ADMISSION TO ENGINEERING PROGRAMS

The process of accepting students into the Engineering Programs at Northern Border University has three phases:

Phase 1: Preparatory Year

Students who have graduated from secondary school enter the scientific track of the preparatory year. This is the first step towards admission to the College of Engineering. Preliminary admission to the College of Engineering (COE) is highly competitive and is determined by the weighted score.

The admission process to the preparatory year involves the following procedures:

  • The Council of the College of Engineering (COCE) estimates the number of incoming students based on available resources.
  • The University Council (UC) reviews the COCE's estimate and determines the number of students to be admitted to the COE each year.
  • The Deanship of Admission and Registration (DAR) is notified by UC of the number of prospective students.
  • DAR verifies that all admission requirements are met and ranks and selects students for admission to the preparatory year based on their weighted score.

Phase 2: College of Engineering

Admission to the scientific track of the preparatory year does not guarantee final admission to the College of Engineering. After successfully completing the preparatory year, additional criteria are applied to determine final admission. To be admitted to the College of Engineering, students must meet the following conditions:

  • Successfully complete all courses within the Scientific Track of the preparatory year within a maximum of 3 semesters and maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.00 out of 5.00.
  • Obtain a grade not less than C in all English courses offered during the preparatory year.

Upon meeting these requirements, students progress to the second phase which is entering the college of engineering. The first two terms at the College of Engineering are common for all students. These common two terms focus on providing students with a strong foundation in the fundamental engineering sciences.

Phase 3: Engineering Program (Specialization)

The third phase involves specialization within the program. To be eligible to enter the specialization phase, students must have successfully completed not less than 13 credit hours during the common two terms of study shared with all engineering students. Towards the end of the semester in which the student expects to become eligible for specialization, the College Guidance Committee holds introductory meetings for students to explain the mechanism and steps of specialization in each engineering program. Then, students are required to fill out a specialization request form, indicating their desired majors in decreasing order of interest. The allocation of students to the Engineering Program takes into consideration their preferred selections, Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs), and the capacity of each engineering program. The capacity is determined based on factors such as the academic workload of faculty members and the size of classrooms and laboratories. Once in the specialization phase, students focus on their chosen engineering discipline and enroll in specialized courses tailored to their respective fields.

REGISTRATION

This table illustrates the minimum and maximum course loads (number of credit hours) that students at the college fo engineering are permitted to register based on their GPA in both the two-term system and the three-term system:

 

For an engineering student who are expected to graduate, the following provisions apply:

  • He may register for a course with its prerequisite in the same term, with the approval of the department head, the dean of the college or their authorized representative.
  • He may enroll in a maximum of 21 credit hours in the two-term system or up to 15 credit hours in the three-term system, with the approval of the department head, the dean of the college or their authorized representative, and the endorsement of the Deanship of Admission and Registration.
  • If he wishes to register for more than 21 credit hours in the two-term system or 15 credit hours in the three-term system, he must seek approval from the University's Permanent Committee for Admission and Registration Affairs. However, this request will only be considered if the student's cumulative GPA is not less than "Good" (GPA).

ATTENDANCE

  • A regular engineering student should attend all classes and laboratory sessions, whether in-person or virtual, according to the specified teaching methods in the curriculum.
  • A engineering student may be discontinued from a course and denied entrance to the final examination if his attendance is less than 75% of classes and lab sessions assigned to each course during the term, without a valid excuse.
  • An engineering student who is denied entrance to the examination due to excessive absences will be considered as having failed that course with a DN grade.

WITHDRAWAL (APOLOGIZING / DROPPING)

  1. An engineering student may be allowed to withdraw for a term and not be considered as having failed the courses if he furnishes an acceptable excuse to the, during the period specified in the academic calendar.
  2. The period of interruption of study is counted towards the period required to complete graduation requirements, and the student's monthly allowance will be suspended during this period.
  3. An engineering student is not allowed to withdraw for more than three terms in the two-term system and five terms in the three-term system during his entire course of study at the university.
  4. Withdrawal requests will not be accepted after the withdrawal period has ended.
  5. Withdrawal from studying during the summer term does not count as one of the times a student is allowed to withdraw from studying in a regular term.
  6. An engineering student may withdraw from a course or a number of courses during the withdrawal periods specified in the academic calendar without being considered as having failed.
  7. The remaining credit hours after withdrawing from a course or a number of courses should not be less than the minimum limit specified in the University's executive rules of the Study and Examination Regulations.
  8. An engineering student who exceed an absenteeism rate of 25% without an acceptable excuse starting from the beginning of the term will be denied entrance to the final examination and will not be allowed to withdraw in that term.
  9. The engineering student will be given a (W) grade for the course or courses from which he withdrew.

