HAMAD BIN KHALIFA UNIVERSITY

AC-U-01.V01: UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION

POLICY

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AC-U-01.V.02: UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSION POLICY

Date Endorsed by the Provost: 6 April 2017

Date Endorsed by the President: 20 April 2017
Date Approved by the BOT: 8 May 2017

Effective Date: 8 May 2017

Last Updated:

1. PURPOSE
This policy outlines the standards for admitting applicants into programs and approving applicants for
undergraduate enrollment at HBKU.

2. POLICY DESCRIPTION
Admission to HBKU is highly competitive and dependent on an applicant’s overall performance and
grades; rigor of coursework in high school; rank in class (if applicable); standardized test scores;
number of qualified applicants; and number of available places on a program. The undergraduate
admission policy sets the minimum standards for admission to undergraduate programs at HBKU.

2.1 DEFINITIONS

• Bachelor’s: An undergraduate academic degree in a discipline with preset required courses,

often culminating in a capstone (typically in the form of a project). Bachelor of Science (BS) is
awarded upon completing the degree’s requirements in science and application-oriented
disciplines, whereas Bachelor of Arts (BA) is awarded upon completing the degree’s
requirements in liberal-oriented education.
• High School Applicant: An applicant who has not attended any postsecondary institutions.
• Transfer Applicant: An applicant who is currently attending another institution.
• Visiting Applicant: An applicant who plans to earn a degree from another institution of
higher education but wishes to take courses at HBKU.
• Non-degree Applicant: An applicant who wishes to attend courses at HBKU without pursuing
an undergraduate degree.
• Recognized School: A high school that is accredited by a government authority at the
country where the school resides and is recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher
Education of the State of Qatar.
• Recognized Institution: An institution of postsecondary education that is
recognized/accredited by a government authority at the country where the institution
resides, and is recognized by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the State of
Qatar.
• Admissions Committee: At least three-member committee chaired by the Dean of the
College or designee and composed of faculty members from the program and member(s)
from Office of Enrollment as ex-officio.

2.2 POLICY STATEMENTS

1. To be considered for an undergraduate program, applicants must submit an online application
supported by relevant documents. They must do so by the deadline established by the University.
2. Applicants may simultaneously fill applications for more than one undergraduate program,
however, they may be matriculated in only one undergraduate degree program at a time.
Students requesting to change from one field of study to another must submit a request for
change of major as stipulated in AC-U-05.
3. Students are only eligible for admission to undergraduate programs that begin classes at the start
of the Fall term. Exceptions may be granted by the Provost.

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4. Deferrals are not permitted for undergraduate students. Any student who wishes to delay the
start of their program by one year must submit an application for admission to the program for
the next academic year.
5. Students who have applied for admission and want to re-apply the following year will need to re-
submit their application and all supporting documents. This condition applies to all categories of
applicants (incomplete file, denied admission, admitted).
6. All admission decisions at HBKU are final. Appeals will not be considered. Applicants who are not
admitted and wish to re-apply may do so the following year.
7. High school applicants must satisfy the following:
a. Earned a general secondary school certificate or its equivalent from a recognized high
school. Applicants are expected to have at least three years of high school mathematics
and science;
b. Minimum GPA of 2.5 or equivalent on the final high school year. Applicants must submit
final transcripts of all high school years that are available at the time of application.
Transcripts in languages other than Arabic or English must be accompanied with an
official translation. To be considered official, a transcript must bear an official school seal
or an original signature of a school official;
c. Undergraduate students seeking admission in programs offered in English are expected
to demonstrate their English proficiency. Applicants must earn a minimum TOEFL score
of 79 or equivalent, taken within the last two years;
d. Submit standardized test results (SAT or ACT);
e. Submit a personal statement that explains why the student is applying for the
undergraduate major in the program being applied for and how their participation in the
program will contribute to their future goals (500-word limit);
f. Submit two letters of recommendation, including one from the school counselor (if the
school has one) and one from a teacher in a field associated with the area of study;
g. Submit a résumé/CV detailing academic and extracurricular achievements such as
honors, awards, leadership achievements, volunteer work, athletic involvement or any
other relevant activities. Applicants are highly encouraged to mention their hobbies and
personal talents;
h. New students at HBKU may be eligible for advanced standing credit based on Advanced
Placement (AP) Examinations, International Baccalaureate Examinations (IB), or GCE
Advanced-Level Examinations (A-Levels). Other sources may also qualify for advanced
standing credit as determined by each college. Awarded credits will not be used in the
calculation of the GPA and will bear a “transfer credit” designation (TC);
i. Meet program-specific criteria.
8. Transfer applicants must satisfy the following:
a. All requirements of the high school applicant;
b. Applicants may apply for exemption from the English proficiency requirements if they
complete a minimum of 30 credit hours (or equivalent) at an institution where English is
the medium of instruction;
c. Have completed a minimum of six credit hours at a recognized institution with a
minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0;
d. Academic credit earned at former institution may be considered for transfer in
accordance with the credit transfer policy. The maximum transferable credit must not
exceed 50% of the required credit of the intended program of study;
e. Students who were dismissed for misconduct from the institution where they formerly
studied will not be considered for admission.
9. HBKU may admit visiting applicants who must satisfy the following:
a. All relevant requirements of the high school applicant;
b. Applicants must be admitted to a recognized institute and be in good academic standing
with a GPA not less than 2.5 on a scale of 4.0;
c. Applicants who have been admitted but not yet enrolled in a recognized institution and
seek to take courses at HBKU must provide evidence of admission;
d. The maximum allowable credit to be taken at HBKU on a visiting basis must not exceed
50% of the required credits of the program of study.
10. HBKU may admit non-degree applicants who must satisfy the following:

