Undergraduate Continuation and Graduation Requirements

Minimum standards are set for continuation in a programme of study and graduation.  This section covers the following:

• CAP for Continuation and Graduation
• Degree Classification
• Residency Requirement and Maximum Candidature
• Advanced Placement Credits and Exemptions
• Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option
• MCs excluded from CAP Computation 

CAP for Continuation and Graduation

To graduate, an undergraduate student must have a minimum CAP of 2.0.  To remain in good academic standing, and to continue in an undergraduate programme of study, a student may not have:

• CAP below 2.0 (but ≥ 1.5) for three consecutive semesters; or
• CAP below 1.5 for two consecutive semesters.

For any semester in which the student’s CAP falls below 2.0 (but ≥ 1.5), that student will be issued an academic warning.  If, in the following semester, the student’s CAP again falls below 2.0, s/he will be placed on probation.  If the student’s CAP remains below 2.0 for the third consecutive semester, the student will be issued a letter of dismissal by the Registrar and denied re-admission.

For students whose CAP falls below 1.5 for two consecutive semesters, they will be placed on probation for the first semester, followed by dismissal in the second semester. 

Such a student may appeal the dismissal if there are extenuating circumstances. The appeal must be submitted to the relevant Faculty/Department within two calendar weeks of the last day of the release of each semester’s examination results.  Normally every student is allowed only one such appeal per candidature.  If the appeal is rejected, the student will not be re-admitted.  If the outcome of the appeal is positive, the student will be given one semester in which to achieve the minimum CAP required for continuation and graduation. 

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Degree Classification

The criteria for degree classification are:

 
(i) This refers to 160-MC degree programmes.

(ii) Students with a CAP of 4.5 and above but with a B+ or below in the Honours thesis/project or without having completed an Honours thesis/project will be awarded a Second Class Upper Honours degree.

(iii) This refers to 120-MC degree programmes.

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Residency Requirement and Maximum Candidature

The University has established a minimum residency requirement and maximum candidature for all NUS degrees, including joint and double degrees with foreign universities.

Residency, in this instance, is defined as payment of fees and ability to meet all curricular requirements of a programme of study.  MCs which count towards residency for an undergraduate degree programme must come from graded modules that are factored into a student’s CAP.

A student registered for a Bachelor’s degree must complete 50% of the required MCs for the degree programme or 80 MCs, whichever is greater, at NUS.  In addition, such students are required to read at least 15 MCs every semester throughout their candidature, except during the following semesters when they are allowed to read fewer MCs:

• the final semester before completion of all graduation requirements for the degree; and
• the semester in which the students are undergoing industrial attachment or doing their final year projects.

For students admitted from AY2007/08 onwards, the maximum candidature for:

• a Bachelor degree programme with a minimum requirement of 120 MCs is 4 years;
• a Bachelor with Honours degree programme with a minimum requirement of 160 MCs is 5 years;
• a typical double degree programme (which may involve between 180 and 200 MCs) is 6 years.

For students admitted prior to AY2007/2008, please consult the faculties concerned for details.

In general, students who have completed their degree requirements by the 6th semester or earlier for 120-MC programmes and the 8th semester or earlier for 160-MC programmes, may be allowed one additional semester of study (either a regular semester or Special Term) to improve their CAP standing subject to their reading:

In the case of the additional semester being a regular semester,

• a minimum workload of 15 MCs, and
• only Level-3000 or higher modules

In the case of the additional semester being the Special Term,

• only Level-3000 or higher modules

Additionally, students are not allowed to opt for a new Minor, Second Major or Double Degree programme beyond the end of the 5th semester of study.

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Advanced Placement Credits and Exemption

Advanced placement credits (APCs) or exemption may be granted for NUS modules taken and passed prior to admission to the University, for modules completed at another tertiary institution recognised by the University, or based on performance in placement tests set by the relevant Faculty.

The granting of APCs or exemption is subject to the following:

• The university modules or diploma must not have been used to count towards the award of any other degree. In addition, the university modules or diploma must have been completed within the last 5 years prior to the date of admission to the University. 
• For NUS modules, APCs with grade transfer will be granted when student has received a pass (C or better). Students may choose to exercise Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U)* grading option for these modules, subject to the rules of their home faculty, during the S/U option exercise conducted at the end of the first semester. 
• Transfer of credits for modules not conducted by NUS will take place without transfer of grades. 

With effect from AY2008/09, holders of G.C.E. ‘A’ Levels, International Baccalaureate or equivalent qualifications who have completed university modules or placement tests through the above-mentioned routes may be granted APCs in relevant modules for up to a maximum of 40 MCs, as follows:

• Up to 8 MCs for the University Level Requirements;
• Up to 12 MCs for Unrestricted Elective Modules; and
• Up to 20 MCs for Programme Requirements.

