(Trial Implementation)

(School Document [2018] No. 19)

General Provision

To regulate the status management of international graduate students (hereinafter referred to as "graduate students"), protect graduate students' legitimate rights and interests, and maintain a normal education and teaching order, according tothe Higher Education Law of the People's Republic of China,Administrative Provisions on Acceptance of International studentsby Universities and Colleges(Order 42 of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China) ,Regulations of the Management of Students by Universities and Colleges(Order 41 of Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China),Constitution of USCand other relevant documents, these provisions have been developed and enacted.

Number of Years of Study

Article 1The basic number of years of study for the graduate students is three years. The number of years of study for graduate students can be two to four years, and the number of years of study for doctoral students can be extended to six years. If one, with a justifiable reason, needs to extend the number of years of his or her study, he or she shall go through the examination and approval procedure in accordance with the relevant provisions of the school.

Entrance and Registration

Article 2 An admitted graduate student shall go through the entrance procedure in the international college, the graduate school, the colleges concerned and at his or her supervisor bearing the passport, "admission notice", "visa application for study in China" (JW202 form) and "the foreigner health examination form". If one, due to some reasons, cannot register on the prescribed date, he or she should submit a written request for leave with relevant proof material to the international college. The period of leave may not exceed 4 weeks. The one who does not ask for leave or is overdue shall be deemed as a voluntary waiver of admission qualification, except for with force majeure and other good reasons.

Article 3A graduate student should pay off the tuition, accommodation fee, book fee and insurance fee for the academic year to the school within 15 days from the date of check-in. Registration and the residence permit can be applied for after the tuition and other fees for the academic year have been paid off.

Article 4After registration, the graduate students shall take part in the entrance education and accept qualification review and health examination. Only those who have passed the review and paid off all tuition and fees may be registered electronically and obtain the student status. The graduate students who have obtained student status will be incorporated in the information management system of graduate education. If one fails to pass the examination or the review or health examination, his or her qualification for admission shall be cancelled.

If a graduate student is found out to have committed fraud or violated Chinese laws and regulations during the reexamination, he or she is determined to be unqualified and his or her student status shall be cancelled.

The cancellation of student status shall be decided by the meeting of school council. If a student disagrees the decision on the cancellation of his or her student status, he or she may file a complaint. The complaint shall be handled with reference to the Measures for Handling the Complaints of Students of USC.

Article 5In the first week of each semester, graduate students shall go through the registration procedure. If one, with good reasons, cannot register on the date prescribed, he or she must ask for leave through following the relevant procedure. The one who does not ask for leave or whose request for leave is not approved, shall be deemed as a truant (The time of absenteeism will be calculated according to actual teaching time).

Anyone who does not pay off the tuition and fees as prescribed or is not qualified for registration shall not be registered. The one who, with justifiable reasons, fails to register on time may apply to the school for deferred registration. The maximum period of deferred registration shall not exceed 3 months.

The one who fails to pay the tuition or other fees within the time limit shall be deemed to have dropped out of school and shall be reported to the public security department for the cancellation of his or her residence permit.

Leave and Attendance

Article 6Leave and attendance of graduate students shall be managed in accordance with the provisions on the attendance management of international students of USC.

Article 7Graduate students must participate in the education and teaching activities prescribed in the education plan or uniformly organized by the school. In special cases, the one who has to leave shall ask for leave bearing necessary proof materials in advance. The one who, due to illness, wants to ask for leave, must provide with a medical certificate issued by the medical center of the school or a county or higher level hospital. The leave for no more than 3 days shall be approved by the supervisor, and shall be put on record in the school concerned and the office of international student affairs of the international college; the leave for more than 3 days shall be signed by the supervisor with opinions and approved by the competent persons in the school concerned and in the international college and shall be put on record in the office of international student affairs of the international college. Leave for personal affairs shall be no more than two weeks. The one who leaves without asking for leave in advance or without getting permission or leaves beyond the duration of leave or does not extend his or her leave upon the expiration of the leave shall be deemed as a truant and shall be punished in accordance with the Measure for the Punishments of Disciplinary Violations of International Students of USC. Upon the expiration of the leave, the one shall go to the office of international student affairs of the international college to handle the clearance procedure.

