•        The Arab Open University Charter
•        The Faculty Bylaws
•        Procedures of Operation for Academic Appointments
•        Policy on Academic Promotion
•        Student Admissions Policy
•        Policy on Credit Transfer
•        Rules and Regulations of BA Award Requirements
•        Examination Rules and Regulations
•        Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures
•        Framework of operation on Final Exams, and Final Grade Reporting
•        Preparing Course Content and Course Offerings Needs
•        General Guidelines for Managing Tutorial Sessions and
•        Teaching Loads
•        Coordination and Assignments of Academic Duties
•        Coordination of Programs and Courses
•        Programs of Study
•        Proposed Criteria for Reviewing the Educational Materials of the UKOU
•        Organizational Chart

• 50% of the final total mark is allotted for continuous assessment during the semester (Tutor Marked Assignments 35%, Mid-Term Exam 15% )
• The other 50% is allotted for the final exam; this is held at the end of the semester or the academic year depending on the nature of the course.

• The  classification of the degree award for the programs validated by the Open University Validation Services is calculated on the the basis of the average grade the student achieved in his/her best 32 credit hours of courses at  level 2 and best 32 credit hours at level 3
• All students taking a course (across the AOU branches) must sit the same final examination, and must present their AOU identification card in order to enter the examination room.
• Student final examination scripts are marked at the relevant Branch under the supervision of the Branch Director in coordination with the Dean concerned.
• Student final examination scripts shall be anonymous and identified by code not by the student’s name.
• Final examination papers  must indicate the time allocation for the exam and the mark weighting for each question and for the paper as a whole.
• Final examinations must offer students a choice of questions unless there are exceptional cases justified by the Faculty Examination Committee to the AOU Central Examination Committee .

• TMAs are submitted on the specified dates according to the approved Course Calendar.
• The numerical mark of zero shall be recorded for each TMA not submitted by the cut-off date unless the student provides a medical or force majeure reason to the concerned Staff Tutor based on a recommendation by the student's tutor, within seven days of the cut-off date.
• If the case is approved then depending on the circumstances, the TMA may be submitted up to three weeks after the cut-off date.
• The final TMA for a course must be handed in by its cut-off date unless there are extraordinary force majeure circumstances approved by the Program Coordinator based on a recommendation of the Tutor and the concerned Staff Tutor.
• One assignment only may be allowed to be submitted later than the actual due date for a course of 8 credit hours; and two assignments for a course of 16 credit hours.
• The marking process is subjected to control and careful checking. This is to ensure that the tutors have used the marking guide appropriately and have provided the students with sufficient teaching comments on the script. All tutors are checked and a random selection of the marked assignments are reviewed and second marked.

• Students with special needs who feel that certain circumstances have impacted negatively on their performance when completing their assignments  should submit  proof of this to their  tutor who will raise the matter with the appropriate authority.
• Students with special needs who need particular support should present their requirements to their tutor who will raise the matter with the appropriate authority.
• Such students requiring an extension to the examination time must submit their needs not less than three weeks before the date of the exam or the due date of submitting the research/project.

1. Students may appeal their final grade to the Branch Examination Committee within 2 weeks from announcement of course results, provided approved fees are paid.

2. The Branch Committee ensures the compilation of marks have been handled appropriately. It also ensures that all answer scripts have been marked and verified and notifies the student of     findings within 3 days.

3. Students may then appeal the Branch Committee's decision to the Faculty Examination Committee within one week after notification by the Branch Committee.  Reasons for appeal together with supporting documents must be provided. The appeal is then forwarded for review by the Faculty Committee

4. Students who wish to pursue their appeal beyond this point should do so within one week from the date of notification of The Faculty Committee findings. In such cases, the Committee looks into the appeal once again  and this time its decision is considered final and irrevocable.  The student shall be notified of the decision through the Branch within one week of taking the decision.

5. In all cases, if a grade as a result of an appeal is adjusted, then all Exam Committees must be informed.

1. Any student caught cheating or found to have committed an act of plagiarism shall be referred to the competent Branch disciplinary committee, which shall take its decisions as per rules in effect at AOU. Punishment, if warranted , may include dismissal from the University.

2. The following are considered acts of cheating and plagiarism:

• Copying printed material and submitting it as part of TMAs, or examination scripts without proper acknowledgement and documentation.
• Copying material from the Internet, including tables and pictures without proper acknowledgement.
• Copying other students' work.
• Using material prepared for the student by individuals or institutions i.e.material which is not the student's own work
• Taking unauthorized material into the examination room

• verbal or written notice
• Warning
• Final Warning
• Failure in the examination and concerned course
• Exclusion from the university for one semester or more.
• Total and final expulsion from the university.

