three members including the student’s advisor, and a project committee of two members including the advisor as well.
3. The thesis/project advisor and student jointly form the thesis/project committee. At least one member of the thesis committee (besides the advisor) must be a full-time faculty in the department/school concerned. The advisor shall chair the committee.
4. The role of the thesis/project advisor is to guide the student’s work until the completion of thesis/project. The role of the other committee members is to review and assess the student’s work. The committee members shall be kept informed of the progress of the thesis/project.
5. Students must successfully defend their thesis proposal before the members of their thesis committee normally within the first semester in which they register for the thesis. Once the proposal is approved, the thesis advisor notifies the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies/dean of school concerned using the Thesis Proposal Form.
6. The grade for a thesis/project can be Pass, or No Pass (P or NP). The grade does not contribute to the GPA.
7. Throughout their work on the thesis/project, students may petition to shift to another option as allowed in the concerned program (see program-specific rules and regulations).
8. Students shifting from the project to thesis option will be required to pay only for the extra credits, provided that the student remains with the same advisor.
9. Students shifting from thesis to project/course(s) option will pay for the additional courses.
10. The changes above (points g, h and i) shall be made at least one semester before graduation and shall carry the approval of the department/school.

E. Conflict of Interest

A faculty member shall not serve as the thesis/project advisor or on the thesis/project committee of a student that is either a family member or a business associate. In cases where the academic circumstances require that a family member serves on the thesis/project committee or be the thesis/project advisor, the faculty shall secure the prior written approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies/dean of school concerned.

Note that

1. a family member constitutes spouse, parents, children, siblings, siblings of parents, first cousins and any person related to one of these individuals by marriage, or any other relation who resides in the same household with the faculty member.
2. a business associate is a faculty member who has served as an officer, director, partner, trustee, owner, or controlling stockholder of an organization related to the student.

F. Preparation & Submission of Thesis/Project Reports

1. Theses/projects shall be written and prepared as specified in the “Thesis Guidelines.”
2. The student should submit the manuscript to the thesis/project committee members prior to the announcement of the defense.

G. Procedures for Thesis Defense & Project Presentation

1. Thesis Defense

1. The thesis advisor sets the date of the defense in consultation with the student and the committee members. The advisor then notifies the department chair and school dean, in writing, about the details (student’s name, title and abstract of the thesis, date and place of the defense) relevant to the announcement of the defense.
2. The thesis defense should be public and the date shall be announced by the concerned school dean at least two weeks in advance.
3. The thesis defense session shall start by the candidate giving a public presentation. This will be followed by an open question/answer/debate session.
4. The thesis committee will then deliberate in private in the absence of the candidate to reach a final decision.
5. The result of the defense is reported on the Thesis Defense Result Form. If the committee recommends changes to the thesis, the student shall deliver the corrected/changed thesis manuscript to the advisor within a period that shall not exceed one month. The advisor must verify that the Thesis Approval Form is then signed (on 5 copies) by all committee members. The advisor submits the Thesis Approval Form and the Thesis Defense Result Form to the Dean of Graduate Studies/dean of school concerned.

2. Project Presentation

Each department/school will set its own guidelines for project presentations. Once the committee approves the project, members should sign the Project Approval Form, which should be included in the final approved project report.

3. Submission of Thesis & Grading

1. The Candidate must provide the Library Archives with one soft copy in PFD format of the final approved manuscript of the thesis for format verification and archiving. Each copy should include the three completed and signed forms: “Thesis Approval Form”, “Plagiarism Policy Form” and “Thesis Copyright Form”.
   The Archives will issue a Library Clearance form upon receiving the soft copy of the thesis with the three signed forms.
   Besides the student’s copy, and the soft copy sent to the Library Archives, one copy should be sent to the thesis advisor.

2. The advisor sends the grade/Change-of-Grade form together with the duly filled and signed Thesis/Project Approval Form and Library Clearance Form to the Registrar’s Office after securing the department chair’s and the school dean’s signatures.

Forms can be found in the Thesis Guidelines  on the LAU Libraries homepage.

Application for Graduation

Students shall apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester in which they expect to graduate. They shall fill out the appropriate form at the Registrar’s Office. Candidates for graduation will be officially notified of any requirements that they have not completed.

Graduate Assistantship

A. Objectives

A graduate assistantship is intended to enhance students’ educational experiences, through providing academic services to their department/school, such as teaching and research. In return, a percentage of the student’s tuition fee is waived.

