Item 4
Arab Open University
Admission Regulations
Admission
A) To be admitted in any BA programme the student should fulfill the following
conditions:

Obtain a general secondary school certificate or equivalent.

Fulfill any other conditions determined by the University or competent
authorities of the Branch country.
B) The Branch Council shall devise and approve a specific admissions policy
pursuant to admissions requirements in the Branch country.
Branch specific admissions policy:
1- KSA Branch:


Secondary school certificate
Literary stream graduates can only enroll in Education, English or
Business programmes.
 Scientific stream graduates can join any programme.
 If the number of applicants exceed the need, they are rank
ordered for selection purposes.
2-Kuwait Branch:




Secondary school certificate.
Minimum of 60% on the general secondary school examination or
GPA 2 out of 4. Secondary school graduates may be exempted
from this minimum if four years or more had passed on their
graduation year.
If the number of applicants exceed the need, they are rank
ordered for selection purposes.
50% of the seats are allocated for Kuwaiti students and the other
50% for non-Kuwaitis.
1
3-Jordan Branch:



Secondary school certificate.
Minimum of 60% on the general secondary school certificate.
Admission to programmes is subject to local authority regulations.
4-Egypt Branch:



Secondary school certificate.
Minimum of 60% on the general secondary school certificate.
Admission to programmes is subject to local authority regulations.
5-Bahrain, Lebanon, Oman:


Secondary school certificate.
Admission to programmes is subject to local authority regulations.
Language Placement Test
AOU administers Language Placement Tests in both Arabic and English, not as
admission requirements but as indicators to help place students at the
appropriate level of language development. Based on the test scores, students
will be assigned courses which aim to develop the students' proficiency in
English/Arabic in order to undertake the full course load in their respective areas
of specialization.
A) All freshmen shall submit the Language Placement Test in Arabic and English
pursuant to standards approved by the University Council.
B) Non-Arabic speaking Freshmen shall be exempt from the Arabic Placement
Test and shall be treated pursuant to standards approved by the University
Council.
Non-Native Speakers of Arabic
Students who apply to be exempted from studying the Arabic Language Courses
(AR111 or AR112), and whose mother tongue is not Arabic, must have studied
and passed Arabic Language Courses for non-speakers (AFL111/AFL112) in an
accredited university and with credit equivalent to at least six (6) credit hours.
C) Freshmen attaining a minimum of (500) score in the TOEFL hard copy
version, equivalent score in the soft copy version, or the equivalent score thereof
2
in the IELTS shall be exempt from the English Placement Test, provided that
their scores have been obtained within the two years preceding their admission
to the University.
D) Students may be exempted from pursuing one or more Arabic or English
compulsory University required courses or both pursuant to scores obtained in
Arabic and English Placement Tests, TOEFL or IELTS in accordance with the
standards approved by the University Council.
E) The freshmen’s academic record shall, on entry, contain a record of all
courses from which the freshmen has been exempted as a result of his
performance at both placement tests. Such exemptions shall be marked (CR).
However, the credit hours due to such courses shall not be included in his/her
cumulative averages.
Study Duration
The maximum duration for obtaining a BA award shall be sixteen semesters.
Study Load and Registration
With due regard to local accreditation requirements applied to each Branch:
A) The minimum study load per student shall be 8 credit hours per semester.
B) The maximum study load per student shall be 21 credit hours per semester.
C) Student with cumulative average less than 2 points shall not be permitted to
register for more than 12 credit hours.
Postponement of Study (Deferred)
The continuing student (non-freshmen) may postpone his/her study within a
period not exceeding two weeks from the commencement of the semester,
provided that such postponement does not exceed four consecutive or
interrupted semesters. Such postponement shall not be included within the
maximum study duration limit allowed for completion of graduation requirements.
3
Discontinuing of Studies
The student shall be deemed a discontinuing student should he/she fail to
register in any course during any semester. Such semester shall be included in
the allowed study duration limit unless a force-majeure excuse is submitted by
the student and approved by Branch Director. In case of such approval, the
student shall be deemed to have postponed his studies for the relevant
semester.
Cancellation of enrollment
A) Student’s enrollment shall be cancelled in the following cases:

Upon personally filing an application of withdrawal from the University.

If he fails to register for any course during the first semester following
enrollment at the University.

Should he discontinue his studies for three consecutive semesters without
valid excuse.
B) Student with cancelled enrollment due to discontinued studies may apply for
re-enrollment in the same academic programme which he discontinued, or any
other programme provided he fulfills the conditions of enrollment therein
advertisement.
4