Such students should apply to the Dean’s Office of their home faculty for APCs at the point of admission to the University.

Diploma holders of approved programmes from Polytechnics in Singapore admitted to a 120-MC or 160-MC programme may be granted APCs in relevant modules for up to a maximum of 40 MCs, as follows:

• Up to 8 MCs for University Level Requirements, comprising one General Education Module and one Breadth Module;
• Up to 12 MCs for Unrestricted Elective Modules; and
• Up to 20 MCs for Programme Requirements.

With effect from AY2011/12, for diploma holders to be granted the relevant APCs for Programme Requirements , the diploma must have been completed within the last 5 years prior to the year of admission to the University.

However, the 20 MCs of APCs for the University Level Requirements and Unrestricted Elective Modules  will be awarded to all diploma holders of approved programmes from Polytechnics in Singapore, regardless of when the diploma was completed, in recognition of the overall knowledge gained from a Polytechnic education. These 20 MCs of APCs are tagged at Level-1000. However, the 12 MCs from Unrestricted Electives will not be counted against the 60-MC limit on Level-1000 modules. This is because many Level-1000 modules are essential modules that students must complete before they can progress to the next level. For Polytechnic diploma holders admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, all 20 MCs of APCs will be counted against the 60-MC limit on Level-1000 modules.

Students from other tertiary institutions recognised by the University who have declared themselves as transfer students at the point of application for admission and are seeking APCs or exemption should apply to the Dean’s Office of the Faculty concerned within the first week of the first semester of study. Please note that such APCs or exemption applications will be considered only at the point of admission to the University.

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Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option

The Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option is intended to encourage students to pursue their intellectual interests, without undue concern that exploring a new subject area may adversely affect their CAP.  

For modules graded on an S/U basis, students will receive credit towards the degree only if they attain a ‘Satisfactory’ (S) grade.  A ‘S’ grade is assigned if a student receives a ‘C’ grade or above for the module.  Conversely, students will receive a ‘U’ if the grade obtained is lower than a ‘C’ grade.  The S/U option, once exercised, will be irrevocable for the module.

The S/U declaration exercise will be conducted upon the release of examination results and will end by the stipulated deadline, which will be announced each semester. Students will exercise their S/U option during this period for any module that permits the S/U option. Thereafter, the student's decision will be considered final.

Up to 12 MCs may be taken on an S/U basis during a student’s candidature, subject to the maximum number of MCs that may be excluded from the computation of CAP.

The S/U option is not applicable to modules taken to meet Faculty, Major or University Scholars Programme (USP) requirements, unless specifically stated otherwise by the Faculty. Credits earned from modules taken on an S/U basis may also not be used to count towards the residency requirement.

In addition, the S/U option is not applicable to the following:

• Modules dropped with a ‘F’ grade during the semester;
• Modules in which a student has been found to have committed plagiarism.
• Modules in which a revised grade has been prescribed by the Board of Discipline.

For Frequently Asked Questions on S/U Option, please click here.

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MCs excluded from CAP Computation

Besides modules that are graded on an S/U basis, some credit bearing modules completed under the NUS Student Exchange, Overseas Colleges, Industrial Attachment, and Internship programmes are also not factored into the computation of a student’s CAP.  Advanced placement credits are likewise excluded from CAP calculation.

To protect the integrity and value of the NUS degree, a limit is placed on the number of MCs that may be excluded from the computation of CAP. In other words, a minimum number of MCs must be based on graded modules with assigned grade points. The following are general university-level guidelines:

1. A student registered for a Bachelor’s degree must complete the greater of (a) 50% of required MCs for the degree programme or (b) 80 MCs at NUS. These MCs must be earned from graded modules with assigned grade points.
2. Only up to 12 MCs may be accrued from modules graded on an S/U basis. Such modules may not be used to fulfill Programme/Major/Minor/USP requirements.
3. A minimum 60% of Programme/Major credits must be graded and factored into the CAP. The other 40% of credits may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement, exemptions and CS-graded modules.
4. A minimum 16 MCs of the Minor requirements must be graded and factored into the CAP. The other 8 MCs may be earned through credit transfers, advanced placement, exemptions and CS-graded modules.

Individual Faculties may require a higher minimum of MCs that must be based on graded modules and included in the computation of CAP. It is important that students check with their Faculty to ensure that they have fulfilled the minimum number of CAP-bearing MCs required for graduation.