Academic Advising
Academic advising at CITYU is a central factor of the educational process and greatly affects student’s success.
Faculty members and deans are jointly responsible for offering academic advising to students. Academic advising serves to develop student’s educational plans that are consistent with the learning outcomes and career objectives. The students – not the advisors – assume full responsibility for their educational planning, selection of courses, meeting course prerequisites and adhering to CITYU Rules & Regulations.
Frequently Used Academic Terms
Curriculum: The curriculum is the student’s study plan, comprised of courses to be completed. The student has to successfully complete all the courses in the curriculum to graduate and earn a degree.
Course: A course is a studying unit which is usually three hours per week, offered over a period of fifteen weeks, including exams.
Credit hour: A credit hour is the basic studying unit which the student attends for a registered course.
Study Load: Study load is the total number of credit hours the student registers and attempts to pass at the end of the semester.
Academic Advisor: An Academic Advisor is a faculty member who advises students on what courses they need to register for every semester.
Student Information System (SIS): SIS is the Moodle software used at CITYU for course registration and grade publishing.
Academic Calendar: Academic Calendar is the calendar issued by the University Administration and which specifies the beginning and end dates of each semester, add/drop periods, exam dates, and days-off.
Registrar Office: Registrar Office is the office of admission and registration where students submit applications, documents, petitions, and request official documents.
IT Department: The Information Technology office provides students with their usernames and passwords to access the Student Information System and other IT services on Campus, such as WIFI usernames and passwords.
Dean’s Office: The Dean’s Office is the office of the Dean of the faculty in which the student is enrolled.
Medium of Communication
CITYU students are held responsible for all posted or electronic announcements by the University. CITYU administration uses SMS and email as official means of communication with the students. Hence, it is the students’ responsibility to maintain a valid mobile number. In case students change their mobile number or email address, the Registrar’s Office should be immediately informed.
New Students Orientation
The orientation program is intended to introduce newly enrolled students to the university facilities in addition to Rules & Regulations pertaining to their duties and responsibilities while on campus. At the beginning of the fall semester, all new students are required to attend the orientation sessions held by the Student Affairs Office, during which they will receive their copy of the Student Guide. They are expected to be informed of the Guide’s content. Students are also expected to look out for all announcements – both printed and electronic – issued by the University.
Student General Perspective
CITYU students are expected to demonstrate responsibility in their academic life, which shall reflect in their personal life. They are required to abide by CITYU Rules & Regulations that have been prepared for their own benefit. Students should understand that they assume full responsibility for the consequences of their actions and behavior during their stay at CITYU. Ignorance of CITYU Rules & Regulations cannot be accepted as an excuse for misconduct, such as, but not limited to, smoking within the University’s buildings, causing damage to University properties, and posting any material without prior approval. Students’ failure to comply with the University Rules & Regulations leads to disciplinary measures.
Students’ Integrity
CITYU students are fully responsible for their academic integrity. For instance, students are responsible for any act of plagiarism which means using the intellectual property of someone else without properly citing the author. Such an act is considered by CITYU Administration as a serious offense, which is subject to disciplinary measures that may lead to failure of the course. Examples of plagiarism include:
Copying phrases or sentences from sources without citing them,
Summarizing ideas from sources without proper citation,
Submitting someone else’s work, either partly or in whole, without referring to the initial owner or source.
Admission Requirements
All new applicants need to submit the following documents:
A completed SIS application form after paying the fees,
Two recent passport size photos,
A copy of the identity card or passport,
A certified copy of the Lebanese Baccalaureate or its equivalent,
Entrance Exams:
a- Proof of English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, SAT) or CITYU English Entrance Exam.
b- Other entrance exams based on faculty requirements are as follows:
– Engineering students: Math & Physics
– Public Health students: Biology & Chemistry
– Architect students: Aptitude Test.
Students are responsible for being acquainted with the University Rules & Regulations pertaining to registration and complying with them in the interest of facilitating the registration procedure.
Applicants who fail – for a valid and acceptable reason – to submit all documents required for admission could be granted a probationary admission for only one semester. During this period, they should provide the Registrar Office with the missing documents; otherwise, they will lose they status as enrolled students.
Financial Assistance
CITYU offers financial assistance to students in various forms, such as newly enrolled student discount, merit discount and student work. All financial assistance is awarded to students based on need and academic performance. Merit discounts, ranging from 30 to 50%, are awarded to students who show outstanding academic performance. Students should maintain their high academic performance in order to keep benefiting from the merit discount based on the following table:
| Average | Discount |
| 85% | 30% |
| 90% | 40% |
| 95% | 50% |
Financial Regulations
- Students must pay 50% of their tuition fees prior to mid-semester.
