AFU is committed to encouraging student’s high performance. At the end of each semester, the Registration Unit prepares a "Dean's List" of honoured students.

To be placed on the Dean’s List for Undergraduates, a student must:

• Be one of the highest 3 CGPAs in the college/program.
• Have registered and completed a minimum of 15 credit hours by the end of the semester in which he/she is being considered for the Dean's List.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Have no incomplete grades.
• Not be under any disciplinary action.

To be placed on the Dean’s List for Postgraduates, a student must:

• Be one of the highest 3 CGPAs in the college/program.
• Have registered and completed a minimum of 9 credit hours by the end of the semester in which s/he is being considered for the Dean's List.
• Be in good academic standing.
• Have no incomplete grades; and
• Not be under any disciplinary action.

Planning, conducting, and completing significant research projects inspires undergraduate students and enlivens the undergraduate experience:

• AFU undergraduate students complete research projects as part of their graduation requirements.
• They may attend a series of research training workshops to further develop their skills.
• Students also can be mentored by experienced Faculty conducting meaningful research projects and to publish such research in a high standard journal. 
• As a result, many AFU students will produce class research and will receive invitations to present at international academic conferences.

These activities raise the research capacity of our students to contribute effectively to current and future research endeavors, and ultimately conduct their own independent research.

Research Projects:

Any student project(s) that are left on the property of the university must be claimed within one semester, or the projects may become the property of the university to be used, profiled, and added to the library shelves. 

The university has the right to photograph, photocopy, and/or keep student projects at any time for the purpose of maintaining a permanent record of the work students performed while enrolled in AFU.

Undergraduate research competition

A research competition for AFU students, each within his major, will be formed every year in all AFU’s colleges and the outstanding research will be announced within the AFU conference activities (TASK).

Master’s dissertation: 

Master’s dissertation is an outcome of an independent, scholarly, and original research work that is designed and carried out by the student in courses that have their own course syllabi, learning outcomes, and deliverables. At the time being, Al Falah University (AFU) has no Thesis/Dissertation course.  Therefore, this section has been prepared for future aspects.

General Requirements:

• Completion of a minimum 18 credits of the postgraduate program.
• Upon receiving approvals from the college, submission of the form to the Registrar’s Office.
• In case a student fails to complete the dissertation requirements within two consecutive semesters, he/she will get an ‘F’ grade unless "Incomplete’ is applied for and is seen acceptable by the college council and/or the dean of the college as per the policy.
• Dissertation courses cannot be started in the summer semester.
• Students must have a minimum of four meetings per semester with their supervisor. Meetings can be face-to-face or through the virtual classroom. The supervisor documents meetings.

Student Research Misconduct

• Potential research misconduct by students engaged in research (“researchers”) must be reported to the relevant dean. The dean will refer the matter to the Head of Research Committee.
• An investigation into an allegation of research misconduct may be undertaken in accordance with the Academic Misconduct Policy.
• Following any investigation, the Head of Research Committee will notify the dean of the finding.
• Where an allegation of research misconduct is upheld the dean must convene a committee 
• The committee must be convened within 10 working days of the notice from the Head of Research Committee and must apply a penalty in accordance with the “penalties for academic and research misconduct” section of this policy.

The committee must notify the student of the outcome and penalty applied within 5 days of the committee decision.

The internship course may be treated as zero-credit course or may constitute a certain number of credits (usually 3) but must be taken as a degree completion requirement.

The supervised internship course is credited course and is planned by the concerned College. 

Each college appoints a programmatically cantered internship coordinator.

The concerned College put in place an official agreement of internships with potential internship sites.

The concerned College ensures that the internship is of sufficient duration (typically 6 to 8 weeks) that allows a student to meet the internship learning outcomes.

The concerned College develops an internship manual documenting the internship guidelines, outlining its organization and states clearly outcomes of experiential learning.  The internship manual draw on the following components

• • • Objectives of the internship 
    • Internship Requirements
    • Duration of the internship
    • Roles and Responsibilities of internship coordinator, students, academic and site supervisor
    • Internship Outcomes
    • Guidelines on internship report preparation 
    • Evaluation and Grading Criteria 
    • Mechanism of faculty supervisor visit to the internship site.
    • Forms and other necessary instruments used to gather feedback on student’s internship experiences and feedback from supervisor.

The feedback and data from student’s reflection on the internship, feedback from site supervisor evaluation of the students, and the student’s performance in written and oral assessments is used for the purpose of measuring program effectiveness, continuous improvement of curriculum, and program development.

During the period of the internship at the approved allocated site, the internship student is subjected to the regulatory laws and frameworks of the United Arab Emirates as these are related to internships.

