Academic Planning & Rules

Each academic term JI students are advised to meet with an academic advisor or a program advisor to select appropriate classes and complete the course registration process. Policies on course pre-requisite requirements will be enforced. The JI will not approve requests for waiving the pre-requisite requirements unless there are special reasons. Courses can be selected online or by completion of the necessary paper forms at appropriate JI office.

A. Online Course Selection
Normally, with the instruction of appropriate academic advisors, students log onto the JI Course Election System to select the courses they wish to enroll for and arrange their own class schedules according to their chosen major, academic capability, hobbies, etc.

B. Paper Application for Course Selection
In the following cases, students must complete a paper application form for course selection:

• Within 1 year after receiving an academic warning (Probation, Dismissal Warning, or Drop-out Recommendation)
• Taking courses either in excess of the upper term credit limit or lower than the minimum term workload

Students who intend to select courses through paper application must fill out the course selection form and bring it to the JI Undergraduate Education Office at least one week before the JI online Course Election System is opened for course selection.

A credit hour (semester hour) generally represents one 45 minutes of lecture per week for a 15 week term; Preparation, review and homework for each credit hour normally require two to three hours of self-study per week. Generally, one period of laboratory work (3 hours per week) is considered to be equal to one credit hour. The number of credit hours a student is able to carry in any one term depends upon a number of factors including study capabilities, health condition and the amount of time devoted to extracurricular activities.

• Twelve credit-hours are considered a minimum academic load for a normal student in a regular term. JI undergraduates must carry a minimum of 12 credit hours to be considered full-time students except the graduating semester.
• Full-time students can take up to 18 credits per semester. This includes credits from both JI and SJTU courses.
• Students are required to obtain approval from the JI Undergraduate Committee for taking less than 12 credits or more than 18 (overload) credits of courses per semester.
• Requests for overload should be submitted to the JI Undergraduate Education Office by the end of Friday of the first teaching week in every semester. The overload requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are approved only under special circumstances of academic need. Final decisions will be announced to the applicants within the second teaching week of the same semester.
• Due to computer system compatibility issues, a student’s request for overload may not be automatically blocked by the registration system. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain proper approvals for an overload. Consequences for overload without approval include: 1) Forced withdrawal from the courses to comply with the overload policy, and 2) Invalidation of the extra credits such that the grades are not recorded and the credits are not counted towards the degree requirements.

Once particular courses are selected, students should attend classes according to the class schedule. Any changes to the course selection without appropriate approval are not permitted. If students make such changes without approval, the grade received for the involved courses will be nullified.

During the first two weeks of classes, students may modify their course selection by dropping or adding courses using the online course registration system of the JI.

During the first two weeks of classes, students may modify their course selection by dropping or adding courses using the online course registration system of the JI.

During the first two weeks of classes, students may modify their course selection by dropping or adding courses using the online course registration system of the JI.

This policy applies to all JI undergraduate students in all JI semesters for any courses of any length.

• Students should attend the classroom instruction, experiments and other teaching contents of each course. An advance request for leave of absence is required if the student cannot attend the class due to illness or other reasons. Absence without approval will be regarded as skipping classes.
• The instructor for each class establishes his/her own policies on how to handle absences and how such absences affect assignments, exams, and grades. Instructors are not required to give make-up assignments or exams. Students should consult all of their instructors as soon as possible about possible absence from class. Instructors are free to request documentation proving the necessity of an absence.
• A note that a student visited a medical facility is not sufficient excuse for missing an assignment or an exam. The note must specifically indicate that the student was incapable of completing an assignment or taking the exam due to medical problems and that this condition was sudden enough that it was impractical to contact the instructor in advance. Instructors choose how to handle cases of medical emergency.
• A written request for leave of absence is required. Absence for illness should be supported by a hospital/doctor’s certificate. Absence for three days and less should be approved by the class advisor, student counselor and the instructor. Absence for three days to two weeks should be verified and approved by the Manager for JI Undergraduate Education Office. Students must provide formal documentation of the reasons for the absence to the JI Undergraduate Education Office. Absence for two weeks to one month should be approved by the JI Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Absence for longer than one month should be submitted to SJTU Academic Affairs Division with the advice of the JI Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Relevant proof materials for all types of absence will be recorded at the JI Undergraduate Education Office. Copies will be passed to the instructors for further reference.
• A student who has been absent from studies for more than one week because of illness or other emergency should consult the program advisors to determine the advisability of reducing elections.

