METU Undergraduate Education Regulation

METU Undergraduate Education Regulation (Northern Cyprus Campus)*

Part I

Aim, Scope, Basis and Definitions of Terms

Aim

ARTICLE 1 – (1) The aim of this Regulation is to lay out the rules for student admissions and registration to the undergraduate programs carried out at Middle East Technical University, as well as those for the conduct of undergraduate education and examinations.

Scope

ARTICLE 2 – (1) This Regulation includes the rules concerning student admissions and registration to the undergraduate programs carried out at Middle East Technical University, as well as those governing the conduct of undergraduate education and examinations.

Basis

ARTICLE 3 – (1) This Regulation is based on Articles 14, 43, 44 and 46 of the Higher Education Act 2547 dated 4 November 1981.

Definitions of Terms

ARTICLE 4 – (1) Wherever in this Regulation the below terms appear, they shall be taken to refer to the following;

a) The Academic Board concerned: Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Academic Boards,
b) EPE: Middle East Technical University School of Foreign Languages English Proficiency Exam,
c) An Undergraduate Program: A higher education program consisting of a minimum of eight semesters,
d) The RO: Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Registrar’s Office,
e) The Rector: Rector of Middle East Technical University,
f) The Senate: Middle East Technical University Senate,
g) DBE: Middle East Technical University School of Foreign Languages Department of Basic English,
h) An International Undergraduate Joint Degree Program: An undergraduate program run jointly by METU and an overseas higher education institution,
i) The University / METU: Middle East Technical University,
j) The University Administrative Board: Middle East Technical University Administrative Board,
k) SFL: Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus School of Foreign Languages,
l) Regulation: Middle East Technical University regulations for undergraduate education.

Part II

Rules Concerning the Conduct of Undergraduate Education

Medium of instruction

ARTICLE 5 – (1) In all undergraduate degrees at METU, the medium of instruction is English. However, the courses which are required to be conducted in Turkish or any other language are determined by the University Senate.

(2) The registration of the students to the undergraduate programs is made after their proficiency in English is documented.

(3) The assessment of the English proficiency of the students admitted to and enrolled in the undergraduate programs and of the transfer students, and the education at the DBE Preparatory Class is made in accordance with the “Middle East Technical University School of Foreign Languages Department of Basic English Preparatory Class Regulation”.

Period of study

ARTICLE 6 – (1) The period of study is four years (eight semesters) for undergraduate programs, and five years (ten semesters) for programs offering a master’s degree along with an undergraduate degree.

(2) The maximum period of study is seven years (fourteen semesters) for undergraduate programs, and eight years (sixteen semesters) for programs offering a master’s degree along with an undergraduate degree.

(3) The period of study which is spent at the DBE Preparatory Class is not included in the normal and maximum periods of study.

(4) The semesters for which students are granted a leave of absence by the administrative board concerned are not included in the normal and maximum periods of study.

(5) All the semesters during which the students have been registered since they first enrolled in an undergraduate program or which have been spent unregistered due to failure to re-register are included in the normal and maximum periods of study.

(6) The semesters which have been spent in institutions of higher education in the country or abroad as part of student exchange programs are included in the normal and maximum periods of study.

Academic year

ARTICLE 7 – (1) One academic year consists of two 16-week semesters including the final examination periods.

(2) A summer school can be offered within an academic year. The regulations governing the conduct of education in summer school are determined by the Senate.

(3) The duration and dates of the registration, courses, examinations and other similar activities within an academic year are regulated by the academic calendar.

(4) The weekly course schedules within a semester and summer school are prepared and announced by the program coordinator concerned in coordination with the RO.

(5) The courses to be offered in a semester and summer school are determined by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned, and approved by the academic board concerned. The course sections, capacities and criteria are determined by the program coordinator concerned.

Undergraduate programs

ARTICLE 8 – (1) An undergraduate program is prepared by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned, recommended by the related academic board, and opened with the Senate’s decision and the approval of the Higher Education Council.

(2) The curriculum of an undergraduate program consists of theoretical course hours, laboratory course hours, practical course hours, workshop(s), studio course hours, practical training course hours and other similar studies and of the distribution of such studies as courses between semesters.

