ACADEMICS

Academic Guidelines and Regulations

The rules governing course registration, credit units, grading, progression, examinations and academic integrity for all students of the University.

Scope and Authority

These guidelines are made by the Senate of the Federal University of Science and Technology, Kabo under the powers conferred on it by the University's enabling law, and apply to every registered student of the University. They are read together with the Students' Handbook, the Examination Regulations and any faculty-specific rules approved by Senate.

FUSTKABO operates the Course Unit System with continuous assessment, in line with National Universities Commission guidelines. Academic performance is measured in Grade Points, aggregated as a Grade Point Average (GPA) for a semester and a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) across the whole programme. Ignorance of these regulations is not accepted as a defence in any disciplinary or examination matter.

Where a regulation in this document conflicts with the requirements of a professional regulatory body governing a particular programme, such as the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria or the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the stricter requirement applies to students of that programme.

For each course, the Grade Point earned is multiplied by the credit units of that course to give the Total Grade Points for the course. The Grade Point Average for a semester is the sum of the Total Grade Points for all courses registered in that semester, divided by the total number of credit units registered in the same semester. The Cumulative Grade Point Average is calculated in the same way but over all semesters completed to date, including all failed attempts.

Where a carry-over course is repeated, both the failed and the repeat attempt appear on the transcript, but only the repeat grade is used in the CGPA computation; the credit units of the failed attempt remain in the denominator until the course is passed. Final degree classification is based on the CGPA at the point of graduation, rounded to two decimal places, and Senate does not round a CGPA upwards to reach the next classification band under any circumstances.

The Credit Unit System

A credit unit measures the workload attached to a course. One credit unit represents one hour of lecture or one hour of tutorial per week for fifteen weeks, or three hours of laboratory, studio or fieldwork per week for the same period.

Courses are coded with a three-letter departmental prefix and a three-digit number, in which the first digit indicates the level and an odd or even final digit indicates a first or second semester course respectively.
The minimum registrable load is 15 credit units per semester and the maximum is 24 credit units, except in the final year where a student needing fewer units to graduate may register below the minimum with the written approval of the Dean.
Courses are classified as Compulsory (C), Required (R) or Elective (E). Compulsory courses must be passed before graduation; required courses must be registered and passed at the level prescribed; electives are chosen freely from an approved list.
General Studies (GST) courses in Communication in English, Nigerian Peoples and Culture, Philosophy and Logic, Entrepreneurship, and Peace and Conflict Resolution are compulsory for all undergraduates and must be passed before graduation.
Students in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Computing and Science programmes must complete the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) for the prescribed duration; SIWES carries credit units and a failure must be repeated.
A course in which a student scores below 40 per cent becomes a carry-over course and must be registered and passed at the next available opportunity, taking priority over new courses in the registration load.
A student may not register for a course whose prerequisite has not been passed, unless the Head of Department grants a written waiver on academic grounds.

Grading Scale

Score (%)	Letter Grade	Grade Point	Interpretation
70 - 100	A	5.00	Excellent
60 - 69	B	4.00	Very Good
50 - 59	C	3.00	Good
45 - 49	D	2.00	Fair
40 - 44	E	1.00	Pass
0 - 39	F	0.00	Fail (carry-over)

Degree Classification

CGPA Range	Class of Degree
4.50 - 5.00	First Class Honours
3.50 - 4.49	Second Class Honours (Upper Division)
2.40 - 3.49	Second Class Honours (Lower Division)
1.50 - 2.39	Third Class Honours
1.00 - 1.49	Pass
Below 1.00	Fail - candidate is not awarded a degree

Examination Regulations

Examinations are conducted under the authority of Senate through the Directorate of Academic Affairs. The following rules apply to every candidate.

Continuous assessment, comprising tests, assignments, laboratory reports and class participation, contributes 30 per cent of the total mark in theory courses and 40 per cent in laboratory, studio and clinical courses.
A student must attend at least 75 per cent of the lectures and 100 per cent of the practical sessions of a course to be eligible to sit its examination. Attendance registers are the definitive record.
Candidates must present a valid student identity card and a printed examination docket at every paper; no candidate is admitted to the hall without both.
Candidates arriving more than thirty minutes after the start of a paper are refused entry, and no candidate may leave the hall within the first thirty minutes or the last fifteen minutes.
Mobile telephones, smart watches, programmable calculators and any unauthorised written material are prohibited in the examination hall, whether used or not.
A candidate who is unable to sit an examination on medical grounds must submit a report from the University Health Services, or a report from another hospital countersigned by the Director of Health Services, within seven days of the affected paper.
Results are released only after approval by the Faculty Board of Examiners and ratification by Senate. Provisional results posted on the portal do not confer any right until ratified.
A student who disputes a result may apply for remarking within twenty-one days of release, on payment of the prescribed fee, which is refunded if the complaint is upheld.