For program required courses: If students did not complete a course with a passing grade (D or above), they must make it up in the following semesters.

For elective courses: If students did not complete a course with a passing grade (D or above), they may choose to make it up or instead take another qualified course with a program advisor’s approval to satisfy the credit requirement.

Students are not allowed to retake courses if they have already passed the courses with grades C+ or above. An exceptional is for capstone design courses where different course policy may apply to pre-admitted graduate students.

The policy applies to all JI undergraduate students effective from February 2023.

When students retake a course, all grades will be shown on their transcripts, but only the last grade will be counted in GPA calculation and to satisfy the graduation requirements.

If retaking a course is necessary, students are advised to retake the course as early as they can to avoid possible time conflict in class schedules.

Advance permission may be given by the course instructor to students with a medical emergency or other special reasons for missing a particular assignment or exam, if it is not the final exam.

Students may be allowed by an instructor to make up missed final exams only with permission of the JI Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. The instructor will decide the form of the make-up arrangement. So a student must communicate closely with their instructors if missing the final exam is foreseeable.

A. Academic Records
The official student transcript is the cumulative record of courses taken and grades earned while enrolled at the SJTU. All courses students have taken at the SJTU will be recorded in their academic record; but only those listed in the study plan or pre-approved by the JI Program Advisors will count towards the required graduation credits of the JI. All courses students have taken at the SJTU will be used for JI GPA calculations for specific JI requirements like academic standing, declaring major, enroll for graduation thesis, receiving JI awards, etc.

If a course has to be repeated, all grades will be shown on the transcript, but only the last grade will be counted in GPA calculation and to satisfy the graduation requirements.

B. Grade Grievance Procedure
If students have questions about their grade after the exams (excluding the finals), they could check it with the instructor during his/her office hours in the first week after scores are released. In order to do this, special requests should be sent to the JI Undergraduate Education Office. The instructor or a TA should be present while the student looks over his/her original test paper and answer sheet. Score corrections may be made by the instructor only. All corrections should be made in red-ink pen, with the instructor’s signature and date beside it. An e-copy of the correction must be sent to the JI Undergraduate Education Office to be kept on file.

If there is justification to question the accuracy of an assigned grade, the student should first pursue the matter with the instructor. The responsibility for the assignment of grades is primarily that of the instructor and should be settled between the student and instructor whenever possible. Further pursuit of a grade grievance should be addressed with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

C. Grade Point Averages (GPA)
Both term GPA and the cumulative GPA are computed for each student at the end of each term and become part of the academic records. The grades are valued per hour of credits as follows:

These items do not affect GPAs:

• Pass/Fail
  • P (passed): receives class credits, no grade points
  • F (failed): receives no class credits, grade points (The policy applies to JI undergraduate students from 2022 fall-entry and later.)
• “U” and “N” as informal scores are used to represent the score status in the score sheet. When the score is obtained, “U” or “N” should be replaced by the final score.
• “W” （Withdrawal）：It will be added on the transcript if a course is dropped after the 6th week at JI. GPA calculation will not be affected.

The calculation of GPA is shown as follows:

D. Grade Point Deficit (GPD)

Both term GPA and cumulative GPA should be equal to or above 2.0. If either part is less than 2.0, it is called Grade Point Deficit (GPD). The calculation of GPD is shown as follows:

GPD = (Σcourse credit)× 2.0 – Σ(course credit ×course grade points)

The scholastic standing of JI undergraduate students are classified as good standing, probation, dismissal warning, drop-out recommendation, and dismissal. Students with unsatisfactory scholastic performance will receive academic warnings and are mandated to select courses under direction of the program advisor. The scholastic standing will be determined as follows:

A. Good Standing
When a student maintains a 2.0 GPA or better for both the term and the cumulative average, the student is considered in good scholastic standing. The student may take courses normally.

B. Probation
When a student has a GPD between 0 and 10 for either the term or cumulative GPA, the student is placed on probation. The notation “Probation” will be entered on the unofficial transcript.

A student on probation may continue the enrollment, but is required to meet with the program advisor for course selection in the following year. Failure to do so may prevent the student from enrolling in or attending future terms. Probation constitutes a serious warning that there is a need for the student to improve academic performance or further enrollment may be suspended.

The number of credits a student on probation is allowed to take in a semester is limited to 16 or by the program advisor’s discretion.