(3) The changes to the title and period of study of an undergraduate program are prepared by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned, and confirmed by the Senate following the proposal of the academic board concerned.

(4) The amendments to the curriculum of an undergraduate program and the guidelines for the adjustment of students to these are prepared by the program coordinator/head of academic board and determined by the academic board concerned.

International joint-degree programs

ARTICLE 9 – (1) International joint-degree programs can be opened together with the institutions of higher education abroad.

(2) The regulations governing the international joint-degree programs are determined by the Senate.

Double major programs

ARTICLE 10 – (1) Students enrolled in an undergraduate program at METU can concurrently enroll in another undergraduate program. The second undergraduate program is designated as a “Double Major Undergraduate Program”. The students who complete this program are awarded a “Double Major Diploma” in addition to the diploma they receive fr om the undergraduate program in which they are enrolled. The regulations governing the double major programs are determined by the Senate.

Minor programs

ARTICLE 11 – (1) Students enrolled in an undergraduate program at METU can additionally enroll in a “Minor Program”, which incorporates a certain number of courses offered by another undergraduate program at METU or a certain number of interdisciplinary courses. A minor program is not an undergraduate program. The students who complete this program receive a certificate. The regulations governing the minor programs are determined by the Senate.

Exchange programs

ARTICLE 12 – (1) Exchange programs can be offered between METU campuses and institutions of higher education in the country or abroad within the framework of mutual agreements. The regulations governing these programs are determined by the Senate.

Certificate programs

ARTICLE 13 – (1) The regulations concerning the certificate programs are determined by the Senate.

Special students

ARTICLE 14 – (1) Special students are those who are not enrolled in a program at METU but who have registered for a limited number of courses and are expected to complete the requirements of these courses. The regulations concerning special students are determined by the Senate.

Admission to undergraduate programs

ARTICLE 15 - (1) Admission to undergraduate programs is governed by the regulations established by the University Senate based on the Higher Education Act No. 2547 dated November 4, 1981 and the regulations and decisions of the Council of Higher Education.

(2) The regulations governing the application, admission and registration of international students and students applying fr om abroad are determined by the Senate.

(3) The regulations governing the application and admission of undergraduate transfers within the university or fr om outside the University are determined by the Senate.

(4) International applicants who fail to submit any of the required documents may be offered a “Conditional Admission”. Students who are admitted conditionally are allowed to continue their enrollment for the METU NCC undergraduate programs on the condition that they will submit the missing document(s) to the Registrar’s Office till the end of the add/drop period. Those who fail to meet the conditions of admission in the allotted time may take courses as “Special Student” for one semester in conditional status. All of the non-credit courses offered by the University and successfully completed by a special student may be counted toward the requirements of the student’s major program. The maximum number of transferable credit courses in the special student status, however, is restricted to the normal course load of the undergraduate program concerned.

Initial enrollments

ARTICLE 16 - (1) The registration of the students admitted to or placed in undergraduate programs is carried out by the RO on the dates stated in the academic calendar.

(2) The below-mentioned requirements should be fulfilled in order that the enrollment of the students in the university might be finalized:

a) To have a document certifying that the student is qualified to receive a diploma fr om a high school in Turkey or an institution in the country or abroad, which is recognized as the equivalent of a high school by the Ministry of Education.

b) To fulfill the requirements regarding tuition fees.

c) To have a valid student visa (for international students).

d) To fulfill the other requirements announced by the University.

(3) Only the originals of the documents required for registration or their copies, which are approved by the University when the originals have been presented, are accepted. The students’ statements regarding their military service status and criminal records are taken as truth during registration. Students found to have qualified for registration by providing false or misleading statements and inaccurate information or records, may not register. If they have already registered, their registration is cancelled regardless of the semester they are in, all the documents they have received including diplomas are declared null and void, and legal action is taken against them. In such cases, a student is deemed not to be eligible for student status and thereafter may not enjoy any of the rights granted to students.

(4) Those students who have completed registration procedures are provided with a student ID card. The ID cards contain personal information about students.

(5) Those who have not completed their registration within the declared period are deemed to have waived their student rights and thereafter may not claim any of those rights.

