Academic Advisor
At Bilkent University each student is assigned to an academic advisor. The advisor
offers counseling
services to the student on academic matters, takes an interest in the student's selection
of courses
and academic progress, and may assist him/her towards satisfactory job placement.
Course Load
For each undergraduate program, there exists a semester "normal course load interval"
defined by the relevant department and approved by the Faculty Board. The normal
course load interval consists of a lower and an upper limit. Upon recommendation of the academic
advisor and with the approval of the department chair, the maximum course load of a student in
one semester can be at most two more courses over the upper limit of the normal course load
of the program. There is also a "Nominal Credit Load" for each program, which is calculated by
dividing the total credits in the curriculum by the number of semesters in the normal duration
for completing the program. More information can be found in Article 4.2 and 4.3 of the
"Academic Regulations for Undergraduate and Associate Degree Programs".
Attendance
Students must attend all lecture, laboratory, and practical sessions, take all examinations,
and participate in any activities that the teaching staff may consider appropriate.
Examinations and Assessment
Apart from work conducted throughout the semester, students are usually asked to
take a final examination
and at least one midterm examination for a course. If a staff
member considers it
appropriate, practical laboratory work or other such assignments may be assessed
as midterm examinations or as a final examination.
Grades are finalized when they are announced via the internet on the date specified
in the Academic
Calendar. Semester grades for practical studies and other non-lecture courses are
determined by an
evaluation of the student's overall work and performance throughout the semester.
Grades
The University grading system uses letter grades with pluses and minuses.
Letter grades and their grade point equivalents are:
| |
A+ |
|
4.00 |
|
B+ |
|
3.30 |
|
C+ |
|
2.30 |
|
D+ |
|
1.30 |
|
F |
|
0.00 |
| |
A |
|
4.00 |
|
B |
|
3.00 |
|
C |
|
2.00 |
|
D |
|
1.00 |
|
FX |
|
0.00 |
| |
A- |
|
3.70 |
|
B- |
|
2.70 |
|
C- |
|
1.70 |
|
|
|
|
|
FZ |
|
0.00 |
Other grades used are S (Satisfactory), U (Unsatisfactory), I (Incomplete), P (In
Progress),
T (Transfer), and W (Withdraw). These grades do not have grade point equivalents.
| S |
: |
accorded to students who are successful in non-credit courses. |
| |
|
|
| U |
: |
accorded to students who are unsuccessful in non-credit courses. |
| |
|
|
| I |
: |
accorded to students who have not been able to complete the required studies for a letter grade,
due to compulsory reasons other than illness, to give them time to complete their missing course components. A student in this situation must complete the missing items within 14 days from the
date of announcement of the letter grades or until the course registrations for the next semester
begin, whichever is earlier. With the application of the instructor and the approval of the
department head, additional time may be given until the course registrations for the next semester
begin. A letter grade is given by the instructor if the student completes the missing items within
the given time. Once the allotted time expires, an FX grade will be assigned if a letter grade
other than I is not already given by the instructor. |
| |
|
|
| P |
: |
progress, used for multi-semester courses. |
| |
|
|
| T |
: |
reflects approved transferred
courses
from other universities or from an exchange program. A student with a grade of T
is exempted from an equivalent number of credits on the condition that the courses
are accepted by the department on the recommendation of the department chair and
with
the approval of the board of the faculty/school. This grade may provide an exemption
for
a particular course at the program. |
| |
|
|
| W |
: |
student has withdrawn from the
course before the
withdrawal deadline of the respective semester. |
A student with extraordinary performance in a course may be granted an A+ grade.
However, the number of A+ grades in a given course is limited based on class size:
If the
class size is less than 25 students, no A+ grades may be given; if the class size
is between
25 and 74 students, only one A+ grade may be given; if the class size is between
75 and
124 students, two A+ grades may be given; if the class size is between 125 and 174
students, three
A+ grades may be given; if the class size is between 175 and 224 students, four A+
grades may be given; if the class size is 225 or greater, five A+ grades may be
given. (The letter grade A+ was instituted beginning with the 2010-2011 academic
year.)
Students who have not met the minimum performance and/or attendance requirements
to qualify to take
the final exam receive an FZ grade before the final exams begin. Failing students
who have not shown
up at the final exam receive an FX grade instead of an F.
In undergraduate programs, a grade of C or higher (or S for non-credit courses) is
a passing grade for the course.
Letter grades F, FX, FZ, and U are all failing grades. Grades C-, D+, and D are considered
failing grades when
the student's Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is less than 2.00 and conditionally
passing grades when the
CGPA is 2.00 or higher. For ENG 101, grades C-, D+, and D are considered failing grades regardless of the CGPA.
In graduate programs, in addition to grade S, a grade of C or higher is a passing
grade in master's programs and
a grade of B or higher is a passing grade in Ph.D. programs. Letter grades lower
than C and grade U are failing
grades in master's programs and grades lower than B and grade U are failing grades
in Ph.D. programs.
Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)
A student's academic performance is determined at the end of each semester by computing
a weighted average
of the letter grades he/she has received during that semester. For each course, the
grade point equivalent
of the letter grade received by the student is multiplied by the credit units for
that course;
the sum of these products is then divided by the total credit units taken in that
semester to yield the Grade Point Average (GPA) for that semester. The Cumulative
Grade Point
Average (CGPA) is calculated by multiplying the grade point equivalent of the letter
grade by the
credit units for each course and then dividing the total sum by the total credit
units taken in
the program.
All-inclusive Grade Point Average (AGPA)
The All-inclusive Grade Point Average (AGPA) is calculated just like the CGPA, however
without
the new grade of a repeated course replacing the former grade. Class and graduate
rankings are based on the AGPA.
Graduates with an AGPA of 3.75 or higher graduate with summa cum laude, between 3.50 -
3.74 with magna cum laude and 3.00-3.49 with cum laude.