• In case of sickness or emergency, the final exam can be given at the  time scheduled for the examination in another location, such as a hospital, if the student’s situation permits.
• A student who cannot take the final exam or submit a report/project which is considered as a main component of the assessment, must submit a medical report or an urgent case to the course tutor who will address it to the appropriate authority
• The case must be submitted within one week of the date of the final exam.
• If the branch committee accepts the case, the student is awarded I (Incomplete) and the student may take the examination with all other students studying the course at the end of the next semester or academic year.
• In the case of the branch committee rejecting the excuse, the student is awarded 0 in this exam.
• A student who fails to pass the final exam of any course can take the exam again on the next occasion that the exam for the same course is held.

• Student are allowed to repeat any of University Requirement Courses to improve their grades and the grade obtained will count towards the Grade Point Average
• Student with grade ‘D’ in non-university requirement courses are allowed to repeat the course to improve their grades to ‘C’. i.e. whatever the score obtained in the repeat, the grade is capped at C
• Student with acceptable mitigating circumstances are allowed to repeat the course as if taken for the first time. i.e. grades are not capped

• Tutorial attendance is compulsory.
• Student absences with an acceptable excuse should not exceed 25% of the total number of  tutorials in a given semester.
• If a student absents himself / herself for more than 25% of the tutorial program, he/she will not be allowed to take the final exam and shall be considered to have failed that course..

• The academic year consists of two semesters, each of which lasts for sixteen (16) weeks.
• The summer session lasts for eight (8) weeks.
• The University Council decides the university calendar for each academic year. The calendar includes dates for the beginning of semesters, adding and dropping courses, final examinations etc.
• The minimum load of a regular student is three (3) credit hours and the maximum is eighteen (18) credit hours per semester.
• With the approval of the Staff Tutor and the Branch Director, a student can  in some circumstances,register for twenty (20) credit hours in a semester.
• The maximum period of study is twenty four (24) semesters, which is equivalent to twelve (12) years.

• The study plan shows the pre-requisites of each course.
• It is not permitted for a student to register in any course without taking the pre-requisite for that course.
• However, a student may be allowed in his/her last semester of study to  register for a specific  course and its pre-requisite at the same time.

• It is permissible for the student to submit an application within two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester to postpone his/her study – such a postponement period should not exceed two years (four semesters) whether continuous or separate.
• The postponement period shall not be included within the maximum period required for graduation.
• During the adding and dropping period, the student may withdraw from study after the approval of the concerned party in the university.
• A student who does not register in a certain semester is considered suspended. If he/she applies subsequentlywith an acceptable excuse before the end of the semester, the suspension period is considered as a postponement.
• If the student resumes study after a period of postponment or suspension with an acceptable excuse, he/she can complete the study of the second part of an annual course provided that  he/she has satisfied the requirements of the first part of the course. The marks obtained in the first part will contribute to the final grade of the course provided that the period of postponment or suspension does not exceed four semesters.
• If the student’s graduation is likely to be delayed because a course  is not offered in the semester where the student is expected to graduate, he/she can study an alternative course after the approval of the relevant Dean in coordination with the Branch Director, provided that the director of Admission and Registration is informed.

• Pass all courses required for graduation pursuant to the study plan approved for the bachelor’s degree in the concerned programme.
• Get a cumulative grade not less than 2.0 points.
• Not exceed the maximum period of study.
• Finish any other requirements stated inside or outside the study plan.
• As indicated in section xx , the award is classified on the basis of the average grade the student achieved in the best 32 credit hours at level 2 and the best 32 credit hours at level 3

• The availability of a vacant space in the programme.
• The student’s average in the high school certificate should not be less than the average announced and accepted by the programme into which the student wishes to transfer.
• Satisfying any other academic qualifications required by the programme, when submitting the application.
• Pass any examination(s) required by the programme that the student wants to transfer to.

• When applying for transfer from a Branch, the student should be registered in that Branch without any disciplinary issues outstanding
• The student shall fill in a special form before the end of the semester, stating the reason for his/her transfer.
• In certain circumstances, a student may apply for transfer from one Branch to another during the semester provided that he/she can provide a strong reason for transfer.
• The student shall pay the appropriate transfer fee when making the application. If the application is rejected, the student has the right to receive a refund of the money. In case of approval, the transfer fee is divided equally between the original Branch and the new one.
• Normally, transfer should occur within the same programme in which the student is registered. If not, admission to a different programme should be done simultaneously with the  the transfer application.
• When necessary, it is the student’s responsibility to get a residence permit in the branch country to which he/she wants to transfer.
• When transfer has been approved by the two branches, the student’s file is sent to the new branch.
• The student, before joining the new branch, should be informed about any admission conditions or requirements observed in the new branch so that he/she can fulfill these conditions either before or after joining the new branch.
• If the student is registered in annual courses and he/she does not complete them in the origin branch, all his/her marks, grades and study file should be transferred to the new branch to take the appropriate procedures in this regards.

• For more information, please contact: ASK@aou.edu.kw