Courses and course credits

ARTICLE 17 - (1) The courses within undergraduate programs are of two types: compulsory and elective. Compulsory courses are those that are defined in the curriculum and thus have to be taken. Elective courses are those whose numbers, types and groups are defined in the curriculum and are chosen by students.

(2) The course titles, codes, contents, credits, categories, prerequisites, corequisites, midterm exams, final exams and other similar features and amendments to be made to these features are determined by the academic board concerned following proposals by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned.

(3) Pre-requisite and co-requisite courses may be required in order that a course might be taken.

a) A course which must be taken before another course and for which the passing grade must be at least DD or S is called the pre-requisite of that course.

b) A course which must be taken together with another course is called the co-requisite of that course. If a letter grade, except NA and W, has been taken fr om a co-requisite course before, the co-requisite course condition is deemed to have been satisfied.

(4) Apart fr om the pre-requisite and co-requisite courses, additional conditions can be required by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned in order that a course might be taken.

(5) In case of exemption from the pre-requisite or co-requisite course of a certain course, the pre-requisite or co-requisite of that course is deemed to have been met.

(6) The credit value of a course consists of all of the weekly theoretical course hours plus half of the weekly laboratory, practical, studio, practical application and other similar course hours.

(7) Weekly theoretical and practical course hours of non-credit courses are stated, but these courses do not take any credit value.

Course load

ARTICLE 18 - (1) The normal course load of an undergraduate program is the number of credit courses in the semester during which the highest number of credit courses are defined in the curriculum of that program.

(2) The course load of students in a semester may not exceed the normal course load. The normal course load;

a) may be increased by only one course upon the students’ request and with the approval of the advisor, if their Cumulative Grade Point Average is at least 2,00.

b) may be increased by up to 2 courses at most upon the students’ request and with the approval of the advisor, if their Cumulative Grade Point Average is at least 2,50.

(3) The minimum course load of students in a semester is 3 credit courses. This load may be reduced with the approval of the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned, if there exist valid reasons for doing so.

(4) The minimum course load rule mentioned in Article 18/(3) does not apply to students who can fulfil the conditions for graduation at the end of the semester registered in.

Course transfers

ARTICLE 19 - (1) Transfer of the courses a student has previously taken in a higher education institution to his/her undergraduate program is done by the academic board concerned following the recommendation of the program coordinator.

(2) Course transfers are conducted in accordance with the current curriculum.

(3) Those courses in which students received a grade of CC or above, S, or their equivalent will be counted and those courses that will be retaken are determined in accordance with course transfer procedures.

(4) Taking into consideration the number of courses which are transferred, the number of semesters which the student has spent from his/her maximum period of study is calculated and deducted from his/her maximum period of study. In doing so, the normal course load of the undergraduate program concerned is considered for each semester.

(5) The other regulations related to course transfer are determined by the Senate.

Non-program courses

ARTICLE 20 - (1) Non-program courses are the courses that are not included in the curriculum of the undergraduate or double major/minor programs in which the student is registered but that are taken as extra credit courses by the student. The rules for non-program courses are as follows:

a) Such courses are taken in NI (Not Included) status.

b) The courses taken in NI status are counted in the course load of the student in the semester concerned.

c) Up to 2 courses at most may be taken in NI status in a semester.

d) The status of courses taken as NI may not be changed upon the elapse of the registration period for the related semester.

e) The status of courses not taken in NI status may not be changed to NI upon the elapse of the registration period for the semester concerned.

f) The courses taken in NI status may be repeated only once in NI status.

g) The courses taken in NI status are not included in the calculation of Grade Point Averages.

h) The courses taken in NI status are indicated on the transcripts, along with the letter grades assigned for each course.

i) A course taken in NI status may not be counted toward the degree requirements of the programs that the student is registered for in the semester concerned.

Semester registrations

ARTICLE 21 - (1) Each semester students must re-register on the dates for online registration stated in the academic calendar. However, students who enroll in an undergraduate program for the first time may also register in the add/drop week stated in the academic calendar. Students who fail to register on the designated dates are deemed unregistered and may not enjoy the rights for registered students.