Article 8The colleges cultivating the graduate students shall be responsible for attendance and leave of the graduate students. The colleges concerned should inform the supervisor concerned and report to the office of international student affairs of the international college the attendance result of their international students. The international college will publish the attendance result once a semester and keep it in the archives.

Article 9Graduate students enjoy the official holidays of China and the winter and summer vacations of the school. But on the major festivals of graduate students’ dispatching countries and other foreign festivals they do not have a vacation.

Students are required to leave and return to school in accordance with the time prescribed by the school on holidays. The one who wants to leave school ahead of schedule or return to school late shall obtain the permission of the office of internaitonal student affairs of the international college. Otherwise, he or she will be deemed as a truant and shall be punished in accordance with the Measure for the Punishments of Disciplinary Violations of International Students of USC.

Article 10During the period of assessment, a request for leave shall not be approved except for illness. If one has to ask for leave in this period, he or she shall apply to the office of international student affairs and the office of teaching affairs of the international college. After the application has been approved, he or she may be permitted to take part in the deferred assessment.

Course Assessment and Score Management

Article 11In accordance with the curriculum, under the guidance of their supervisors, their personal education plans of graduate students shall be developed. On the basis of their personal education plans they choose courses to study by semester.

Article 12Course assessment aims to test the grasp of course knowledge and the application of the knowledge of graduate students. Graduate courses should be assessed based on the teaching syllabuses. Tests for public courses and basic theory courses should be written in the material-free way. Examinations of elective courses may be carried out in test, check, home work, course paper, investigation reports and other forms. No matter what kind of assessment is adopted, scores shall be strictly marked.

Article 13Course examinations will be held within 1-3 weeks upon the completion of the course study. In general the examination time will be set 2 weeks before the examination. The period of examination time ranges from 2 to 3 hours. Examination results are uniformly scored in the hundred-point system.

Article 14After the course examination is held, the teacher shall carefully and cautiously review and mark the test paper and register the results in a timely manner. After the completion of course exams, the teacher shall send the transcripts to the international college and the graduate school within 1 week. The test papers, answer sheets, large-scale assignments, course papers, and special reports and other assessment materials shall be kept in the teaching and research office for the archives.

Article 15A graduate student may not consult his or her test papers of the course assessment. If there is any question, he or she may apply to the international college and the graduate school. The graduate school will organize relevant teachers to review the test paper.

Article 16Graduate students’ academic performance shall be managed by the international college and the graduate school. Graduate students may check their own academic performance on the internet through the Graduate Information Management System.

Major Switch and University Transfer

Article 17The school shall generally not accept applications of graduate students for transferring to another major or university. However, if one of the following situations occurs, it may be considered as appropriate (major within the school can only be transferrable between similar majors):

(1) If one with special talents is determined by his or her supervisor and the college in which he or she studies that changing majors or transferring to another university is indeed more conducive to the education and growth of his or her special talents;

(2) If the adjustment of the majors and the leave or resignment of the supervisor will affect the graduate student’s further study;

(3) If a graduate student has special difficulties and cannot continue his or her study in the unit or of the major.

Article 18Transferring majors and transferring to other universities shall be handled according to the following procedures:

(1) The one who desires to transfer his or her major within the school must submit a written application. When the application is approved by his or her supervisor and the competent head of the college, the applicant will be examined. If he or she is proved to be with the cultivation basis, the accepting unit will put forward acceptance opinions and develop a preliminary education plan for him or her and submit it to the international college and the graduate school for approval. The one who has changed his or her major may extend his or her study period appropriately on the basis of his or her education plan and his or her actual situation;

(2) The one who desires to transfer to other universities shall submit a written application. When the application is approved by his or her supervisor and the competent head of the college concerned, reviewed and approved by the international college and the graduate school and reported to the relevant higher authorities for the record, the applicant can handle the transfer procedure;

(3) Transferring majors or transferring to other universities shall generally be handled within 2 weeks after the start of the second semester.