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 a. All relevant requirements of the high school applicant;
b. Have earned an undergraduate degree from a recognized institution with a minimum
GPA of 2.5 on a scale of 4.0. English proficiency requirements may be waived if the
undergraduate program was taught fully in English;
c. The maximum allowable credit to be taken at HBKU on a non-degree basis must not
exceed 50% of the required credits of the program of study;
d. Students may apply completed coursework on non-degree basis towards a second
bachelor’s degree. All second degree admission requirements apply.
11. Applicants who seek admission for a second bachelor’s degree must satisfy the following:
a. All relevant requirements of the high school applicant;
b. Have earned an undergraduate degree from a recognized institution with a minimum
GPA of 2.5;
c. Must pursue a different major than that of the former degree.
12. Preliminary evaluation of all applicants will be performed by two reviewers from the Office of
Enrollment. The admissions committee will make the final admission decision.
13. Some applicants who demonstrate strong potential but for whom the admissions committee
requires further information will have their applications placed on hold until the applicant has
provided that information. Some examples may include: interviews, retaking a standardized test,
and providing additional information regarding significant changes in the academic record.
14. Applicants who are approved for admission to the program will be provided with an acceptance
letter signed by the Provost or designee (in the following order: Dean, Associate Provost or
Admission Officer). Applicants who are denied admission will be notified by email. The
acceptance offer is only valid for the Fall semester in which the applicant was admitted. Those
whose offer of admission has lapsed must submit a new application to be reconsidered for
admission at a later date, with prior approval.
15. Applicants who demonstrate very high potential but have been identified by the admissions
committee as being potentially at risk may be granted conditional admission based on the
following:
o Students must take a math placement test before the beginning of the first semester.
Students who pass this placement test will then be allowed to enroll and register for
classes;
o Students who are conditionally admitted must achieve a cumulative grade point average
(CGPA) of at least 2.5 on a scale of 4.0, with the completion of a minimum of 24 credit
hours in registered courses. If the student meets all requirements and attains a
cumulative GPA of at least 2.5, the provisional condition will be removed from the
student’s record. The Registrar shall send a written confirmation indicating the removal
of the conditional qualifier.
16. All documents sent in support of admission, including past academic records, become part of the
official student record and can neither be returned nor duplicated for any purpose. It is the
student’s responsibility to maintain copies for personal use. Admission credentials are retained
for 12 months. At the end of the 12 months, the documents may be destroyed if applicants do
not register for courses; have been denied admission; do not respond to requests for additional
information; or fail to submit complete applications.
17. Students who are admitted to HBKU must submit the enrollment form, pay a deposit and ensure
that all of the following documents are submitted to the Office of Student Recruitment:
• Official copies of all standardized test scores or language waiver (if applicable);
• Original copies of transcripts. Transcripts must contain the official high school seal and
confirm that the student has graduated;
• All admitted students will be required to take a placement test in math and English. This test
will determine which first-year English and Math courses they will be enrolled in.