(2) Semester registration procedures consist of the following stages:

a) Students pay the tuition and registration fee and fulfill any other financial obligations (dormitory fee, library fee, etc.) pertaining to previous years, if any.

b) Students register for courses using the online registration system.

c) Students meet their advisor face to face and get online semester registration approval.

(3) In the first semester they have registered, students must take all first-semester courses included in the curriculum, except for those from which they are exempted.

(4) The following priorities are observed in determining the courses to be taken during semester registration providing that the prerequisites have been met; however, these priorities may be changed with the approval of the advisor:

a) The courses which must be repeated.

b) The must courses pertaining to previous years which were not taken before.

c) The courses which must be taken according to the order of years in the curriculum, which students want to retake to improve their Cumulative Grade Point Average, and/or to take in NI status.

(5) Students who have completed their semester registration during the online registration dates may add or drop courses or change course sections during the add/drop dates stated in the academic calendar.

Advisor approval is required in order for the changes to be valid.

(6) Those students with unregistered status who wish to register for the current semester must apply to the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned by stating and documenting a valid reason until the termination of the designated add/drop period for the semester. The RO registers the students whose excuses are accepted by the academic board concerned and who meet the registration requirements.

(7) Students with unregistered status may register during the online registration period stated in the academic calendar in the following semesters. However, these students must apply to the RO by filing a petition latest by the date online registration starts.

(8) Students who fail to register for four consecutive academic years (eight semesters) without a valid reason are dismissed from the University by the decision of the academic board concerned and the approval of the Higher Education Council.

Course withdrawals

ARTICLE 22 - (1) Students may withdraw from a course in which they have registered subject to the following rules:

a) Course withdrawal is done in the tenth week of the semester concerned.

b) Course withdrawal requests and advisor approvals are processed online.

c) Course withdrawal is approved by the advisor upon face to face discussion with the student.

d) The course instructor is informed of the withdrawal online.

e) Students may withdraw from one course only in one semester.

f) Students may withdraw from up to six courses at most during their period of study.

g) Students may not withdraw from the courses included in the first two semesters of the curriculum.

h) Students may not withdraw from the courses which they are repeating, which they have withdrawn before, which are in NI status, or which are non-credit.

i) Students with a minimum course load or below in a semester may not withdraw from a course.

Part III

Examinations, Assessment and Graduation

Attendance and examinations

ARTICLE 23 - (1) Students must attend the theoretical and practical class hours, examinations and other academic studies as required by the instructors.

(2) The attendance of students is monitored by the instructors.

(3) The effect of student attendance on the right to take the mid-term and final examinations and on the letter grades for a semester; the mid-term examinations, homework assignments, practical applications and other similar studies for which the students are responsible and the effect of these on the letter grades for a semester; and the conditions to take the final examination, if any, are determined by the instructors and announced to the students through course syllabus at the beginning of the semester.

(4) At least one mid-term examination and one final examination are given for each course. The courses which do not require a mid-term and/or final examination are determined by the program coordinator concerned and the RO is informed of these.

(5) Students are informed of their course performance within a semester by the course instructors. While doing so, instructors follow the principle of confidentiality.

(6) The examination dates of the courses for which mid-term examinations are given are determined by the program coordinator concerned upon the proposals of the course instructor/instructors and announced within the first four weeks of a semester. The examination dates of multi-section must courses taken by the students of multiple programs are determined and announced by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned in coordination with the RO.

(7) The exams other than the mid-term and final examinations may be given with no predetermined date.

(8) The arrangement of the examinations in courses for which final examinations are given is made as follows:

a) The times and dates of the final examinations are determined and announced by the RO following consultations with the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned.

b) The pre-announced final examination dates may be changed by the RO upon the reasoned request of the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned provided that the new dates are within the period of final examinations. The changes are made before the period of final examinations starts.

(9) When necessary, classes and examinations may also be held on weekdays after the working hours and/or at the weekends.

(10) Instructors and proctors are responsible for the smooth and proper running of the examinations.

(11) The criteria for the procedures to be applied for students who have failed to take an examination are determined by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned upon the proposals of the course instructor/instructors.

Assessment and grades

ARTICLE 24 - (1) Students receive a letter grade for each course at the end of the semester they are registered in.

(2) The letter grades are at the discretion of the course instructors.