Article 19Under any of the following circumstances, the application for transferring to other universities shall not be approved:

(1) If his or her study in the school is less than one semester;

(2) If he or she is a government scholarship or school scholarship winner when being admitted;

(3) If he or she shall withdraw or be expelled from school;

(4) If he or she is without any justifiable reasons.

Suspension and Resumption

Article 20Under any of the following circumstances, a graduate student shall be suspended from school:

(1) If he or she cannot keep on study due to illness and has been confirmed by a hospital at or above the county level that the illness can be cured within a short period of time but he or she needs recuperation;

(2) If his or her accumulated sick leave and personal leave exceeds one month within one semester;

(3) If he or she cannot adhere to normal study due to some special circumstances.

Article 21The suspension of study for graduate students is generally limited to one semester. Upon the expiration of the suspension, the one who cannot resume his or her study may apply for extending the suspension of study. But the accumulated suspension of study shall not exceed one year. A graduate student who has obtained the permission of suspension shall go through the procedures of leaving school and departure. In accordance with the provisions, the school will report to the public security department to cancel his or her residence permit. His or her student status will be retained during the suspension period. Travelling expenses during recuperation and medical expenses shall be borne by himself or herself. The graduate student treatment in school shall not be enjoyed during the suspension period.

Article 22A graduate student who desires to suspend his or her study shall submit himself or herself an application attached with relevant proof materials. When the application has been signed by his or her supervisor, he or she can go to the international college to fill out the examination and approval form for the status change of international graduate students of USC and go through the procedure of the examination and approval. The original examination and approval form for the status change of international graduate students of USC shall be kept in the international college and the graduate school on file.

Article 23A graduate student who has suspended his or her study shall submit to the international college an application for resumption of schooling two months prior to the expiration of his/her suspension. If one has suspended his or her schooling due to illness he or she shall submit a medical certificate issued by the hospital designated by the school and pass the health reexamination before resumption. When an applicant has passed the health reexamination and has been approved by the college concerned, the graduate school and the international college, he or she can resume his or her study. In principle, the one who has suspended his or her study for nearly 1 year shall be included in the next grade of the same major.

Article 24In case of serious violation of the laws and disciplines during the suspension period, the graduate student shall be forced to drop out of school or be given other corresponding punishments.

Drop Out

Article 25Under any one of the following circumstances, the graduate student shall be dismissed from school:

(1) If his or her academic achievements fails to meet the school's requirements or one fails to complete his or her study within the prescribed period of study (including approved extension);

(2) If he or she fails to apply for the resumption of study and go through the resumption procedure 2 weeks prior to the expiration of suspension or retention of student status or fails to pass the health reexamination;

(3) If he or she has been diagnosed by a hospital designated by the school that he or she due to suffering from illness or being accidentally disabled cannot continue to his or her study in school;

(4) If he or she, without asking for leave, has been absent from the teaching activities stipulated by the school for 2 consecutive weeks;

(5) If he or she fails to register and go through the procedure of deferring registration within the time limit set by the school and without good reasons;

(6) Under other circumstances stipulated by the school one shall withdraw from school.

The one who voluntarily applies for withdrawal from school shall go through the procedure of withdrawal after being approved by the school.

Article 26If a graduate student is to be expelled from the university, the college educating the graduate student and the international college shall jointly propose disposal opinions and notify the graduate student himself or herself of the relevant rights. If he or she is out of notice, the notice will be published on the official website of the school for 2 weeks and the notice will be deemed to have reached the graduate student. If no objection is raised when the notice has been sent to the graduate student for 2 weeks, the international college postgraduates management department will send the proposed disposal opinions to his or her supervisor and the competent person of the school concerned for signing with opinions. After the proposed disposal opinion has been reviewed and approved by the graduate school and the international college, it will be finally decided at the meeting of school council.

The withdrawal decision shall be sent to the student in the manner prescribed in paragraph 1 of this article.

Article 27Any graduate student who disagrees with the decision to withdraw from school may file a complaint. The complaint shall be handled in accordance with the Measures for the Handling of Students' Complaints of University of South China.