Credit-bearing and Non-credit Courses 

Credit-bearing Courses 

• Credit-bearing courses carry academic credit in the form of credit hours and may be part of an academic program and contribute to the overall credits of that program. 
• Credit-bearing course contribute to a student’s Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) 
• Credit-bearing courses will be graded according to the grading scheme. 

Non-credit Courses 

• Courses designated as non-credit courses shall not be awarded academic credit 
• Non-credit courses shall be identified as such, and are not part of a particular program. 
• The requirements for such courses are stated within the admission requirements of each program of study. Non-credit courses cannot be transferred from other institutions to AFU. 
• Non-credit courses shall: 
  • Be graded as pass or fail.
  • Be supported by a completion record for individual students.
  • Not be included in the calculation of a student’s CGPA. 

Course Syllabi 

An approved course syllabus constitutes the official AFU record detailing what students will learn as a result of successfully completing a course (coursework) and the means by which they will be assessed. 

Course Delivery 

• Courses are normally offered via a regular semester delivery during the Fall and Spring semesters. 
• Courses within academic programs at undergraduate and postgraduate levels may be offered over a shorter period of time during the summer semester 
• All courses offered in the Summer Semester over a period of at least 6 weeks must meet the following criteria: 
  • the courses offered have equivalent class contact time to the regular semester delivery.
  • the full content of the approved syllabi shall be taught, and the complete course learning outcomes shall be achieved in the condensed delivery as in the regular delivery of courses.
  • the course assessments in the approved course syllabi shall remain the same for both modes of delivery. 
  • Courses will be delivered as set out in the coursework and assessment procedure. 

Coursework 

• Coursework constitutes work or activities undertaken by students to enable the achievement of learning outcomes as specified in the approved course syllabus. 
• Coursework is assigned and assessed by faculty, as per the approved course syllabus, to contribute toward a final course grade. 

Assessment 

• Coursework assessments serve multiple purposes such as measuring student achievement of learning outcomes, monitoring student progress, and providing evidence of program completion. 
• Assessment of students can take different forms (e.g. summative final assessment, or ongoing assessments) and can vary from one program to another and across the courses. Assessment for each course must be appropriate to the learning outcomes and administered as per the assessment strategy in the approved course syllabus provided to students at the beginning of each semester. The approved course syllabus must identify how each assessment is related to the learning outcomes. 
• Ongoing coursework assessment shall constitute 60% of the total course grade. Final assessment shall constitute 40% of the total course grade.  Exceptions to the 60:40 assessment structure may apply in internship courses or capstone projects.  Variations in the breakdown of assessments in any other course is subject to the endorsement of College Council. 
• Assessments that contribute to a student’s course grade shall be set out in an assessment description (Assessment Document) that outlines all assessment requirements and includes assessment rubrics. Assessment descriptions will be shared with students in a timely manner which allows students to demonstrate the achievement of the relevant learning outcomes. 
• Ongoing Assessments: 
  • Ongoing coursework assessments will occur at critical points during the semester to enable measurement of student progress and feedback for performance improvement. 
  • Faculty members must provide students with written feedback on their performance on each piece of assessment maximum within two (2) weeks from the deadline date of submitting the work. Such feedback is intended to help students improve subsequent coursework. 
  • Students are responsible for ensuring that work submitted complies with the requirements of the Academic Honesty. 

• Final assessments may be either a final examination or a final project. Where a final project is used, a viva must be a component of the assessment. 
• Group assessments involve more than one student who submit a joint piece of work and cannot be used as a course final assessment.  

Examinations 

• Invigilated, time-bound examinations may be used to assess students either as Ongoing coursework assessments or as final examination course assessments. Examinations used as Ongoing coursework assessments are the responsibility of the member of faculty teaching the course. 
• Final Examinations:

1. In a regular semester, the final examination schedule will be announced by the Registrar 30 days prior to the final exam period. 
2. The Central Exams Committee (CEC), in coordination with other needed parties, is responsible for the planning, scheduling, and conduct of final examinations.  
3. Publication of student results in various courses is the responsibility of the Registration Unit and shall take place on the dates announced in the academic calendar via the approved channels for announcing course grades. No other member of the academic or administrative staff is authorized to release results. 

Incomplete Coursework 

• Attendance at a course final examination or the submission of a final assessment is compulsory and must occur as per the dates specified in the university academic calendar and examination timetable. Failing to attend a final examination or to submit a final assessment on time, may lead to an “F” grade for the course. 
• Where a student does not attend the final examination or does not submit the final assessment of a course due to extenuating circumstances the course may be considered as “Incomplete”. 
• Incomplete grades may not be appealed. 