(3) In determining the letter grades, the students’ success in the mid-term and final examinations and in the studies they carried out within the semester and their attendance to the theoretical and practical course hours are considered.

(4) The courses for which an exemption exam will be given, the conditions required for exemption and the application criteria are determined by the Senate following the proposal of the academic board concerned.

(5) The coefficient, score intervals and status of the letter grades used in the calculation of the Grade Point

Averages are shown in the table below:

a)

b) NA is the grade given to students for any one of the reasons stated below, and is processed as FF while calculating Grade Point Averages:

 

1) The student does not fulfill the attendance requirements for theoretical and practical class hours as indicated on course syllabus.

2) The student does not qualify to take the final exam due to failure to fulfill the course requirements as indicated on course syllabus.

3) The student has not taken the mid-term and final examinations.

c) The letter grades which are not included in the Grade Point Averages are stated below:

1) The grade S (Satisfactory Completion) is given to students who are successful in noncredit courses.

2) The grade U (Unsatisfactory) is given to students who are not successful in non-credit courses.

3) The grade EX (Exemption) is given to students who are exempt from some of the courses in the curriculum.

4) The grade I (Incomplete) is given to students who cannot complete the course requirements by the end of the semester or the summer school for a valid reason which is accepted by the course instructor. The grade I is converted to letter grade in one week after the scheduled submission deadline for the semester and summer school grades.

However, in certain cases it is possible to extend this time lim it till the first day of the next online registration period, which requires the recommendation of the program coordinator concerned and the approval of the academic board on which the undergraduate program concerned is represented. The grade I is converted into FF or U automatically if it is not converted to a letter grade before the deadline. The dates concerning the grade I are specified on the academic calendar.

Submitting and announcing grades and correcting errors in grading

ARTICLE 25 - (1) The semester final grades are submitted by course instructors on the dates stated in the academic calendar.

(2) The grades are announced on the related web page which can be accessed by students on the date stated in the academic calendar.

(3) Any errors in grading are corrected by the RO with the approval of the program coordinator concerned, upon the course instructor’s application for correction within seven days from the last day for submission of semester or summer school final grades to the RO. In cases wh ere this period is exceeded, correction of errors in grading is subject to the recommendation of the program coordinator concerned and the approval of the academic board on which the undergraduate program concerned is represented. The deadline for correction of errors in grading is specified on the academic calendar.

Repeating courses

ARTICLE 26 - (1) The courses from which the letter grades FF, FD, NA, U, and W are received must be repeated.

(2) Instead of the elective courses which must be repeated, students may take other elective courses of the same category/type, included in the curriculum, by the approval of their advisors. Special cases are resolved by the academic board concerned upon the recommendation of the program coordinator.

(3) Students who have received a DD grade or above in a course may repeat the course within the three consecutive semesters following the semester concerned, with the exception of students on probation and students who successfully completed all the courses to become eligible for graduation but failed to fulfil the Grade Point Average requirement.

(4) Regardless of the previous grade, the grade received from the repeated course is valid.

Grade Point Averages

ARTICLE 27 - (1) Students’ semester Grade Point Averages and Cumulative Grade Point Averages are calculated at the end of each semester and their success status is determined.

(2) The total credit points obtained from a course are calculated by multiplying the credit value of the course and the coefficient corresponding to the letter grade received from the course at the end of the semester.

(3) Semester Grade Point Average is calculated by dividing the total credit points obtained from all the courses in which the student is registered in the semester concerned by the total of the credit values of those courses.

(4) Cumulative Grade Point Average is calculated by dividing the total credit points obtained from all the courses the student has taken up to that time, including the semester concerned, by the total of the credit values of those courses.

(5) Grade Point Averages obtained from the calculations are expressed by rounding the values after comma. In rounding numbers, the second digit after comma is not changed if the third digit is smaller than

5, but it is increased by 1 if the third digit is 5 or greater.