 

POSTPONEMENT

  1. An engineering student may apply for a study postponement for a term during the postponement periods specified in the academic calendar.
  2. The postponement period is not counted in the regular duration required for completion of program degree.
  3. An engineering student is allowed to postpone his studies for a maximum of three terms in the two-term system and five terms in the three-term system.
  4. The postponement duration cannot be more than three terms in the two-term system or five terms in the three-term system.
  5. Postponement requests will not be accepted after the postponement period has ended.
  6. An engineering student who accompanies a family member outside the country is eligible for a maximum postponement period of two years. The accompanying student must provide supporting evidence of his companionship when submitting the request at the beginning of each term. However, if the two-year period as a companion is surpassed, the accompanying student will be considered as having discontinued his studies and may apply as a new student to the university.

 

ENROLLMENT TERMINATION

  1. A regular engineering student who does not register for a term without submitting a postponement or withdrawal application will be considered to have interrupted his studies and will be dismissed from the university.
  2. The enrollment of an engineering student will be terminated in the following cases:
    • A student for whom two years have passed since he interrupted his studies.
    • A student who has exhausted all opportunities to raise his CGPA after a number of academic probations.
    • A student who has not completed the program requirements within the maximum period specified by the university's regulations.
    • A student who has been expelled from the university for disciplinary reasons more than once.

TRANSFER FROM OUTSIDE THE UNIVERSITY

A student may transfer from outside the university after obtaining the approval of the Dean of Admission and Registration and the Dean of the college of engineering, under the following conditions:

  1. The student must have studied at a local university or college, or a foreign university, college, or educational institution that is recognized by the competent authority in the respective country of study.
  2. The student must not have been dismissed from the transferring university for disciplinary reasons.
  3. Transfer to the university is only allowed during the specified transfer period determined by the academic calendar of the university.
  4. The student must have completed at least one academic year at the transferring university.
  5. The cumulative GPA at the time of transfer must not be less than 2.00 out of 5.00 or or equivalent.
  6. The student must complete at least 50% of the graduation requirements at the Northern Border University.
  7. There must be available seats in the college of engineering.
  8. The number of available seats is based on the capacity of the college of engineering.
  9. If transferring to a different major, the admission requirements for that department and the transferred major must be met.
  10. Each student is allowed to submit a transfer application to the Northern Border University only once. If the application is rejected, the applicant loses the opportunity to transfer to the university, whether to the same college or a different one.
  11. Transfer from a diploma degree to a bachelor's degree is not allowed.
  12. If it becomes evident, after a student’s transfer, that the student was dismissed for disciplinary reasons, his enrollment is considered cancelled from the date of his transfer acceptance to the University.
  13. Any other conditions set by the university council.

 

 

EQUIVALENCE

A student may apply for the equivalence of a course or courses that he has studied outside the university, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The Council of Engineering College evaluates the courses that were taken by the student outside the University, based on the recommendations of the departments that offer equivalent courses.
  2. The course taken outside the university must be equivalent (comparable) in terms of both content and credit hours to the course for which equivalence is sought.
  3. The content of the course must match at least 70% with the equivalent course at the university.
  4. The student should have obtained a minimum grade of Good (C) or higher in the course being considered for equivalence.
  5. The student is allowed to seek equivalency for courses constituting up to 50% of the study plan, provided that the percentage of specialized courses does not exceed 40%.
  6. The courses deemed equivalent will be recorded in the student's academic transcript and included in the calculation of his cumulative GPA.

 

 

TRANSFER From ANOTHER COLLEGE

A student may transfer from scientific colleges to the college of engineering in accordance with the following rules:

  1. The student must obtain the approval of the college of engineering and the academic department to which the transfer is intended.
  2. Transfer to the college of engineering is only allowed during the specified transfer period determined by the university in the academic calendar.
  3. The student must have completed at least one term in the college from which he is transferring.
  4. The student's cumulative GPA at the time of transfer to the college must not be less than 2.00 out of 5.00.
  5. Transfer from another college to the college of engineering is allowed only once during the university study period.
  6. The number of available seats is based on the capacity of the college of engineering.
  7. There must be available seats in the college of engineering.
  8. Meeting all admission requirements specific to the academic program to which the transfer is intended.
  9. The transcript of a student transferring to the college of engineering will include all the courses the student has taken, including the grades and the term and cumulative GPA obtained throughout his period of study at the University.
  10. Any other conditions set by the college council.

 

TRANSFER WITHIN A COLLEGE

  1. A student may apply for a transfer from one program to another within the college of engineering, subject to the approval of the Dean of the College and the relevant department.
  2. The internal transfer process in the college of engineering is competitive and depends on the availability of seats in the target program, as well as the student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA).
  3. The student's academic transcript, after transferring from one department to another within the college of engineering, will include a comprehensive record of all courses taken, along with corresponding grades, term GPA, and cumulative GPA achieved throughout his entire period of study at the university.

