Registration and Schedule
Source: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/registrars-office/registration-schedule Parent: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/registrars-office
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- Registration Information
- Course Schedule
- Final Exams Schedule
- Registration Corrections
- Registration Overrides
- Study Load
- Course Repeat
- Leaves and Withdrawals
- Visiting Students
- Guides
Registration Information
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Registering for Courses
All students must seek their Academic Advisor or Program Coordinator’s input and assistance in the selection of courses. The Academic Advisor or Program Coordinator assists students in planning and scheduling an academic program that meets each student’s educational aims, and in monitoring the students’ progress toward their degree objectives. Students must meet with their Academic Advisor every semester prior to registration, and at least once during each academic year to evaluate their progress toward the degree.
Adding and Dropping Courses
Students shall register for courses during the period announced by the Registrar’s Office, according to the official university calendar. Students may change their academic course schedule during the first week for undergraduate students and during the first two weeks for graduate students of each semester or term. A student must maintain full-time status unless granted special written permission by the Academic Advisor and the Dean of the College.
Course Schedule
Please click here to see course schedules.
Final Exams Schedule
- Fall 2025 Final Exams Schedule (Sorted by Date)
- Fall 2025 Final Exams Schedule (Sorted Alphabetically)
Registration Corrections
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Add and Drop Course
Students who wish to add or drop a course must submit the 'Registration Change Request Form' available through their Banner account. Once the approval process is completed, the Registrar’s Office will update the student’s record accordingly, and the student will be notified of the outcome.
Thesis Credit Hours Adjustment
Students who wish to add or drop a course must submit the 'Registration Change Request Form' available through their Banner account. Once the approval process is completed, the Registrar’s Office will update the student’s record accordingly, and the student will be notified of the outcome.
Registration Overrides
Registration overrides enable students to get exceptions to registration restrictions (missing prerequisites, corequisites, class full, etc.)
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Closed Section
During the registration period or the add/drop period, the student may not be able to register if the capacity of the class is full. When a student tries to register, the system restricts the registration due to the closed section. The Advisor and Program Coordinator need to approve the student’s request for registering in that course. The registration is completed through the Registrar’s Office, and a notification will be sent to the student confirming the completed registration, including the number of registered credit hours for the current semester.
Prerequisite
During the registration period or add/drop period, the student may not be able to register for a course if that course has a prerequisite requirement and this prerequisite is not completed by the student. The Advisor needs to approve the student’s request to waive the prerequisite, in order to register for the course. The registration is completed through the Registrar’s Office, and a notification will be sent to the student and Advisor confirming the completed registration, including the number of registered credit hours for the current semester.
Study Load
This establishes minimum and maximum permissible academic load limits and its effect on graduate scholarship.
Undergraduate class-standing is classified based on earned credits as follows:
- Freshman 0 to 29 credit hours earned;
- Sophomore 30 to 59 credit hours earned;
- Junior 60 to 89 credit hours earned;
- Senior 90+ credit hours earned
(Source: HBKU Academic Load policy)
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Undergraduate (UG) Students
Fall/Spring Semesters (Regular Semesters)
| Status | Fall/Spring Semester Hours Required | Summer Semester Hours Required |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | 12-18 credit hours | 9 credit hours |
| Part-time | Less 12 credit hours |
(Source: HBKU Academic Load policy)
Maximum load for an undergraduate student is typically 18 hours in a regular semester and 9 credit hours in the summer semester.
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Students on Probation
The maximum load permissible for an undergraduate student on academic probation is 9 credit hours in a regular academic semester
| Status | Fall/Spring Semester Hours Required | Summer Semester Hours Required |
|---|---|---|
| Student on probation | 9 credit hours | 3 credit hours |
(Source: HBKU Academic Load policy)
Graduate and Doctorate Students
Fall/Spring Semesters (Regular Semesters)
| Status | Hours Required |
|---|---|
| Full-time | 9 hours |
| Part-time | Less than 6 credits |
Maximum load permissible for a Master’s and PhD student is 12 credit hours in a regular academic semester and 6 credit hours in a summer semester. The full-time load to maintain scholarship is 9 credit hours in a regular academic semester or 18 credit hours in an academic year. Students who have already completed the degree requirements, as per their study plan and to maintain their residency, need to register for at least one credit hour. This credit hour would be of the dissertation, thesis, or graduate directed project and/or they could register for dissertation, thesis or Master’s project defense course. The Advisor must attest that such a student is working full-time on the dissertation, thesis, or Master’s project.
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Students on Probation
The maximum load permissible for a graduate student on academic probation is 6 credit hours in a regular academic semester.
Course Repeat
- Graduate students are permitted to repeat courses with a grade of “B-” or below.
- Courses with a grade of “B” or higher are not allowed to be repeated.
- Students are allowed to repeat a particular course only one time.
- Graduate students who fail a course twice will be academically dismissed.
- Grades earned in the second attempt shall count towards the calculation of the CGPA.
- The official transcript of a student shall record the grades for all attempts of a course.
- The first attempt shall be denoted with an “E”, indicating that this is a repeated course and that the grade will not count toward cumulative GPA calculations.
- The course repeat policy for courses with the same title and catalog number (such as “Independent Study” or “Special Topic”) shall be applied when the repeated course covers the same topics as when the course was taken in the first attempt.
- With the approval of the College Dean, the course repeat policy may be applied to equivalent courses (meaning that the two courses do not have different catalog numbers and titles but are designated as equivalent).
- Students must secure a pre-approval from the Dean of the College to register for the course’s replacement prior to registering for the course.
- No changes in the CGPA can be made after a degree has been awarded, even if students repeat a course.
- Undergraduate students are permitted to repeat any course up to two times.
- The Dean may exempt the maximum number of times a student is allowed to repeat a course.
Leaves and Withdrawals
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Leave of Absence
Students can apply for leave prior to registration in any given semester in line with university policies. Any request to suspend one’s study should be justified, such as health or family matters, study abroad, and/or personal circumstances. Students with approved leave are considered academically “Active” students.
Applications without a justifiable cause will be automatically rejected. Leave of absence disqualifies students from maintaining scholarships and/or financial aid. Approvals from the Supervisor and/or Research Advisory Committee, and the College Dean are mandatory to process the request. The leave of absence time (pre-approved or not) is included in accounting for the maximum time limit allotted for the completion of the degree.
Students can suspend their studies for two consecutive or alternate semesters, a request should be initiated for each attempt. Under extenuating circumstances, the provost may grant exceptions for the maximum allowable leave time. Students must register infor the following regular semester or extend thetheir leave officially. Discontinuing studies without a formal leave request will be counted as one attempt. Students who have registered for courses then submit a leave of absence within the ‘add/drop period’ (During the first week for undergraduate students and the first two weeks for graduate students), will have these courses dropped without any academic or financial penalties.
\ Students can request a ‘Leave of Absence,’ which would require approval from their Student Advisor, Student Affairs, and Library. The Registrar’s Office updates the records and notifies the student, the Finance department, and the Program Coordinator once the request is approved.\
To Withdraw from a Course
Subsequent to the add/drop deadline, students may withdraw from a course before the final deadline to withdraw from courses as indicated in the university’s academic calendar. A grade of “W” shall be assigned and will appear on the transcript for courses from which the student has withdrawn within the announced withdrawal period. The student must still maintain full-time status unless granted special written approval by the Dean of their respective college. Withdrawal may not be permitted after the announced deadline. Students who stop attending courses and have not formally applied to withdraw from the course(s) shall receive a grade of “F” for the courses.
To Withdraw from a Semester
A student who seeks to withdraw from a semester must secure the College Dean’s approval. Students who stop attending classes, without formal approval to withdraw from a semester, will be assigned a grade of “F” for all courses. This could establish grounds for academic dismissal of a student. Withdrawal from a semester disqualifies a student from scholarships or financial aid. Students must register in the following regular semester. Students may be academically dismissed if they extend their leave beyond the approved period.
To Withdraw from the University
A student who seeks to withdraw from the university with the intention to return, must secure the College Dean’s approval. Failure to secure the College Dean’s approval may result in academic dismissal. Students who withdraw from the university are not qualified to maintain scholarships or financial aid.
Visiting Students
The Visiting Students program at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) allows students from other accredited universities to enroll in select HBKU courses for one semester. To learn more, please click here.