Successful students

ARTICLE 28 - (1) Students whose Cumulative and Semester Grade Point Averages are at least 2,00 and who have not received a failing grade (FF, FD, NA, and U) in the semester concerned are qualified as follows according to their Semester Grade Point Averages:

a) Students whose Semester Grade Point Averages are 3,50 – 4,00 are qualified as High Honors, and the ones whose Semester Grade Point Averages are 3,00 – 3,49 are qualified as Honors students providing that they are within their maximum period of study and they have taken at least three credit courses in the semester concerned.. Students who fulfill the Grade Point requirement but who fail to fulfill the requirement for three credit courses are qualified as

Satisfactory students.

b) Students who are within their maximum period of study and whose Semester Grade Point Averages are 2,00 – 2,99 and students who have exceeded the maximum period of study and whose Semester Grade Point Averages are at least 2,00 are qualified as Satisfactory students.

(2) Students whose Cumulative and Semester Grade Point Averages are at least 2,00 but who have obtained a failing grade from a course in the semester concerned are qualified as Sufficient students.

Unsuccessful students

ARTICLE 29 - (1) Students whose Cumulative and/or Semester Grade Point Averages are below 2,00 are qualified as Unsatisfactory students.

Students on probation

ARTICLE 30 - (1) Students whose Cumulative Grade Point Averages are below 2,00 in two consecutive semesters are qualified as students on probation.

(2) Students on probation may not take courses which they have not taken before or those in which they have received a W grade. They must repeat the courses that they have already taken, in particular those in which they have received failing grades (FF, FD, NA, and U).

(3) Students on probation may take other elective courses of the same category/type, included in the curriculum, by the recommendation of their advisors on the condition that it is to be counted instead of an elective course they have taken before. Special cases are resolved by the approval of the academic board concerned, upon the recommendation of the program coordinator.

(4) The minimum course load requirement mentioned in this document is not valid for students on probation.

(5) The Cumulative Grade Point Average of students on probation must be at least 2,00 in order for their probation status to end.

Graduation requirements and dates

ARTICLE 31 - (1) The following requirements must be fulfilled in order to be eligible for graduation from an undergraduate program:

a) All the courses included in the curriculum must be completed with at least the letter grades DD or S.

b) The Cumulative Grade Point Average must be at least 2,00.

c) Students must have obtained at least half of the total credit points required by the curriculum from the courses offered at METU, with the exception of the international joint degree programs carried out with the contracted universities abroad.

d) The last two semesters on registered status must be spent at METU, with the exception of the student exchange programs and international joint degree programs carried out with the contracted universities abroad.

(2) The date of graduation from undergraduate programs is determined as follows:

a) The date of graduation from undergraduate programs is the date of announcement of the related semester or summer school letter grades stated in the academic calendar. After the announcement of the letter grades, the graduation date is when the letter grade is finalized based on the correction of the errors in grading, the completion of the grade I, and the use of the right to resit examination.

b) For students who want to leave the university by receiving an Associate Degree Diploma before they become eligible for graduation from an undergraduate program, the graduation date is the date of announcement of the letter grades for the semester in which the student has obtained the right to receive the diploma.

Resit examinations

ARTICLE 32 - (1) The regulations for the resit examinations are determined by the Senate.

Procedures upon the elapse of the maximum period of study

ARTICLE 33 - (1) The procedures that apply to students who are not eligible for graduation upon the elapse of the maximum period of study for their program are as follows:

a) a) Students are granted two supplementary exams, scheduled for the dates specified in the academic calendar, for any courses which they have taken and in which they received a failing grade (FF, FD, U). A supplementary exam is not granted to students for courses in which they are assigned a final letter grade on the basis of semester-long work (such as design courses, studio work, labs, internships, term projects, theses and thesis-related courses, and other academic work). The list of courses that fall into this category is determined by the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned, and is submitted to the RO. The RO informs students of the courses of this category.

b) A make-up exam will not be granted to students who fail to sit the supplementary exam on the scheduled date.

c) The grade received in the supplementary exam is treated on its own, and is converted to a letter grade without taking into account the grades received within the semester.

d) Students who have six or more credit courses (those that have not been taken before and those in which an FD or FF grade is received) left to graduate, after having sat the supplementary exams, are dismissed from the University.

e) Students who have two to five credit courses left to graduate, after having sat the supplementary exams, are granted registration for an additional period of three semesters.

Students who have two to five credit courses left to graduate, without having sat the supplementary exams, are granted registration for an additional period of four semesters.

