Students’ academic standing is an indicator of their academic progress. Poor academic progress can result in Academic Warning or Academic Probation.

There are four academic terms in each academic year: Fall (normally early September to late December); Winter; Spring (normally early February to late May); and Summer (normally late June to mid-August).

The academic year begins on 1 September and ends on 31 August of the following year.

At the start of each term, there is an add/drop period where students may add or drop courses without these courses appearing on their record. After the add/drop period, students may not be permitted to add or drop courses for that term.

To graduate with an additional major, students admitted in 2015-16 or after must take all the requirements specified for that major, within which they must complete at least 20 single-counted credits. These 20 credits cannot be used to fulfill any other requirements for graduation except for the 120-credit degree requirement.

Associate students are students who have completed the requirements for an undergraduate degree, but wish to register for additional undergraduate courses. They are registered under conditions set out in Academic Regulation (AR) 3.4.

An award is an academic qualification granted by the University Senate on the completion of the requirements for the award. For the purpose of AR 12.2 (i) requirements for a student’s award include degree requirements under AR 4.1 and requirements for additional major(s), minor(s) and option(s) recorded on transcript.

Courses are the basic unit of instruction from which programs of study are built. Most courses at HKUST require study for a full term and earn 3 credit units.

The course-offering department is the academic unit responsible for a course, normally a department or division.

Subject to the academic regulations, credits may be transferred for work completed at an institution other than HKUST to meet requirements of a HKUST award.

Credit units are earned through the completion of courses and other assessed learning activities. The requirements for an award normally include completion of a minimum number of credits.

[For students admitted in the 2018-19 intake or after

For each term a CGA is calculated for all the courses earning grade points completed since first registration as an undergraduate student up to that point, as follows:

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Where Ci is the credit and Gi is the grade point earned in the ith course since first registration.

Courses with grades of Incomplete, Audit, Pass, Distinction, Transferred and Permitted to Proceed do not count toward grade point averages.]

{For students admitted in the 2017-18 intake or before

For each term a CGA is calculated for all the courses earning grade points completed since first registration as an undergraduate student up to that point, as follows:

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Where Ci is the credit and Gi is the grade point earned in the ith course since first registration.

Courses with grades of Incomplete, Audit, Pass, Distinction, Transferred and Permitted to Proceed and repeated courses under AR 7.3 do not count toward grade point averages.}

Where approval of the Dean is required, applications should be directed to the Office of the Associate Dean (Undergraduate). For programs under the Interdisciplinary Programs Office (IPO), Dean or the Dean’s designate refers to the Director of IPO or the Director’s designate.

To earn the award of a bachelor’s degree, all undergraduates must complete approved requirements.

The University Senate awards three types of bachelor’s degree: Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).

An academic department or division of the University.

Students may earn two degrees by fulfilling all the requirements of both degrees. Students who complete the requirements of two major programs, but complete the requirements of only one degree will not be awarded a dual degree.

Under certain circumstances, students may be granted an exemption from requirements for an award, or from the academic regulations.

Students who have registered for more than one major program may be asked to nominate one of these majors as their first major. Graduation from an additional major may not be possible within the normal duration of study for the award.

All undergraduate students are registered as full-time students. Full-time students must take a full credit load in each regular term, unless a reduced load has been approved.

Courses may be assessed for grade points. A table of grade points relative to letter grades is provided in AR 7.1. Courses graded AU, DI, I, P, PA, PP, T and W do not count in the calculation of grade averages.

{For students admitted in the 2017-18 intake or before

GGA is the student’s CGA at the end of the term for which the student is placed on the list of pending graduates, adjusted by deleting courses and setting a half-weight for courses completed for credit in the first year of study as permitted under AR 12.2.}

HKUST course credits are credits earned in courses included in the HKUST Course Catalog. HKUST course credits do not include credit transfer from other institutions.

[For students admitted in the 2018-19 intake and after

Major cumulative grade average (MCGA) is based on the grade points earned for the courses used to fulfill the major requirement and, depending on the major, possibly also the corresponding School/IPO requirement for that major. The Schools/IPO will determine if the School/IPO requirement should be included in the calculation of the MCGA and such decision will apply to all the majors in the Schools/IPO in which the School/IPO requirement applies.

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Where Ci is the course credits and Gi is the grade point earned in the ith course in the undergraduate study to fulfill the major requirement and the School/IPO requirement (if any) as permitted under AR 8.

If a failed course in this category is repeated, the previous F grade will not be included in the calculation of MCGA.]

To graduate with a bachelor’s degree, students must complete the requirements for at least one major. Details of all major programs offered at the University are provided at “Program Catalog”. Requirements for major programs vary and students should carefully review these requirements.To graduate with a bachelor’s degree, students must complete the requirements for at least one major. Details of all major programs offered at the University are provided at “Program Catalog”. Requirements for major programs vary and students should carefully review these requirements.

A Major-program Coordinator is appointed for each major. Contact information may be found through the office of the department/division that offers the major.

Details of all minor programs offered at the University are provided at “Program Catalog”. All minors require the completion of least 18 credits in designated courses. Students should carefully review the requirements for minors. Students who wish a minor to be recorded on their transcript must register for the minor through the Minor-program Coordinator.

A Minor-program Coordinator is appointed for each minor. Contact information may be found through the office of the department/division that offers the minor.

Students registered in a major may be given the opportunity to register for an option under their major. Students who complete an option may have this recorded on their academic transcript.

A student’s program of study is the set of components of an undergraduate degree for which a student is registered. Programs of study typically include School-level requirements, the University Common Core and a major. Students may add a minor or other components to their program of study.

Where the approval of the Provost is required under the ARs, applications should be directed to the Head of Undergraduate Studies Administration of the Academic Registry.

For the purposes of the ARs, registration includes registration in courses and registration in academic programs.

The Fall and Spring Terms are regular terms.

Undergraduates are registered in programs under one of four Schools or the Interdisciplinary Programs Office.

Students’ study load is the total credits for which they are registered in a term.

Students’ academic transcripts provide the full record of their academic results and performance.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The HKUST University Senate is the highest academic body of the University. The University Senate regulates admissions, degree requirements and all matters relating to teaching and learning. All academic awards of the University are made by the University Senate.

Visiting students register for courses, but not for programs. They are registered under conditions set out in AR 2.2.