Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The universities in the Kingdom will be allowed to formulate the rules of student conduct and discipline in their respective universities within 15 days from the date of approving the new university regulations. The new regulations with regard to study and examinations that will specify the modalities of division of semesters and the number of weeks of study will come into force from the new academic year.

The regulations give free hand to the council of each university to set the rules of student conduct and discipline at the university within 15 days from the date of approving the regulations.

The regulations stipulate that the academic year shall be two semesters or more, in addition to a summer semester, if any, or four or more levels and one or two summer levels, if any. The academic system is the method of study followed in the colleges and institutes under the university, whether it is a system of academic levels or semesters or the whole academic year course.

The regulations stipulate that semester would consist of a period of time of no less than 15 weeks in the two-semester system, and not less than 12 weeks in the three-semester system. The timing for registration, removal and addition, and final exams are not included in this period.

The regulations pointed out that the academic level is a study method, in which the period of time is less than the semester, so that it shall be not less than 4 weeks and not more than 8 weeks, and the total academic weeks are not less than 40 weeks per year.

The regulations confirmed that the full academic year is a period of no less than 40 weeks per year. The summer semester is a period of no less than 8 weeks for the two-semester system, and no less than 6 weeks for the three-semester system, during which the period allocated for each academic course is doubled.

While the summer level is a period of no less than 4 weeks for the academic level system, during which the period allocated for each academic course is doubled.