Students who have more than one credit course left to graduate at the end of the additional periods of study, are dismissed from the University.

f) Students who have only one credit course left to qualify for graduation are granted the right to register for additional semesters, with no time lim it.

g) Students who successfully complete all the courses required for graduation but fail to fulfil the

Cumulative Grade Point Average requirement are granted the right to register for any course they wish to take, with no time lim it.

h) Students who are granted an additional period of study must pay the tuition and registration fee to complete their semester registrations.

i) Of the students who are granted an additional study period, with no time lim it, those who fail to register for a total of three consequtive or nonconsequtive academic years are dismissed from the University.

Diplomas, certificates and other documents

ARTICLE 34 - (1) The diplomas, certificates and other documents awarded to students and the requirements for these are defined as follows:

a) Undergraduate Diploma: This is awarded to students who meet the requirements for graduation from an undergraduate degree program.

b) Double Major Diploma: This is awarded to students who meet the requirements for graduation from both the undergraduate degree program and the double major degree program they are registered in.

c) Associate Degree Diploma: This is awarded to students who want to leave the University before qualifying for graduation from an undergraduate program, upon their application and finalizing the process of disenrollment. In order to qualify for an associate diploma, students must have received the letter grades of at least DD or S from all the courses in the curriculum for the first four semesters, and the Cumulative Grade Point Average of these courses must be at least 2,00.

d) Interim Certificate of Graduation: This document is given to students who obtain the right to graduate for only once as a substitute for a diploma, and is valid until the date of the graduation ceremony of the academic year concerned.

e) Diploma Supplement: This is a document attached to a higher education diploma, aiming at the recognition of academic and professional qualifications at an international level.

f) Certificate of Graduation with High Achievement: This is a document which is given to high ranking graduates in undergraduate programs. Decisions regarding how the rank ordering of graduating students is to be determined are made by the Senate.

g) Minor Program Certificate: This is a document given to students who are eligible for graduation from an undergraduate degree they are registered in and who also successfully complete a minor degree program they are registered in. This document is a certificate, not a diploma.

h) Transcript: This is a document which shows the courses students have taken in each semester since they registered in the university, course credit values, the grades taken from the courses, the Grade Point Averages in the semesters concerned, and the Cumulative Grade Point Average.

i) Student Success Certificate: This is a document given to “Honors” or “High Honors” students at the end of a semester.

j) Student Certificate: This is a document which shows the registration status of a student.

(2) Diplomas, certificates and other such documents are signed by the below-mentioned authorities:

a) Diplomas for associate degrees, undergraduate degrees, minor program certificates, and double major degrees are signed by the Rector, the President of METU Northern Cyprus Campus, and the Program Coordinator.

b) Interim certificates of graduation are signed by the RO authority, and the Vice President or

Assistant to the President responsible for Student Affairs.

c) Certificates of High Achievement and Student Success Certificates are signed by the President of METU Northern Cyprus Campus.

d) Diploma supplements, transcripts and student certificates are signed by the RO authority.

(3) Students’ programs are indicated on the diplomas, certificates and other such documents.

(4) Students who complete undergraduate and/or double major programs with Cumulative Grade Point Averages of 3,00 – 3,49 are qualified as “Honors” and the ones with Cumulative Grade Point Averages of 3,50 or above are qualified as “High Honors” graduates. These qualifications are stated in the diplomas.

(5) The form and sizes of the diplomas and the information to be stated in them are determined by the Senate.

(6) In the event that a diploma or certificate is lost, a new copy is issued for only once. The new copy is printed with the phrase “second copy” on it.

(7) In the event that the name and/or surname of the graduate has changed after the graduation date, new copies of diplomas and/or certificated are not issued, nor the information on them is changed.

Part IV

Advisory, Discipline, Grants, Health, Fees, Leave of Absence and Notifications

Advisory

ARTICLE 35 - (1) The program coordinator concerned assigns an academic advisor from among full time academics and teaching staff to each student registered in an undergraduate program.

(2) The duties/responsibilities of the academic advisors are stated below:

a) They inform the students about the courses they will take each semester and provide guidance in choosing them.

b) They give advisor approval after reviewing, together with the student, the courses to be registered as well as the student’s academic performance.

c) They provide guidance to students in adapting to university life and in the areas of professional growth and career development.