Grade Change and approval 

• During the semester, a faculty may make changes and modifications to any assigned grade of ongoing coursework assessments. 
• Upon the end of the semester and after the approval of grades, If a faculty determines that an assigned grade was issued incorrectly, due to a procedural error, it can be corrected by submitting a request within 48 hours (2 working days) of the incident to the department chair (if applicable). The change of the grade is subject to clear evidence.  The department chair and the Dean will approve the case.
• If approved, the change will be forwarded by the Department Chair/Dean to the Registration Unit. 
• The request is reviewed again by the Registrar and any questions or concerns are directed to the approving Department Chair/Dean. 
• Once recorded, the change is immediately viewable by the student in his/her grade system. Once approved the change is maintained in the student’s records. 
• If the change qualifies the student for an academic status change, that change should be recorded. 

Grade Appeal 

• The course grade assigned is to be considered final. 
• If a student believes that the final grade issued is based on instructor or clerical error, bias, capriciousness, arbitrariness, discrimination, harassment, personal malice or is not in alignment with established grading criteria in the approved course syllabus, the student may lodge an appeal. 
• A grade appeal only applies to the final course grade or final assessment grade. 
• Students lodging a grade appeal must submit a Grade Appeal Request no later than 5 working days following the reporting of the final course grade. 
• Grade appeal applications will follow the Grade Appeal Procedure.

• All data users must comply with the Data Protection Principles ‘Processing’ includes obtaining, recording, holding or storing information and carrying out any operations on the data, including adaptation, alteration, use, disclosure, transfer, erasure, and destruction.
• Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorized or unlawful processing of Students data and against accidental loss or destruction of the data.
• Student records are kept secure and only authorized personnel are entitled to have access to them.
• Transcripts will not be handed to any other party except with the student’s own authorization. However, the student’s sponsor, if any, shall be able to access his/her academic profile or to request an official transcript.
• The University opens and maintains an admission file at the point of admission. The admission file is considered the main and permanent file and it contains all admission requirement documents.
• These files shall be kept for an unlimited number of years after graduation.
• Upon satisfactory completion, the University shall issue, for each graduated student, one original copy from each of the following three types of documents:
  • Degree
  • Attestation
  • Transcript

• Any extra copy or replacement copies shall be paid for by the students as per the University announced fees.
• The University Registrar is also responsible for the verification process.

Official Transcripts

• Students may obtain official signed transcripts of their academic records by submitting a request for official transcript.
• Letter codes may be assigned to courses in a transcript as per the following:

The names of graduates on the degrees must be consistent with the exact format on their Emirates ID/Passports.

• Graduation attestations (Undergraduate, and Postgraduate) shall be issued after completion of all graduation requirements. An official letter stating the completion of program requirements and the qualification to graduation will be signed by the University Registrar and sent to the graduate.
• All candidates (Undergraduate, and Postgraduate) eligible for graduation need to submit application for Graduation request during their last expected semester of study and pay the related fees.
• Students who do not meet graduation requirements (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) due to incomplete course(s) must complete the course(s) within add and drop week of the following academic semester. Failing to do so, will result in “F” grade.

• The Deans Council shall confer academic degrees upon the recommendation of the College Council.
• Prior to conferral of an academic degree all financial obligations of the student towards the University must be settled through the clearance process and end of program evaluation surveys must be completed.

• A student in an undergraduate program is in satisfactory academic standing if he/she maintains a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.00.
• Where an undergraduate student achieves less than 2.00 CGPA in any given semester (excluding first semester the student is admitted to AFU, and summer semesters); he/she shall receive a first academic warning. The “first academic warning” will be listed on his/her transcript.
• A student in a postgraduate program is in satisfactory academic standing if he/she maintains a minimum CGPA of 3.00.
• Where a postgraduate student achieves less than 3.00 CGPA in any given semester including summer semester he/she shall receive an academic warning. The “academic warning” will be listed on his/her transcript.
• For an undergraduate student, whose CGPA is at least 1.9, and he/she has completed at least 75% of the credit hours required for graduation, then he/she will not be dismissed from the university.

