Academic Regulations
A Roman saying has it, - ubi societas jus- wherever there is a society, there must be laws. The modern University is a multi varsity, a community of many professionals and students drawn from varied cultural backgrounds. Some rules and regulations are necessary to guide behaviour within such a community, promoteharmony check excesses and ensure an atmosphere conducive for the achievement of the goals for which a University is set up.
This page is the student's companion and guide throughout his/her stay in the University. It sets out the rules pertaining to virtually all aspects of a students life on campus right from the day he/she gains admission into the University till the day he/she graduates. The University graduates only those students who have met its requirements in character and learning
Students are therefore strongly advised to read through this page,
for ignorance of the law is not an excuse especially for University students. There may be other rules of specific nature not covered by this page. Such rules are as important as those contained herein.
To be considered for admission into the first year of the Bachelor's degree programme, candidates should have passed five subjects at credit level at not more than two sittings in the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level Examination, West African School Certificate Examination (WASCE), Senior Secondary School Certificate awarded by the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTED) or their equivalents. Furthermore, candidates must obtain an acceptable score in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and further obtain an acceptable score at the University screening test. In addition, Faculty and Departmental subject admission requirements must be satisfied. A credit pass in English Language and Mathematics is required of all University degree candidates.
A duly registered student may for good cause (ill-health, financial difficulty) apply for temporary withdrawal from the University by completing and submitting to his/her Department a Temporary Withdrawal Form. Permission for temporary withdrawal shall be granted only by Senate. Temporary withdrawal shall normally not be for more than one (1) academic session.
A student who wishes to be re-admitted after a period of temporary withdrawal shall apply two months before the beginning of the session by completing and submitting the Re-admission Form.
A student admitted into the University is eligible to register for the specific programme for which candidate was offered admission if he/she possesses the necessary requirements.
Students will be assigned to Academic Advisers who shall acquaint them with academic matters and regulations.
During registration at the beginning of each session, all students shall enroll in person in all courses for which they are eligible by signing their names on the official course register for each course.
Students should consult their Faculty time- table for the schedule of lectures/tutorials/practical all courses registered in their respective programmes.
Definition of a Credit Unit
A credit unit is defined as one hour of lecture, or one hour of tutorial, or three hours of practical (workshop, laboratory or field work) per week per semester.
Student Academic Workload
All full-time students shall take a minimum of 15 credit units and a maximum of 24 credit units per semester. A student may apply to take less or more than the limit (provided it is not less than 9 units and not more than 30 units) through the Faculty Board for Senate's consideration.
Students are not permitted to enroll in programmes concurrently , either within the University including or in other educational University's institutions evening programmes without the approval of the Senate.
During each semester, 15 weeks shall normally be reserved for teaching, excluding public holidays
and semester breaks. Three (3) weeks shall be reserved for examinations after fifteen (15) weeks
of teaching.
Assessment of students work shall be continuous and this shall form not more than 30% of the total assessment for the course. Every student is advised to partake in continuous assessment. Any student who fails to participate in continuous assessment, shall score a grade of F in that course irrespetive of his/her performance in the examination.
There shall be a Final Examination at the end of the semester. The final examination shall form not less than70% of the course grade.
Student's academic work shall be graded at the end of every semester using the following letter
grades.
Letter Grade
Marking Scale (%)
Grade Points
A Excellent 70-100
B Good 60-69
C Average 50-59
D Satisfactory 45-49
E Pass 40-44
F Fail 0-39
A student may request for a reassessment of the quality of his/her work in a course examination during the semester and within one week after publication of results. When a student makes such a request, he shall pay a reassessment charge of Five thousand (N5,000.00) naira which is subject to review from time to time. The application for reassessment shall begin only after presentation of evidence of payment. The charge is refundable only if the appeal is successful. The reassessment shall be final when approved by Senate.
An incomplete grade can be obtained if either the Continuous Assessment score or examination score is not available. If an incomplete grade is not remedied at the next examination for a course, the student is deemed to have failed the examination.
Absence from an Examination
A student, who absents himself/herself from examination without written permission from the Head of Department or Dean of the Faculty during or at the end of the semester, will be deemed to have failed the examination. A student who has not met 75% attendance and has been disqualified to take the examination will be deemed to have failed the examination. If a student is absent from examination on
permission, he will be allowed to write the examination at the next available opportunity. The units of the course(s) shall not be used to compute the student’s GPA in the semester of deferment.
For the purpose of computing academic standing status of a student at the end of the semester, Grade Points per unit are assigned as follows: A-5,B-4, C-3, D-2, E-1 and F-0. Units of courses in which a grade of 'I’ (Incomplete) is earned are excluded from grade-point computation for the semester in which the ‘I’ is earned. Upon removal of grade T or if T changes into an 'F grade, the units are included in the subsequent cumulative grade point averages.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Grade Point Average is obtained by multiplying the Grade point attained in each course by the number of Credit Units assign to that course, and then summing these up and dividing by the total number of Credit Units taken in the semester. To complete the Cumulative Grade Point Average, the total Grade Points multiplied by the respective Credit Units for all the semesters are added and then divided by the total number of Credit Units for all courses registered by the student.
Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is the sum of all the quality points earned in all he semesters divided by the total number of credit units attempted in all the semesters.
When a student re-registers for and actually repeats a course and takes the examination in the course, he/she should be credited with the actual grade scored in the repeated examination. The new grade earned in a repeat course does not replace the F grade in the students record. The result of all the attempts made by the students shall be used in calculating the Final CGPA.
