Important rules & tips
Inform yourself and prevent problems by reading through these notes.
- This page offers only highlights of the Academic Rules and Procedures. Please refer to the full text of the rules and procedures for details about grading, course load, registration, probation, and much more.
- Students on double probation cannot register unless they go to the Registrar’s Office for clearance.
- If you are returning to LAU after an absence of one or more semesters, please reactivate your file at the Registrar’s Office before the registration date assigned for returnees. More information.
- If you missed the registration for the fall in May, you can register during late registration but you’ll have penalty fee in your statement. This is known as the “late registration fee.”
- Beirut Architecture, Engineering and Pharmacy students who have completed their first year must transfer to the Byblos campus by submitting an Inter-Campus Transfer Form. Get the form at the Registrar’s Office in Beirut, fill it out and get the registrar’s signature; then get the Byblos registrar’s signature. Check the deadline in the academic calendar.
- If you transfer to the other campus, you must remain there for at least two consecutive regular semesters. You won’t be allowed to transfer back to the original campus before then. Get an Inter-Campus Transfer Form at the Registrar’s Office in your current campus, fill it out and get it signed by the registrars of both campuses. Check the deadline in the academic calendar.
- To register for a course on the other campus, you’ll need to fill out a form, secure a few signatures and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. The form and detailed instructions are available there. This action (known as “inter-campus cross-registration”) is not allowed in a regular semester if the course you need is offered on your campus.
- If you are admitted to LAU on condition that you take some remedial courses, you must complete them in your first year.
- You are responsible for carefully planning your schedule and registering for your courses during your specific registration period.
- Check the Liberal Arts Curriculum carefully before choosing elective LAC requirements.
- If you are a junior or higher-class student, use the web-based CAPP degree evaluation option to help you choose the right courses.
Repeating courses:
- You are not allowed to repeat a course in which you’ve earned a grade higher than C+ or an Incomplete.
- If you are an undergraduate student and have completed your graduation requirements but have a cumulative and major GPA lower than 2.0, you can repeat courses to raise your GPA, but note the following:
- If you’re a bachelor’s degree student, you can repeat junior- or senior-level courses (numbered 300 and above).
- If you’re an associate’s degree student, you can repeat sophomore-level (or higher) courses (numbered in the 200 range and above).
- You’re not allowed to register in any course more than three times, including withdrawals. If you’re unable to get a passing grade after taking the course three times you will be dropped from the university or the program, depending on whether the course is part of the GUR, LAC core requirements or program requirements. Dismissal from the university and being dropped from a program will apply only if the repeated course is required in the major, specifically named in the LAC requirements, or as a remedial course.
Course load:
Even though LAU has switched to a flat tuition fee per semester, you should try to keep a reasonable course load. A normal load for Business and Arts & Sciences majors is 15 credits per semester; for other students, it depends on their programs. If you want to take more, we recommend the following:
- Consult with your academic advisor before registration.
- Fifteen credits is optimal for full-time study at the per-semester tuition rates.
- Do not register for more than 15 credits if your CGPA is below 3.0.
- Do not take 18 credits if you have not already completed at least 45 credits.
- Remember that repeating courses is risky (see rules above) and this could happen if you take more courses than you can handle.
- Taking too many courses may affect your performance and lower your CGPA. This number is important in determining grants and scholarships, and is also of interest to potential employers in the future.
- If you complete your degree’s requirements too fast, you will not be granted the degree. For bachelor’s degree programs, the Lebanese law requires a residency of at least six regular semesters in university; and the last two regular semesters and last 30 credits must be completed at LAU. All the undergraduate Engineering programs require at least eight regular semesters (and three summers) of studies after the Lebanese Baccalaureate. The Architecture program requires at least ten regular semesters (and three summers) of study after the Lebanese Baccalaureate. The Pharmacy program requires at least ten regular semesters of study after the Lebanese Baccalaureate.
Are you exempted from Arabic courses?
This depends on how you were admitted to LAU:
- You are allowed to substitute all Arabic courses if you have a permission from the Lebanese Ministry of Education to join a “foreign” program. In this case you will have to take non-Arabic courses instead. It doesn’t mean you can skip those credits. The substitute courses you can choose are listed at the bottom of these two pages: Liberal Arts Curriculum and Freshman Requirements.
- If your admission letter says you’re accepted to a bachelor’s degree program but must “complete all freshman requirements except for Arabic during your first year of enrollment” you are exempted from freshman Arabic credits. You’ll still have to take the sophomore Arabic course required as part of your B.A. or B.S. program.