Article 28If a graduate student applies to withdraw from school or is forced to withdraw from school, a study certificate shall be issued. If a graduate student leaves or voluntarily withdraws from school without permission, no study certificate or study proof shall be issued.

Article 29After a graduate student has withdrawn from school, relevant matters shall be handled as the follows correspondingly:

(1) the international college shall report to the public security department to terminate the residence permit;

(2) the student’s treatment as a graduate student and his or her scholarship shall be terminated from the effective date of the decision to withdraw from school. He or she has to go through the withdrawal procedures, including leaving school and departure procedures, within 2 weeks;

(3) the withdrawal decision shall be submitted to the education administration department of Hunan Province for the record.

Graduation, Completion of Study and Incompletion of Study

Article 30For graduate students who are taught in English, the dissertation may be written in English, and the abstract of the dissertation shall be in Chinese. According to the provisions of the education plan, only the graduate students who have completed compulsory courses, passed the examination and got the credits of the course study shall be allowed to work on the dissertation defense after their application and the approval of their supervisors. The secondary college shall be responsible for printing and reviewing the result of dissertation defense.

Article 31A graduate student who has passed the corresponding national Chinese proficiency test (HSK), obtained the qualification for dissertation defense and passed the dissertation defense shall be allowed to graduate and be issued with a graduation diploma.

Article 32A graduate student who has completed the course study prescribed in the education plan but fails to complete the graduation (degree) thesis shall be allowed to complete his or her study and be issued with a certificate of study completion.

Article 33A graduate student who drops out of school after one year or more of study, shall be issued with a certificate of course study. One who has studied for less than one year, or who has studied for one year or more but fails to pass the assessment, or who has interrupted his or her study for some reasons, or who has been expelled from school, or whose student status has been cancelled, shall be issued with a proof of study.

Article 34To one who has been admitted in violation of the state regulations on enrollment of graduate students or whose student status has been cancelled by the school degree assessment committee out of the violation of academic norms, neither a graduation certificate nor a diploma shall be issued. To one who has been issued with a graduation certificate or a diploma, the school shall recover the certificate and report to the education administration department to declare the certificate invalid.

Article 35The certificate of graduation, the certificate of completion of study or the certificate of course study are all academic certificates of the school and are printed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State and the school. If the certificate of graduation, or the certificate of completion of study, or the certificate of course study or the diploma is lost or damaged, the holder may apply for replacement. After verification the school will issue the corresponding certificate to him or her. The certificate shall have the same effect as the original certificate.

Article 36After graduation, the graduate student shall go through the procedures for leaving the school and depart within the time limit prescribed by the school.

Deferred Graduation and Graduation Ahead of Schedule

Article 37Graduate students shall complete their studies within the time limit prescribed and shall not, in general, extend the period of study. If one needs to extend the period under special circumstances, he or she shall submit an application to the international college and the graduate school for approval. After the application has been agreed by the supervisor and reviewed by the college concerned, it will be submitted to the international college and the graduate school for approval. The cumulative extension of the study period for a master's student shall not exceed one academic year, and the cumulative extension of the study period for a doctoral student shall not exceed three academic years.

Article 38A graduate student who has met the requirements for early graduation may graduate in advance after being examined and approved by the school. The graduate shall submit an application for dissertation defense ahead of schedule. When the application is approved by the supervisor and reviewed by the school concerned and approved by the international college and the graduate school, relevant procedures about graduation can be processed ahead of schedule. An application for graduation ahead of schedule should be submitted in October of the third semester and the relevant procedures shall be handled in the international college and the graduate school.

Article 39To those who have graduated in advance, the school will not issue the subsidy and supervisor allowance anymore. But they can participate in all kinds of selection activities of awards. Those who have deferred their graduation shall pay the relevant fees according to regulations, but the school will not issue the subsidy and supervisor allowance during the extended period of study. They may not participate in all kinds of selection activities of awards but they must accept all kinds of evaluation.

Supplementary Provisions

Article 40Any matter which is not mentioned herein shall be subject to the relevant provisions on the status management of graduate students of USC.

Article 41These provisions shall go into force on the dateof promulgation. The interpretationof these provisions shall be subject to the Graduate School and the International College.