Academic Information
The following page contains academic information for students:
Method of Assessment
Students at CBS are evaluated in a variety of ways such as class participation, home assignments, tests and quizzes, and final examinations. In some courses, students may be assigned term papers and project reports for evaluation. At the end of each semester, students are awarded letter grades that represent the weighted average of grades obtained in various segments of evaluation. Evaluation is done on a four-point grade system as follows:
| Grade | A | B | C | D | F |
| Grade Points | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Passing Standard
To graduate, a student must obtain a grade point average of at least 2.0 in all semesters. Re-examination will be given to students who have obtained 'F' in a particular final exam or were absent with good cause during the examination.
Attendance
Students at CBS must maintain an attendance level of 80% in each course to receive academic credit for the course in question. Students are personally responsible for making sure that their attendance is up to the required level.
Instructors have the right to refuse to admit students to class or allow them to participate in class discussions if the student's lack of attendance prevents the student from keeping up with the class pace. Faculty members also have the right to mark students absent if they are significantly late to class.
Generally, if a student has less than 80% attendance in a given course the entire course will have to be re-taken. However, if the absence has been due to health reasons, or serious illness and death of a close relative, the student may make an appeal to the Executive Committee at CBS to receive an exception from the attendance requirement. This appeal must be made in writing and include all relevant documentation for the absence such as doctor’s notes explaining the nature of the illness and the necessity for missing class. The appeal must be submitted to the Administrator at CBS before the end of the semester. Once the semester has ended (with the commencement of exam week) no appeals may be considered.
The Centre for Buddhist Studies reserves the right to review doctor’s notes and form its own final decision as to whether the student may be allowed to continue studies. In considering the appeal, the Executive Committee will also consult with the faculty member responsible for the course to ensure that the student is capable of performing a normal level of course work if rejoining the class. If it is concluded that the absence is of such an extent that the student will be unable to obtain sufficient knowledge in the topic of the course, the student will be disallowed to rejoin the class and the transcript record for the course will be “Incomplete”.
For general advice on health issues, seeking medical treatment and assistance on attendance matters, students are encouraged to consult with the Head of Student Services at CBS.
Language Placement Policy
All students at CBS are placed in language classes that match their level of proficiency. Students with previous studies in Colloquial or Classical Tibetan, Colloquial Nepali, or Sanskrit, will be placed in more advanced classes. Students in this position have the option of taking a Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) during the two weeks leading up to the fall semester. In order to be scheduled for an exam, the student should inform the Office Administrator one month prior to the start of the fall semester which test(s) he/she plans to take. No placement exams will be given once the fall semester has started and prior to the spring semester.
CBS will review the grade on this exam and issue an LPE (Language Proficiency Exam) certificate listing the grade. This certificate can then be presented to the administration at CBS to register for advanced placement. Students may not be enrolled in advanced classes without this certificate. An Exam Processing Fee of $75 per course is required in order to use the LPE certificate towards formal credits. Credit for the course will be officially issued by Kathmandu University at a later time as per University regulations. Students may obtain test credits for a maximum of 15 credits towards the BA degree. The application for credit can only be submitted once a year during the week immediately preceding the fall semester.
Transfer of External Credit
Students with official course transcripts from other internationally accredited universities may apply for a transfer of credit upon submitting the relevant documentation to CBS. Issuance of credit will be determined after evaluation by Kathmandu University. Such students will also be placed in advanced language classes appropriate to their level. Students should carefully review the course catalog to note prerequisites for courses. Each student is personally responsible for ensuring that he/she meets these requirements and should devise his/her schedule accordingly. Students receiving advanced placement should be aware that schedules may conflict due to the changed structure of the program. The Centre for Buddhist Studies retains the final say in determining prerequisites and eligibility.
Failed or Incomplete Courses
In cases where any of the following applies, a course at CBS will be registered as failed or incomplete:
- Failure to complete all required course elements
- The average grade of all required elements resulting in an F-grade.
- Lack of required attendance
If a course is registered as failed or incomplete due to any of the above reasons (or a combination of these), the student is required to retake the entire course during a new semester in order to receive credit for that course. The only exception to this rule occurs when a final exam is failed and causes the average grade of the whole course to become an F-grade. In such cases the student will be permitted to re-take the exam (see the policy for re-taking exams). A final exam is defined as "an exam or a test taken during exam week at the end of the semester". All other required course elements (i.e. papers, quizzes, midterm tests, class participation, etc.) may not be re-taken, regardless of the grade awarded.
Failed Exams
If a student fails to complete a course due to a failed final exam, he or she will be informed of this result by the administration at CBS within six weeks following the exam. Students will be informed via the email address provided by them to the administration. If a student wishes to re-take a failed final exam, he or she must apply to the administrator in writing (email) within 6 weeks of being informed of the failed exam (i.e. the day the email is sent by the administration at CBS). Failure to apply for re-examination within the 6-week period results in having to re-take the entire course in a new semester.
Upon receipt of the student's application to re-take an exam, a date for this re-exam will be set by the administration at CBS. The date for the re-exam must be set within a maximum of 12 weeks after the receipt of the student's application. However, in case a student wishes to enroll in a course where the failed course is a required prerequisite, the student must re-sit the exam at CBS one week before the beginning of the semester in question in order to join the subsequent course. A student may only appear for two re-examinations in a given course. Failure to pass the exam in the second re-sit results in the entire course having to be retaken.
Appeals
A student wishing to register a complaint regarding the grading of a quiz, paper, may do so by first bringing the matter to the attention of the concerned faculty member responsible for the grading. The student should clearly mention the reasons for the complaint.
If the student is dissatisfied with the outcome of this conversation and wishes to register a formal complaint, the matter may be put forward in writing to the Director of Studies. Oral complaints will not be considered. The Director of Studies will review the grade and the paperwork and make an appointment with the student to give a ruling within one month.
The student may further appeal the decision made by the Director of Studies through lodging a written appeal the Principal. This appeal must be received within one month following the ruling by the Director of Studies. The Principal may then either a) assign the case to an external qualified reader for review or b) make a personal decision. The decision of the Principal’s office will be considered final.