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This page describes various aspects of progress through a degree, in particular highlighting the problems that may be caused by poor performance.
About 40% of the BSc degrees finally awarded do not fit the minimum curriculum pattern, usually because a student fails one or more courses and has to take an extra course in second or third year, or even an extra year or two to complete all the required courses. Students falling into this category should take note of some rules which can cause problems.
While every attempt is made to ensure that the information here is comprehensive, accurate and up to date, we cannot promise that there are no errors.
Submit your comments or queries about this page to the Dean.
A BSc student is classified as a "first year student" until six semester-credits are obtained, and is only classified as a "third year student" when registered for at least one third-year course - which is only possible once at least ten semester-credits have been gained.
You will not be allowed to start on a second-year course unless you have obtained at least six first-year semester-credits. Every year a small group of students appeal loudly against this rule (which does not apply in all faculties), but experience has shown that students who cannot obtain six semester-credits in their first year will simply be incapable of completing second year courses. In addition, timetable complications inevitably arise, and the degree structure ends up as a disastrous mess.
You should also note that the final course of a major subject cannot be taken along with more than two other courses. Some students who have done poorly think that they can mop up an enormous number of outstanding credits in their final year, but, again, experience has shown that attempts to do so always end in complete disaster, and so there is now a strict ruling against allowing a student to become overloaded.
The University has a rule that is applied to students whose academic results are unsatisfactory, whereby they may be "excluded", and prevented from registering at Rhodes in the following year. This rule was known to generations of students as "Regulation G1(bis)", but in the latest revision of the Calendar it has been renumbered as Rule G.7. In the case of the Science Faculty, it amounts to requiring that:
First time entering students who earn no credit, or only one or two semester-credits, in their first year are the prime candidates for exclusion; this is the situation that arises most often. First time entering students who pass only two or three semester-credits in their first year are scrutinized very thoroughly. Those who have had near misses in their other subjects - typically have an average of about 46% or so - are sometimes not excluded immediately, but are allowed to have a second attempt at completing their first year "on probation" - meaning that if they do not achieve at least eight semester- credits by the end of the next year then they will definitely be excluded. Similarly, a student who passes first year, and fails everything in second year at, say, the 48% level, might be put on probation because satisfactory progress is not being made. Students who have taken four years, but still not completed their degrees, are automatically put on probation.
After the November examinations have been marked, the situations of students who do not satisfy Rule G.7 are considered very carefully by the Dean and the Deputy Dean. They look at as many factors as they can - such as how they had performed in the June examinations, whether they were carrying full loads of courses, whether advice had been given to such students earlier about reducing courses, whether this advice had been taken, or whether they had earned all their DP certificates.
The Dean and Deputy Dean submit recommendations on each student to a special meeting of the Faculty Board - that is, to the entire collected staff of the Science Faculty - for their comment and approval. It is largely because of all this detailed checking and consultation that the results are not released earlier. At the meeting, members of staff often ask for other factors to be considered - perhaps drawing attention to students who have performed badly because of family problems or illnesses earlier in the year.
You should bear in mind that, despite any suspicion to the contrary, we would rather see you succeed than fail, especially as we recognize the need the country has for qualified scientists. Every possible chance to continue is given to students whom we believe have the potential to succeed, and only students whom we believe have no chance of success are excluded.
At the same time, it is worth pointing out that if you repeatedly perform badly - in particular, if you who fail to meet Rule G.7 at the end of your second or third year at Rhodes University, or if you have been on probation before - you will be treated with less sympathy.
If you are excluded, an exclusion letter will be sent to you by the Registrar. You then have the right to appeal against your exclusion, in writing and on a prescribed form to the Registrar. The Registrar will consult with the Dean, who (after further consultation with relevant Heads of Departments and others) may recommend to the Registrar that you be readmitted "on probation". Since the cases have been very carefully considered by the Dean and the Board in December, the December decision is usually, but not always, upheld. If you can provide a good motivation, the request may succeed, but in our experience, the motivations put forward are usually very weak, such as "I promise to try harder" or "I was having difficulty since I had to travel home to Cape Town every weekend", which evoke little sympathy. Attention is drawn to the need to appeal in writing - verbal and telephonic appeals are unacceptable.
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