Disciplinary procedures

ARTICLE 36 - (1) The disciplinary procedures regarding students are carried out according to the provisions of The Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus Student Disciplinary Directive approved by the METU Senate.

Student grants and aids

ARTICLE 37 - (1) The regulations for the distribution of student grants and aids provided from various sources are determined by the Senate.

Health service

ARTICLE 38 - (1) The regulations for the health service offered to students are determined by the Senate.

Tuition fee and other fees

ARTICLE 39 - (1) The tuition fee and other fees are determined by the University Administrative Board.

Leave of Absence

ARTICLE 40 - (1) Students may be granted leave of absence for a total of four semesters, which should not exceed periods of up to two semesters at a time, with the approval of the academic board concerned, on the grounds of health, military service, education in an institution of higher education in Turkey or abroad, and financial or familial obligation. The University Administrative Board reserves the right to grant a leave of absence of more than four semesters.

(2) Students who wish to be granted leave of absence must apply to the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned with a petition stating valid and reasonable grounds for request of such leave and providing the necessary documents latest by the end of the add-drop week of the semester concerned.

However, no time restrictions exist for application in the event that the grounds for permission arise after the end of the add-drop week.

(3) The program coordinator sends the student’s request for leave of absence to the academic board concerned along with the opinions of the student’s academic advisor.

(4) The academic board concerned sends their decision to the RO, wh ere it is processed.

(5) Students who wish to return to the University before the elapse of the leave of absence period must apply with a petition to the program coordinator/head of academic board concerned before the period of interactive registration starts. Student applications which are approved by the academic board concerned with the recommendations of the academic advisor and the program coordinator are sent to the RO for processing.

Disenrollment

ARTICLE 41 - (1) Students may disenroll from the University by applying to the RO.

(2) Students who disenroll from the University or are dismissed on the grounds of disciplinary action must follow the procedures for disenrollment required by the University and fulfill their financial obligations (tuition fee, dormitory fee, library debt, etc.) in order that they may receive their secondary school diplomas and other personal documents in the RO files.

(3) Students who disenroll from an undergraduate program by receiving an Associate Degree Diploma or without meeting the graduation requirements forfeit all their student rights in the University and may never register again in the program from which they have withdrawn in order to complete their undergraduate education.

Notifications

ARTICLE 42 - (1) All types of notification to students are sent to their postal address in the student records and/or to the e-mail addresses provided to them by the University.

(2) Students must follow the messages sent to their e-mail addresses provided by the University.

Part V

Miscellaneous and Final Issues

Northern Cyprus Campus

ARTICLE 43 - (1) The procedures and principles for the application of these rules and regulations to the undergraduate programs carried out at the Northern Cyprus Campus are determined by the Senate.

Invalidated regulations

ARTICLE 44 - (1) The METU Regulations for Undergraduate Period of Study and Examinations and

Assessment published in the Official Gazette No. 28387 dated August 17, 2012 have been revoked, and are no longer in effect.

Articles governing the transition period

TEMPORARY ARTICLE 1 - (1) For students who earned the right to register in an undergraduate program within or before the first semester of 2014 – 2015 academic year, the maximum period of study stated in

Article 6 and Article 33 of this Regulation starts in the second semester of 2014 – 2015 academic year.

Validity

ARTICLE 45 - (1) This Regulation shall take effect from the fall term of the 2015-2016 academic year.

Execution

ARTICLE 46 - (1) This Regulation are executed by the Rector of the Middle East Technical University.

 

This document is an incorporated document, which is comprised of the "Middle East Technical University Undergraduate Education Regulation", approved at the METU Senate meeting No. 2015/4 dated June 30, 2015 and published in the Official Gazette No. 29447 of the Republic of Turkey dated August 16, 2015, which came into effect as of that date, and of the "Principles and Procedures Governing the Implementation of METU Undergraduate Education Regulation at METU Northern Cyprus Campus", approved at the METU Senate on December 15, 2015 (Decision No:11) in accordance with Article 43 of the aforementioned document. 05/01/2016