3. RESPONSIBILITY/SOURCE/AUTHORITY
This policy and accompanying procedures were developed by the Office of the Provost, reviewed and
endorsed by the University Academic Programs and Studies Committee and endorsed by the Provost
and the University President and approved by the BOT.

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This policy assigns the implementation of this process to the HBKU Office of Student Recruitment in
collaboration with appropriate college committees and deans.

3. 1 COMMUNITY SHOULD KNOW THIS POLICY

President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Deans, Program Coordinators, Directors, Faculty, Students

4. Updates

SUMMARY OF CHANGES
Date Section Change
1 June 2008 Language requirements Requirement for transfer student changed from 3 credits of
communications with a “C” to 6 credits with a “B”

5. ACCOMPANYING PROCEDURE

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 Applicant Evaluation Form for Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering

Full name (First, Middle, Last) Banner ID

Nationality Residence
High School name & average
Did the applicant attend Academic Bridge Program? YES (years attended): NO
TOEFL R: L: S: W: T:
Standardized tests results IELTS L: R: W: S: O:
ACT E: M: R: S: C: W:
SAT CR: M: W:

Does Applicant Meet Min. Univ. Requirements? YES NO FOUNDATION

Just barely
meets
Meets
Below Expectation expectations/ Above Expectations Exceeds Expectations
Evaluation Expectations Weight Score
Consider for
Foundation
0 10 20 30 40
Below C+ overall B-/C+ overall B/B- overall A-/B+ overall average with A+/A A/A+ overall average with A’s in
average with below average with average with in Math Math
B in Math below B+/B in A-/B+ in Math
Math A+/A overall average with A-/B+ Taking most advanced math
Below B overall A-/B+ overall in Math courses available at the school
Academic
average with below B+/B overall average with /1
Transcript
B- Math with B/B- in B+/B in Math Taking most advanced math
Math courses available at the school
Taking lower level Math course
or remedial math Math course not advanced
not advanced
TOEFL below 60 TOEFL between TOEFL TOEFL: between 94 and 101 TOEFL: 102 or above
English IELTS below 6.0 60 and 78 between 79- IELTS: 7.0 IELTS: 7.5 or above
/2
Proficiency IELTS: 6.0 93
IELTS: 6.5
Below 20 on ACT 20-22 on ACT 23- 24 on ACT 25-27 on ACT Math 28 and above on ACT Math
Standardized
Math Math Math
Tests /2
Below 480 on SAT 480-530 on SAT 540 – 560 on 570- 620 on SAT Math 630 and above on SAT Math
Math Math SAT Math
Evaluation 0 20 30 40
-Unclear ideas with -Fairly clear ideas with some -Clear ideas with evidence of - Very clear ideas with strong
no evidence of evidence of analytical skills analytical skills evidence of analytical skills and
analytical skills -Thoughts are reasonably -Thoughts are structured intellectual curiosity
Essay -Thoughts are not structured and presented with properly and clearly presented -Thoughts are well structured
/4
structured and lots quite a few grammar or with very few grammar or and evidently presented with no
of grammar errors punctuation errors punctuation errors grammar or punctuation errors

Limited information about the Good appreciation of the High appreciation of the
applicant’s analytical abilities and candidate’s analytical abilities candidate’s analytical abilities
potentials for undergraduate and potentials for and potentials for undergraduate
Rec letters Uninformative /8
study undergraduate study study

No participation in Some evidence of extracurricular Evidence of extracurricular Strong evidence of

extracurricular activities activities hobbies, or other extracurricular activities, hobbies,
activities, no opportunities that shows their or other opportunities that
E.C activities evidence of interests shows their interests /8
hobbies

Overall
Rating &
Comments

Note: Applicants who do not meet minimum university requirements cannot be admitted. If the College wishes to consider someone from
this group for admission, they must seek approval from the Provost.
Weight figures provided are suggestions and may vary by College and Program

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6. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS

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