Examination misconduct

Examination malpractice is treated as a grave offence. Depending on the finding of the Students' Disciplinary Committee, penalties range from cancellation of the paper, through cancellation of all papers in the semester and rustication for one or two sessions, to outright expulsion from the University and the withdrawal of any award already conferred. Impersonation carries a mandatory recommendation of expulsion and referral to the police.

Progression, Probation and Withdrawal

What CGPA do I need to progress normally?

A student with a CGPA of 1.50 or above at the end of a session progresses normally to the next level, subject to clearing carry-over courses and satisfying any additional requirement of a professional regulator.

When am I placed on probation?

A student whose CGPA at the end of a session falls below 1.50 but is at or above 1.00 is placed on academic probation for one session. A student on probation is restricted to a maximum load of 18 credit units and must be counselled by the departmental academic adviser.

What happens if I do not clear probation?

A student who fails to raise the CGPA to at least 1.50 at the end of the probation session is required to withdraw from the programme. Such a student may apply for transfer to another programme in the University where the CGPA meets the minimum entry standard, subject to available capacity and Senate approval.

Is there an immediate withdrawal rule?

Yes. A student whose CGPA falls below 1.00 at the end of any session is required to withdraw from the University without a probation period.

What is the maximum period allowed for a degree?

A student may not exceed one and a half times the normal duration of the programme. A four-year degree must therefore be completed within six years, a five-year degree within seven and a half years, and the six-year Pharm.D and MBBS within nine years, counted from the date of first registration.

Can I take a leave of absence?

A student may apply through the Head of Department and Dean for deferment of studies for one session on medical, financial or compelling personal grounds. Deferment must be sought before the end of the fourth week of the semester and is granted by the Registrar on behalf of Senate. A deferred session does not count towards the maximum period allowed.

How do I change my programme?

Applications for inter-departmental or inter-faculty transfer are made at the end of the first year, and require the student to satisfy the UTME subject combination and O'Level requirements of the receiving programme, together with a minimum CGPA set by the receiving department. Transfers are approved by Senate on the recommendation of both Deans.

Where can I get academic support if I am struggling?

Every student is assigned a departmental academic adviser who monitors progress and countersigns registration. Students facing academic difficulty should approach their adviser early rather than waiting for results. Confidential support is also available from the Student Affairs Division and from the University Counselling Unit at counselling@fustkabo.edu.ng.

Course Registration Procedure

Registration opens two weeks before lectures begin and closes at the end of the fourth week of the semester. Late registration attracts a penalty fee; no registration is accepted after the sixth week.

Clear your fees

Pay the approved school charges through the student portal and obtain an electronic receipt. Registration cannot be opened for a student with an outstanding balance.

Consult your academic adviser

Review your transcript with your departmental adviser, identify outstanding carry-over courses and agree a load within the 15 to 24 credit unit limits.

Register online

Select your courses on the portal. Carry-over courses are added first and the system will refuse a load that exceeds the maximum or omits a compulsory course for your level.

Obtain approvals

Print the course registration form and have it signed by your academic adviser and your Head of Department. Any deviation from the standard load requires the additional approval of the Dean.

Submit and retain copies

Lodge signed copies with the Department, the Faculty Officer and the Directorate of Academic Affairs, and keep one copy yourself. Only registered courses are examined and graded.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

The University treats intellectual honesty as the foundation of its academic work. The following conduct constitutes academic dishonesty.

Presenting the words, data, images, code or ideas of another person as your own without proper acknowledgement, whether from a book, journal, website, generative artificial intelligence tool or a fellow student.
Self-plagiarism, that is submitting work that has already been submitted for credit in another course or at another institution, without written permission.
Fabrication or falsification of laboratory, clinical, field or survey data, and the manipulation of results to fit an expected outcome.
Collusion, meaning unauthorised collaboration on work that has been set as an individual assessment.
Contract cheating, including commissioning, purchasing or otherwise obtaining work written by a third party.
All final year projects, dissertations and theses are screened with plagiarism detection software; a similarity index above 20 per cent, excluding references and properly quoted material, is referred to the Faculty Board for investigation.
Sanctions range from a mark of zero on the affected work, through failure of the entire course and suspension, to expulsion and the revocation of a conferred degree where the dishonesty is discovered after graduation.