EXAMINATIONS

  1. A student who is absent from a final examination, will be given a zero grade for that examination. His grade in the course will be calculated on the basis of the classwork score he obtained over the term.
  2. If a student fails to attend a final examination in any course but offers a compelling excuse, the Council of the College of Engineering may choose to accept his excuse and allow him to take a make-up examination. The make-up examination must be taken prior to the end of the following semester. In such cases, the course grade will be given to the student after the make-up examination.
  3. Final scores for all courses consist of 60% classwork and 40% final examination scores, except for practical or field-oriented courses.
  4. The Classwork Score is derived from a combination of practical exams, research-based assessments, short tests, and other types of classroom activities, at least one of which must be a written test.
  5. Cheating in examination or attempting to cheat, or violating instructions, and examination regulations shall render the student to punishment in accordance with the Student Disciplinary By-Laws as issued by the University Council.
  6. No student is allowed to enter the examination venue more than 30 minutes after the examination begins or leave before the first 30 minutes of the examination have passed.
  7. A period of 72 hours is given from the end of the midterm and final exams for grading and recording the scores in the system.

 

INCOMPLETE GRADE

  1. An engineering students who complete the majority of the requirements for a course but are unable to finish the course may receive an incomplete (I) grade. A grade of incomplete will be assigned only with the consent of instructors after instructors and students have agreed on the academic work that needs to be completed and the date it is due. When the requirements for the course are completed, instructors will submit a grade that will replace the incomplete grade. Incomplete grades not completed by the end of the second week of the following semester will be changed to failing grades.
  2. If a student completes the majority of the requirements for a course but is unable to finish the course by the required date, the council of the department responsible for teaching the course, based on the recommendation of the course instructor, may allow the student to complete the requirements of this course in the following academic term.
  3. An incomplete grade (IC) shall be recorded in the student's academic record, and the course will not be included in the term or cumulative GPA unless the requirements of that course are completed.
  4. When the requirements for the course are completed, instructors will submit a grade that will replace the incomplete grade.
  5. Incomplete grades not completed by the end of the following term will be changed to failing grade (F) and included in the term and cumulative GPA.
  6. Incomplete grades are granted to individual students on a case-by-case basis. Incomplete grades should not be used as a mechanism to extend the course past the end of the term.

 

GRADE APPEAL

  1. An engineering student may submit a request for an appeal against the final course grade, a reevaluation of answer sheets, as well as the mechanism for calculating the classwork score, to the relevant department, if he believes that the course grade is inaccurate. The request must be submitted within a maximum of two weeks from the appearance of the results.
  2. The dean of the college of engineering establishes a student appeals committee chaired by the vice dean for academic affairs to reevaluate the final grade of the course.
  3. The committee is responsible for reviewing and addressing appeals against the final grade and coordinating with the relevant department.
  4. A student is permitted to submit more than one request for reevaluation in one academic term.
  5. After the grade is revised, it is forwarded to the Deanship of Admission and Registration for recording.
  6. If the student's grade is changed from a higher grade to a lower grade, the modification, along with the justifications, is submitted to the Vice-Presidency for Academic Affairs.

 

GRADING

The general grade assigned to the cumulative GPA at the time of the student’s graduation is based on his cumulative GPA and calculated as follows:

  1. Excellent: If the cumulative GPA is not less than 4.50 out of 5.00.
  2. Very Good: If the cumulative GPA is 3.75 or higher but less than 4.50 out of 5.00.
  3. Good: If the cumulative GPA is from 2.75 or higher but less than 3.75 out of 5.00.
  4. Pass: If the cumulative GPA is from 2.00 or higher but less than 2.75 out of 5.00.

HONORS RANKING:

  1. First honors are granted to the student who has earned a cumulative GPA between 4.75 and 5.00 (out of 5.00) at the time of his graduation.
  2. Second honors are granted to the student who has earned a cumulative GPA of 4.25 or higher but less than 4.75 (out of 5.00) at the time of her/his graduation.
  3. The student who is eligible for first or second honors must meet the following criteria:
    1. he must not have failed any course completed at the University or any other university,
    2. he must have completed all graduation requirements within a specified period, the maximum of which is the average of the maximum and minimum limits for completing his degree program,
    3. he must have completed 60 % or more of the graduation requirements at the university from which he is graduating.

 

 

GRADUATION

  1. at the college of engineering, an expected graduate is a student who is expected to graduate by the end of the current term. In this case, the number of credit hours registered for in the term must be greater than or equal to the number of credit hours remaining to be completed according to the study plan.
  2. A engineering student graduates after successfully completing the graduation requirements according to the study plan and must achieve a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.00 out of 5.00.
  3. A student cannot graduate from the university before the issuance of the graduation decision by the university council.

 

GRADES

The grades a student earns in each course are calculated as follows: