Exam Policies

Students are to sit exams when exams are scheduled. Students must obtain an exam pass from the registrar before sitting. The exam pass will be issued only to students whose financial bills are in order and who have had sufficient attendance for class.

Examinations

Examinations are conducted as follows:
  1. General Exams; These are administered at the discretion of the teacher. Usually these exams will be in the form of midterm exams.
  2. End of Term Exams; These are scheduled by the academic dean at the end of term.

Late exams, late coursework and incompletes

Coursework is to be submitted on the day it is due. Coursework which is submitted late will suffer a penalty of ten percent (10%) per day, including weekends and holidays.

For example, coursework originally worth 100 marks, but submitted one day late, will suffer a penalty of 10% off its grade, and thus reduce its maximum possible grade to 90. At 2 days late, the penalty is 20 marks and the highest possible grade is 80.

At 4 days late, the penalty is 40 marks, which means an “A” quality paper receives a grade of D-. At 5 days late and thereafter, all coursework will normally receive a failing grade.

Exceptions to these penalties may be granted in case of emergency situations as described below.

Late Sitting Exams

When a student registers for a course, he or she is well aware of the need to sit for exams at the end of the term, and each student is therefore responsible for making every effort to sit the exam on the scheduled day.

If a student allows other concerns to take precedence over sitting exams, the student must realize the school is under no obligation to adjust its exam schedule to accommodate the student’s personal life. In most cases, therefore, no late exams will be offered. A student who misses exams can only pass the course by re-registering for the course the next time it is offered, including paying the normal tuition fees.

The school, at its discretion, may offer late exams, with academic penalty, within two weeks after the courses finish. Students who, for exceptional personal reasons, missed sitting a final exam may appeal in writing to the Academic Dean, explaining their situation and requesting to be allowed to sit a late exam.

If the Academic Dean approves, the student may sit the exam after paying late sitting fees of UGX 15,000/= (subject to revision) per exam. Late exams will be penalized 25 marks, so that the highest possible grade on a late exam is C.

Exceptions may be granted only in cases of emergency, as described below.

  • Incomplete Coursework
    In emergency situations or similar exceptional cases, a student who is doing satisfactory work in a course may be unable to complete the required coursework by the end of the term. The grade of “Incomplete” or “IN” may be temporarily given in those circumstances, only if the following steps are taken:
    1. The student appeals in writing to the Academic Dean, prior to the end of classes, explaining the extraordinary reasons why his / her work is not completed.
    2. The Academic Dean, after consulting with the course instructor, approves the award of an “IN” grade in writing.
    3. The student, Academic Dean and course instructor agree in writing on a deadline for the incomplete work to be finished and submitted. Normally this deadline will be the first registration day of the following term.
    4. The student will be charged an Incomplete fee, equivalent to the tuition rate of the course. (This fee may be waived by the Academic Dean if the situation warrants.)
  • Exceptions for Emergency Situations
    The school will accept late exams and coursework without penalty only in the case of a student who faces a genuine emergency. An emergency is defined as an unforeseen situation beyond a person’s control, which directly and immediately threatens a person’s life, health, or property.
    Independent verification of the genuineness of an emergency situation will normally be required, such as a Police report, or a medical certificate.

Policy on repeating exams

Students who fail an exam and want to re-sit may appeal in writing to the Academic Dean requesting the opportunity to do so. It will be at the discretion of the Academic Dean to see who qualifies for this arrangement. The application to retake an exam should be done within the first two weeks into the next term. If the course is passed, it will be replaced by the grade earned in the repeated exam.

(Note: it is only those who scored 48% and above who need apply for this consideration). There is a re-sitting fee of Ug.shs. 15,000/= (subject to revision) per exam.

Policy on Repeating Courses

Students who fail a course, and want to repeat it, may enroll for the course a second time when it is next offered. The student will present his/her appeal in writing to the Academic Dean requesting to repeat the course. It will be at the discretion of the Academic Dean to see who qualifies for this arrangement.

The normal course fees will apply. The grade earned in a repeated course will appear on the student’s transcript, replacing the original failing grade. Normally a student will not be allowed to attempt a course a third time after failing twice. A passed course may not be repeated.