Academic Warnings:

• If an undergraduate student achieves less than 2.00 CGPA in any given semester (excluding the first semester a student joins AFU, and summer semesters); he/she shall receive a first academic warning. The “first academic warning” will be mentioned on his/her transcript.
• If an undergraduate student fails to remove the academic warning by the end of the next completed regular semester, he/she will receive a second warning the “second academic warning” will be mentioned on his/her transcript.
• The academic warning is removed for an undergraduate if the student achieves a CGPA of 2.00 or above at the end of next completed semester.
• If a postgraduate student achieves less than 3.00 CGPA in any given semester including summer, he/she shall receive an academic warning. The “academic warning” will be mentioned on his/her transcripts.
• The academic warning is removed for a postgraduate student by the end of the next completed semester if the student has achieved a CGPA of 3.00.
• If an undergraduate or postgraduate student fails to remove the academic warning by the end of the next completed semester, the student’s case shall be reviewed by the relevant college. The Dean of College, after reviewing the case with the related Department Chair (if applicable), may either approve the dismissal or grant the student two more semester (for undergraduates) / one more semester (for postgraduates) with specific courses in which the student shall register. The student has the option at that time to transfer to another major within the college, or to a different college at AFU. 
• Final dismissal status will be mentioned on the student transcript. 

• Degree audit process compares the students’ academic records with the program study plan.
• By the end of each semester, the Registration Unit conducts a degree audit to review the records of graduating students or students expected to graduate within one year.

• AFU takes all necessary and reasonable steps to protect students’ rights to privacy and confidentiality with regards to their academic records and data which are held either electronically or in a manual filing system. 
• The University reserves the right to use information contained in academic records for educational, research, regulatory compliance, or in responses to competent authorities’ requests or requirements and/or other legitimate purposes.
• Any breach of the academic records policy may result in the University, as the registered Records and Data Controller, being liable in law for the consequences of the breach. This liability may extend to the individual processing the information and his/her Head of Department under certain circumstances.
• AFU shall adapt the following principals in processing student’s academic records:
  • Student’s records shall be processed fairly and lawfully.
  • Student’s records shall be held only for one or more specified and lawful purposes and shall not be further processed in any manner incompatible with that purpose.
  • Student’s records shall be adequate, relevant, and not excessie in relation to the purpose for which it is processed.
  • Student’s records shall be accurate and where necessary kept up to date.
  • Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorized or unlawful processing of student’s records and against accidental loss or destruction of their data.
  • Student’s records shall not be transferred to any third party unless pursuant to applicable regulation and that party commit and ensures an adequate level of protection for the student’s data.

• Students’ pictures in any form will not be used for media publications or other purposes without prior written authorization from the student.
• No official transcript will be issued to any party including the student concerned except after submitting a “Transcript Request” and ensuring that any financial due is met.
• When Students academic records transferred internally the recipient must only process the data in a manner consistent with the University's Notification and the original purpose for which the data was collected.

• Upon successful completion of all requirements for any academic program of study all graduates will be issued with an official transcript listing the details as set out in the Academic Progress Procedure.
• In an undergraduate study, the minimum grade to pass any course is 60%, however, any CGPA less than 70% is subject to academic warning
• An undergraduate student’s performance is measured at AFU on a semester basis, using a letter grading system. Each letter grade corresponds to numerical quality points as shown in the following table:

• In a postgraduate study, the minimum grade to pass any course is 70%, however, any CGPA less than 80% is subject to academic warning.
• A postgraduate student’s performance is measured at AFU on a semester basis using letter grading system. Each letter grade corresponds to numerical points as shown in the following table:

• Non-credit courses are graded as pass or fail and are not assigned points.
• The course points are used to calculate the Grade Point Average (GPA) per semester by adding the points of the individual courses taken in a specific semester multiplied by the credit weight of each course and dividing by the total number of credits for that semester.
• The quality of a student’s performance is measured in terms of his/her Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) which is calculated by adding the quality points of the individual courses as per the related study plan multiplied by the credit weight of each course and dividing by the total number of credits. 
• Non-credit courses do not contribute to a student’s CGPA.

To be eligible for the award of an undergraduate degree, a student must:

• Successfully complete all the courses and requirements of the program of study as specified in the program study plan. Students must complete the final semester at AFU.
• Maintain a CGPA of not less than 2.00 points.
• Take no less than the minimum and no more than the maximum period stipulated for the award of the bachelor’s degree.
• Take no less than the minimum and no more than the maximum period stipulated for the award of the undergraduate degree as specified in each program. Students transferred from other universities/colleges must earn at least 50% of the required credits for graduation at AFU.
• Special cases only with CAA approval can be graduated at AFU.

• Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements of any undergraduate program, a student at AFU will be awarded the relevant degree under one of the following categories

• Upon satisfactory completion of all requirements of a master’s degree program, a student at AFU will be awarded the master’s degree, under one of the following categories:

Undergraduate and postgraduate students may be placed on the Dean’s List to recognize academic excellence subject to meeting the criteria set out in the Academic Progress Procedure.