- Students must pay tuition fees in full at least 10 days prior to the start of the final exams period.
- Payment must be made at the bank designated by CITYU Administration, for the students to get their financial clearance at the accounting department. The clearance will entitle the students to sit for the final exams or submit their final projects. Students cannot obtain their financial clearance on the date of the final exam as the Accounting Department will be closed.
- Late registered students are subject to the same regular fees, in addition to late registration fees.
- Students who are not able to pay their tuition fees in full, at the beginning of each semester, due to financial need may request deferred payment provided that they complete their registration within the announced date and pay their due fees. Deferred payment for summer semesters is not allowed.
- Deferred payment is not a student’s right and is only granted to students who demonstrate financial need. Such a request must be approved by CITYU Administration.
- Students who are granted deferred payment of their tuition fees need to sign a financial agreement. According to this agreement, if they fail to make all the deferred payments on time, they will not be allowed to sit for their final exams and will fail their registered courses during that particular semester. Moreover, they will not be allowed to register for a new semester unless they clear all their outstanding balance.
- CITYU reserves the right not to grant students any official document, transcript, or degree unless financial clearance is issued by the accounting department.
- All paid fees are non-refundable.
- CITYU reserves the right to modify fees, without prior notice. All changes in fees are applicable to prospective students as well as to students enrolled at CITYU.
Registration Fees
Application and entrance exam fees are non-refundable. Students are responsible for being acquainted with the University Rules & Regulations pertaining to registration fees and complying with them in the interest of facilitating the registration procedure.
Repeating Courses
Students who fail a course for three consecutive times are allowed to submit a request to CITYU Administration to cross-register it in any other accredited university. A “W” grade does not count towards one of the three attempts.
Repeating Courses to Improve the GPA
Students whose GPA is 2.0 and above are not allowed to repeat any course they had passed. However, if the GPA is less than 2.0 students are allowed to repeat courses to raise their GPA. Each repeated course counts only once towards credit hours earned for graduation. The last grade earned will be counted in computing the GPA. All grades for repeated courses remain in the students’ transcript are kept in the University records. The University attendance policy will apply for repeated courses.
Student Work
CITYU provides some of its full time students the chance to work on campus. The remuneration of their work will count towards their education expenses and tuition fees. Interested students need to apply for student work at the Student Affairs Office.
Student work is offered based on students’ skills, academic performance, job availability in addition to the Dean’s approval.
All submitted documents are considered the property of CityU and will not be returned to the applicant.
Study Suspension
CITYU students have the right to suspend their study for two consecutive or none consecutive semesters. Should study suspension exceed two semesters, students should refer to the CITYU Administration which reserves the right to readmit them or deny their admission in the light of the reasons behind suspension.
Withdrawal from University
Students who wish to leave the university before the end of a semester must apply for withdrawal at the Registrar Office.
Students who don’t attending classes, without officially withdrawing from the course will be assigned a failing grade “F” for such a course. Students are liable for payment of fees in full for all mentioned cases.
Majorless University Students
Majorless University Students are usually those who are undecided about their major. Those students are advised to opt for a major at the completion of 30 credit hours, which is the limit for them to be considered as majorless students.
Credit Transfer
Course transfer may be accepted from another accredited university on condition that the transferred course grade be 70% or above, and provided that the course content matches that of CITYU. A maximum of 50% of the degree courses are eligible for transfer. The transferred courses will not count towards the calculation of the GPA and will carry the letter “T” in the students’ transcript.
Credit Transfer within CITYU
Students who decide to change their faculty or major within CITYU are required to fill out the proper form and seek the approval of the faculty Dean to transfer credits.
Auditing Students
Students may attend classes as auditors, after the consent of the Faculty Dean. Auditing students will receive no credit for the attended course, and it will not be recorded in their transcript.
However, the students’ names will appear in the class roster to inform the instructor that they are enrolled as auditing students. They are also required to register and pay tuition fees.
Course Enrollment
Students may enroll for a maximum of 19 credit hours for fall and spring semesters and a maximum of 9 credit hours for summer semesters. Enrollment for more than 19 hours must be approved by the faculty Dean.
Pre-requisite Courses
Students must meet pre-requisite requirements for all courses, and no student is allowed to register in courses whose requirements have not been met.
Add & Drop Courses
Students can request add/drop courses through SIS within the assigned period in the Academic Calendar. This is usually within one week from the beginning of classes for fall and spring semesters and three days from the beginning of classes for summer semesters.
Students are required to consult the Academic Calendar at the beginning of each semester because deadline dates may be modified.
Failure to attend a course is not an official withdrawal and will result in the assignment of an “F” grade in the transcript and students will not be exempted from the course fees.
Withdrawal from a Course (“W” Grade)
Students are allowed to withdraw from a course within the designated period in the Academic Calendar without it affecting their GPA. Students should apply for withdrawal at the Registrar Office. However, they will not be exempted from the course fees.
Grades, Credit Hours and Grade Point Average (GPA)
At CITYU, the basic unit of study is the semester credit hour. This normally represents one hour of lecture or two hours of laboratory work per week. Each course at CITYU is assigned a number of credit hours specified in the course description. At the completion of each course, students will be assigned a grade reflecting their performance in the course. All grades have a predetermined weight for the calculation of the GPA. Students’ General Point Average (GPA) is calculated by dividing the number of points they have accumulated by the number of credit hours the students registered.
| Grading System | |||
| Nominal | GPA | Grade | Notation |
| 95-100 | 4.5 | A+ | Outstanding |
| 90-94 | 4 | A | Excellent |
| 85-89 | 3.5 | B+ | Very Good |
| 80-84 | 3 | B | Good |
| 75-79 | 2.5 | C+ | Fair |
| 70-74 | 2 | C | Satisfactory |
| 65-69 | 1.5 | D+ | Sufficient |
| 60-64 | 1 | D | Passing |
| Less than 60 | 0 | F | Failure |
| – | – | P | Passing for non-credit courses |
| – | – | U | Unsatisfactory for non-credit courses |
Grades not Affecting the GPA
The following grades carry no merit points and credit hours for which these grades are awarded are not counted in computing a student’s grade point average.
- NC: Non-credit
- W: Withdrawal is assigned in courses, when students officially withdraw from the course within the period assigned in the Academic Calendar
- IP: In Progress
- R: Repeating courses for GPA improvement
- WV: Waived
- T: Transfer
- I: Incomplete
The University Academic Council might grant the grade “I” under extraordinary circumstances to students who did not sit for their final exams or submit their final projects either due to their admission to hospital or the death of one of their first degree relatives.
It is the responsibility of the students who receive an “I” grade to consult at the earliest possible with their faculty Dean for taking the necessary action to remove this “I” grade. If the grade “I” is not removed within the following semester, it shall be changed into an “F” grade and count as a failure in the GPA.
Attendance Rules
Academic success is built upon regular class attendance; hence, it is mandatory for students to attend all classes. As far as attendance is concerned, the following rules apply:
- Students should enter the lecture halls in the place and at the time specified by the course schedule
- Students shall not be admitted into the lecture hall for any reason after the lecture begins, and they will be marked absent in the attendance record.
- Students will receive an absence warning for classes they miss. Such warning will be issued by the class instructor and approved by the concerned advisor.
- The absence warning shall include the dates of missed classes and their percentage of the course volume. Instructors are not allowed to issue the 3rd warning unless the first and second warning were issued. The instructor will issue the 3rd warning if the student misses 25% of the course volume without valid reason. The final warning leads to the failure in the course with the students receiving an “F” grade.
Dean’s Honor List
CITYU students are eligible to be listed on the Dean’s honor list if they attempt and pass at least 15 credit hours in a particular semester and attain a GPA of 4.5. The student must be of good conduct.
Honor List
Students who have obtained a GPA of 3.5 or higher at the end of a given semester in which 12 undergraduate credits or more were completed are placed on the Honor List for that semester, provided they were enrolled on a full-time basis for the first attempt. The student must be of good conduct.
Honor List
Students who have obtained a GPA of 3.5 or higher at the end of a given semester in which 12 undergraduate credits or more were completed are placed on the Honor List for that semester, provided they were enrolled on a full-time basis for the first attempt. The student must be of good conduct.