C. Dismissal Warning
A student will receive a Dismissal Warning if he/she: a) is on Probation for three consecutive times, or b) has a GPD of 10 or more for either the term or the cumulative average. A student with Dismissal Warning will not be allowed to enroll for classes.

The student must submit a petition in writing to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education requesting reinstatement. The petition must document the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance, and provide sufficient and convincing evidence that another opportunity is deserved. If health condition has been a factor, students must include supporting information, including a doctor’s note with signatures and dates. Documents supporting other contributing factors must also be included.

Students who are not reinstated will be placed on suspension, and the enrollment status is removed.

If reinstated, the number of credits a student on dismissal warning is allowed to take in a semester is limited to 12 or by the program advisor’s discretion.

D. Drop-Out Recommendation
Students who get two or more consecutive Dismissal Warnings and fail to meet the agreed conditions of reinstatement will be advised to leave the institute voluntarily. A student with a Drop-Out Recommendation will not be allowed to enroll for classes.

When a student receives a drop-out recommendation, a formal notification will also be sent to his/her parents. To reinstate registration status, the student must submit a petition in writing with his/her parents’ acknowledgement to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. The petition must document the reasons for the unsatisfactory performance and provide sufficient and convincing evidence that another opportunity is deserved. If health condition has been a factor, students must include supporting information, including a doctor’s note with signatures and dates. Documents supporting other contributing factors must also be included.

Students who are not reinstated will be placed on suspension, and the enrollment status is removed.

If reinstated, the number of credits a student on Drop-Out Recommendation is allowed to take in a semester is limited to 12 or by the program advisor’s discretion.

E. Dismissal
Permanent dismissal will be enforced if a student:

Has received two Drop-out Recommendations and has not been able to improve their academic performance significantly. The student will be dismissed from the JI permanently. A formal report will be submitted to the SJTU Academic Affairs Division for further processing.
Has not resumed registration within the required time at the end of the suspension period or have failed the reinstatement;
is unable to study at school because of illness or accidental disability confirmed by the designated hospital;
is absent for more than two weeks without appropriate approval while the school is still in session;
Does not register within the required time and without any justifiable reasons;
Has applied for dropping out by a student himself/herself.

To be qualified for declaring a major, students must have completed the first-year level of Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Introduction to Engineering, and Introduction to Computer & Programming with satisfactory grades.

Please note that if the qualification is not satisfied, the declaration is not valid.

Students are encouraged to declare a major as early as possible. A major will be assigned in such case that students fail to declare a major before graduation.

In principle, students who have met the basic requirements are eligible to declare any major offered at JI. However, due to resource constraints, the JI may limit the number of students accepted into a program. Final decisions will be made based on the student’s preference, score ranking, overall performance as well as the capacity limits of each program.

To obtain a Bachelor’s degree from the SJTU, students must meet the following requirements: • A student must complete 136 credits required by the JI programs. A student may receive credit toward a degree in one or more of the following ways: – By passing a course with a satisfactory grade (D or better) for courses specified in the curriculum of a degree program.  – By transferring equivalent credits from other schools of SJTU, the UM, or other institutions recognized by the JI. Transfer credits must be evaluated by relevant JI faculty and approved by the Undergraduate Committee. JI does not accept transfer credits for courses graded as Pass or Fail. • A student must also complete all additional courses required by the Ministry of Education (MoE) of China as well as by the SJTU.

• A student must accumulate a final GPA of 2.0 or more for all credits taken while enrolled in SJTU.
• A student must file a formal application for graduation.

Time Requirement

The longest study period for undergraduate students is 6 years starting from the first day of registration as a student of the SJTU 

Graduation Diploma and Certificates

After successfully completing all the requirements for their undergraduate study at the JI, students will receive the Graduation Diploma from the Ministry of Education of China, a BS Degree Ordinance from SJTU, and a JI Study Certificate jointly granted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and University of Michigan (UM). Students participating the dual degree program, upon completion of each university’s degree requirements, will receive a BS Degree from the UM, the Graduation Diploma from the Ministry of Education of China, a BS Degree Ordinance from SJTU, and a JI Study Certificate jointly granted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University and University of Michigan. Students who fulfill the requirements of a secondary Bachelor degree of SJTU will be awarded a second degree. Students who satisfy all graduation requirements in advance can apply for early graduation. After the JI and the SJTU Academic Division approve the application, it will be sent to the Ministry of Education for final approval. 

Certificate of Completion and Non-completion

Students applying for Certificate of Completion and Non-completion should follow the rules and procedures specified in the SJTU Student Handbook.