B. Rights & Obligations

1. To be eligible for graduate assistantship, the student shall take a minimum of 6 credits and a maximum of 9 credits in the fall and spring semesters and a minimum of 3 credits and a maximum of 6 credits in summer. Students taking 6 credits + thesis (total of 12 credits) are also eligible, but this is a privilege to be enjoyed for one semester only, tied to writing the thesis, and cannot be extended to another semester. Students who are left with one course to graduate and students registered for 12 credits in their last semester may be granted assistantship.
2. Students with the status of special undergraduate and students on probation are not eligible for graduate assistantship.
3. As of Spring 2023, students who have at any time two repeats OR more than two grades of C+ or lower will not be eligible for any discounts or graduate assistantships.  In programs with an option between a thesis, project or additional coursework, students in this condition will not be allowed to pursue the thesis option.
4. Graduate students granted full assistantship (100%) are entitled to a 100% tuition waiver. In return, the student is required to provide 20 working hours per week.
5. For partial assistantship grants, the percentage of tuition waiver and the number of weekly work hours are prorated.
6. Graduate assistants are not entitled to the benefits granted to university faculty and staff members according to the Personnel Policy.
7. The tuition waiver does not cover any repeated course, irrespective of the reason for repeating it, including withdrawal.
8. Only graduate courses are covered by the assistantship tuition waiver.
9. Undergraduate courses taken as prerequisite, remedial or complementary courses are not eligible for the assistantship tuition waiver, except in cases to be approved by the department/school.

C. Applying for a Graduate Assistantship

Eligible graduate students interested in graduate assistantship shall submit an application to their department/school within the specified deadline. Decisions on the applications are made by a committee appointed by the department/school and chaired by the department chair/school dean. The committee shall assign graduate assistantship grants taking into consideration the allocated budget. Decisions are to be recorded in minutes of meetings and communicated to the applicants and to the Business Office in writing.

The assistantship contracts are to be signed by the department chair and the dean, as well as by the student.

D. Selection Criteria

Graduate assistantships are granted on a competitive basis and guided by the following criteria:

1. GPA and entrance exam scores, and
2. The degree to which the student’s interests and skills fit departmental needs for teaching, research, or other duties.

To renew their graduate assistantship, students must maintain good academic standing, and must have performed assigned duties satisfactorily in the preceding semesters as determined by the supervising faculty’s positive evaluation. Evaluation is performed every semester using a departmental/school form.

Post-Graduate Certificates

A. Admission Requirements to the Post-Graduate Certificate Programs

Admission to the post-graduate certificate programs at LAU is granted to students who hold a bachelor’s degree. In addition to the regular requirements pertaining to the admissions process, applicants must submit the following documents: (1) Copy of the bachelor’s degree, (2) Official university undergraduate transcript. No English competency exam is required.

B. Course Registration

Post-graduate certificate program students are able to register in any semester (Fall Semester, Spring Semester, & Summer Term). Students will only be permitted to register courses that are part of the certificate. Existing graduate registration rules and policies will apply.

C. Graduation Process & Clearance

The Registrar’s Office will monitor the progress and academic completion of the certificate requirements by students. Students are required to submit an application for graduation to the Registrar’s Office to be eligible for graduation. Concerned chairpersons in consultation with the school deans will recommend the final awarding of the certificates after receiving the list of candidates from the Registrar’s Office.

D. Certificate Structure & Dissemination

The certificate template will include the signatures of the chairpersons and deans, and will be in English language only. E-certificates are an option, when applicable. Students will have to complete the regular online clearance procedure while the Registrar’s Office will be responsible for printing the certificates and disseminating them to students.

E. Post-Graduate Certificate requirements

1. Must complete at least nine credits – 3 courses with a minimum grade of C.  A grade of C- will not be counted for the post-graduate certificate program.
2. Maximum two-year time limit duration to complete the post-graduate certificate program.

F. Certificate/Program shift

Any shift from one post-graduate certificate program at LAU to another requires the submission of a new application for admission.

G. Transfer of Credits

1. Transfer of credits is not allowed from another institution to the post-graduate certificate program.
2. Eligible courses (B and above) taken at the certificate level at LAU can be transferred to the Master’s program through a petition reviewed by the department/school concerned. (max.6 credits transferred from the certificate program)

H. Stackable Course Option

1. Post-graduate certificate holders who opt to pursue a graduate degree will be subject to different acceptance criteria considering their performance in the academic certificate.
2. Post-graduate certificate holders will have their certificate credits counted towards their graduate degree. Students would need to have earned a minimum grade of “B” on their certificate courses for eligibility to have the courses transferred to the graduate degree level. The courses would be reflected then on both levels of the transcript: (1) Post-graduate Certificate and (2) graduate degree level with the letter grade showing on both and the GPA calculated accordingly. All post-graduate certificate-level credits can be used and transferred to the graduate degree level.  Transfer rules apply.

I. Graduate Program Students

Graduate program students who complete the requirements of a post-graduate certificate will not be eligible to receive it alongside their graduate program degree. Students who opt to discontinue their graduate program without graduation and who have already completed the requirements for a post-graduate certificate may petition to convert their courses and receive the post-graduate certificate instead.