Graduation Honor List
Graduate students have to not be subject to any disciplinary action from CITYU Administration and not be repeating a course they have previously failed. Graduate students may obtain the following honors based on their AGPA,
- Summa Cum Laude: 4-4.5 (1st honor)
- Magna Cum Laude: 3.5-3.99 (2nd honor)
- Cum Laude: 3-3.49 (3rd honor)
Academic Warning and Probation
If students’ AGPA falls under 2.0 at the end of a given semester, an academic warning will be issued and they will be put on academic probation. This will result in reducing their credit hours for registration to a maximum of 12. During probation, students have to improve their AGPA to above 2.0. If they fail to do so, they will be subject to further credit hours’ reduction to reach a maximum of 9 credit hours upon registration. Should an AGPA remain below 2.0 after the second probation, students will be subject to study suspension, dismissal, or advised to change major.
Disciplinary Measures
CITYU Administration reserves the right to take any of the following appropriate disciplinary actions which suits a particular case:
- Issue an oral warning,
- Issue a written warning,
- Suspend students from attending lectures for a day or a week,
- Fail the students in a particular course,
- Suspend students’ registration for one semester,
- Expel students from the university.
Exam Rules
Final exams must be given during the final exam period, as scheduled in the Academic Calendar. Exam rules need to be reviewed by all students prior to taking the final exams. Some final exams are excluded from the final exam schedule. In this case, the course instructor will specify the exam’s date and venue after the approval of the Dean. Examples of such exemptions include group presentations and presentations of final projects.
In general, students shall not sit for more than two final exams on the same day. It is the duty of the students to report any final exam conflict to the faculty administration at least two weeks prior to the end of classes. It is the role of the administration to take appropriate measures.
In addition,
- Students should be in the exam hall at least 15 minutes prior to the exam scheduled time,
- Students should present their university ID,
- – Students should present their financial clearance which is issued by the accounting department after students’ settlement of their due balance,
- – Tardy students are allowed into the exam hall twenty minutes after the exam starts and will not be granted extra time. No student will be allowed into the exam hall after twenty minutes under any circumstances,
- – Failing to attend any final exam will result in a failing grade in that particular course, and students will not be entitled to sit for it later on.
Grade Petition
CITYU students have the right to petition grades on the basis of one or more of the following grounds:
- Unfair decisions made by the instructor,
- Instructor deviation from CITYU policies on grading criteria,
- Deviation of the exam from the course content.
Petition Procedure
Students should submit their Grade Petition to the concerned instructor through the Registrar Office within the week following the grade publishing. In turn, the Registrar will inform the faculty Dean of the petition content. The instructor should justify to the Dean keeping the grade unchanged or changing it. The Dean has to approve the petition in either case.
Student Affairs Office
The role of the Student Affairs Office at CITYU is to help to students resolve any problems they might face during their academic life.
The Student Affairs Office offers the students the opportunity to join various clubs headed by students, to participate in social, cultural and athletic events, and to get involved in campus life, which eventually helps students develop their personal skills and improve their attitudes and behavior.
Students’ Role at the Faculty Program Level
Students’ Role at the Faculty Program Level
Students Involvement in the Program Development and Academic Feedback
The objective of students’ engagement in the program development is to strengthen their commitment and advancement in the educational process. The students’ involvement in any type of change related to their learning process and teaching methods will definitely yield to a positive enhancement of the educational process conducted by the educators.
Such involvement will create a sense of commitment and responsibility toward the quality of education they are receiving, and become partners in their educational process instead of being passive recipients of the delivered information.
Students’ Panel Recruitment:
The preliminary students’ recruitment process would be accomplished via the following process:
- Nomination by Student Affairs Office
- Nomination by instructors who are in direct contact with students
- Academic achievement (AGPA)
- The students’ final selection process will be based on the following criteria:
- Ability and creativity
- Educational level
- Degree of maturity
- Attitude and personality
- Experience
- Interpersonal skills
Each criterion will be given a certain weight or grade. The students with the highest grades in the above mentioned criteria will be the students’ panel contingent to the faculty dean approval.
Eventually, students’ engagement in the program development committee will lead to sustainable development of the academic program as well as the educational process.
Students’ Role at the Administration Level
Students’ Involvement at the University Board
This role could be accomplished by forming a student committee at the university which acts in protecting student’s interests and promoting their welfare in general. The said committee shall be comprised of eight members who represent the university’s eight faculties.
Each member is nominated and recommended by the respective dean of the faculty.
Student committee involvement in the administration board discussions and decision making process is expected to yield the following benefits:
- Identify students’ sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction and to what extent they enjoy the offered services on campus
- Improve student support services as well as administrative processes across the campus
- Get acquainted with ways to improve administration methods which satisfies students and improve the expertise of the staff