Clear Standing or (Good Standing)
Fora student to be on Clear Academic Standing, he/she should have at least an E grade in all attempted courses in the University.
Where a student fails a course(s) in any semester, the failed course(s) should be carried over to the next appropriate semester and be registered first before registering for fresh courses for the semester.
A student shall be placed on Academic Probation if he/she fails to maintain a minimum CGPA of 10 at the end of the session. The probationary status of a student shall be reversed if the student maintains a CGPA of at least 1.00 in any subsequent semester after the first year. During the period of probation, the' student should no register for more than 15 credit units. He/she should begin with the registration of failed courses.
The responsibility to reverse the probationary status rests with the student. A preliminary notice of poor academic standing shall be given to a student in writing by the University.
Withdrawal for Academic Failure (WAF)
A student shall be required to withdraw for academic failure if he/she at the end of any session fails to maintain a CGPA of at least 1.00. [However, this rule shall not apply to the first year students].
However, in order to minimize waste of human resources, consideration should be given to withdrawal from programme of study and possible transfer to other programmes within the same University provided that he/she meets the admission requirement of the new programme.
However, a student in his/her final year of study who fails to obtain a passing grade in a minimum of 40% of Course registered in the session shall be allowed to register for courses in the following session. A student who fails to obtain a passing grade in a minimum of 40% of courses registered in the concessional year shall be asked to withdraw from the University.
Inter/Intra-Faculty Transfer
students currently registered in any programme of the University in a session and have a amınimum
CGPA of 2.00 may apply for transfer to another Department or Faculty.
A student seeking to transfer from one Faculty to another shall have a minimum CGPA of 2.00. A student seeking to transfer shall complete the University Transfer Form and submit same to the Head of the Department from which the student is seeking transfer. All applications for transfer are subject to recommendation of the Board of the Faculty to which the student is seeking transfer. Approval of such transfers shall be obtained from Senate.
Transfer From other Institutions
Students rrently registered in any full-time programme in other Universities may transfer to Federal University Lafia at the beginning of the new session, provided that they have a CGPA of 3.00 in programmes being offered at the Federal University Lafia. Inter-University Transfers can be same programme that the student had registered in the previous University
Forms shall be used together with transcripts, in applying through the Registrar. Admission shall be considered by Senate based upon the Registrar's commendation at least two months before the commencement of the session. There shall also be an attestation by the Registrar of the student's first University that the applicant was not expelled for misconduct from that University.
Transfer of Credit Units from other Institutions
Students transferring from other recognized Universities may be credited with units for Courses successfully completed and which satisfy the course requirements of the programme for which the student is registered at the Federal University Lafia. The credit units and grade points awarded shall be placed in the appropriate level in the degree programme. A transfer student shall not normally be credited with more than 65 units for courses taken in other Universities. No student shall be acepted on inter-university transfer into a level above Year II for a Four-Year programme, and above Year IlI for a Five-Year programme.
The Faculty Boards shall publish the results of all examinations after approval by Senate. However, Faculty Boards may publish failed courses of students after Faculty Boards’ consideration. Senate's approved student results should be made available to parents/guardians at the end of every semester.
All registered students of the University are expected to attend all schedule including tutorials, laboratory work, and field trips. Student attendance at scheduled classes/tutorials shall be taken at every class/tutorial session and counter-signed by the Lecturer in-charge. Attendance Registers for every course will be cross-checked by the HOD from time-to-time. Attendance requirement to sit for course examinations shall be a minimum of 75% of scheduled classes.
A student in a four-year degree programme shall normally be expected to complete the programme in eight (8) semesters, but may be allowed to contnue for a total of twelve (12) semesters and still qualify for a classified degree provided he/she maintains a CGPA of 1.00 and above
However, a student who is unable to complete the programme in twelve (12) semesters may be allowed to continue for additional two semesters but shall only be eligible for a pass degree, irrespective of the student's CGPA.
A student in a five-year degree programme shall normally be expected to complete the programme in ten (10) semesters but may be alowed to continue for a total of 15 semesters and still qualify for a classified degree provided he/she maintains a CGPA of 1.00 and above. However, a student who is unable to complete the programme in fifteen (15) semesters may be allowed to continue for an additional two (2) semesters but shall only be eligible for a pass degree. Irrespective of the student's CGPA.
Graduation Requirements for Bachelor's Degree
In order to qualify for the Bachelor's Degree of this University’s students must attain:
A passing grade in supervised Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme, (SIWES) where applicable;
A minimum of CGPA of 1.00;
A minimum of 150 units including SIWES for a five-year programme and 120 units for a four-year programme. A transfer student must earn a minimum of 60 units for a 4-year programme and 90 units for a 5-year programme in Federal University Lafia and
A minimum passing grade of E In all “compulsory” courses of a programme. A student may take some elective courses to meet graduation requirement.
Final Classification of Degree
For the purpose of final classification of degree, student should have achieved the following CGPA at the end of 150 or more units for a 5-yeaar programme.
CLASS OF DEGREE
CGPA
First Class 4.50-5.00
Second Class (upper Division) 3.50-4.49
Second Class (Lower Division) 2.40-3-49
Third Class 1.50-2.39
Pass 1.00-1.49
The Federal University Lafia is a recently established University situated in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State in 2010 by the Goodluck Jonathan administration as one of the nine new Federal Universities established in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.
The University commenced academic activities by September 2012 with new students that made up the first set of students to be trained by the University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ekanem Ikpi Braide. - Read More