Academic Advising

Students’ perceptions about the university, the habits and attitudes that they form at the beginning of their university life reflect on their following years of study.  To inform students correctly from the very first day they set foot on campus, to direct and help them adapt to life in the university is, therefore, of utmost importance.  Students can thereby be enabled to organize their life at the university with more effective choices and make sound decisions.  At our university, this type of support is provided by Academic Advisors, who are faculty members. 

All students, including those in the English Preparatory program, are assigned at least one academic advisor, who is a full time faculty member or a lecturer holding a doctoral degree in the department or program the student is enrolled in.  The academic advisor provides guidance to the student in a various areas, such as academic issues, adjustment to life at the university, or career planning.

The academic advisor monitors the students’ progress and remains in regular contact with the student to ensure the effectiveness of the advising system. It is important not to allow the increasingly prevalent online systems such as online registration, e-petitions, and online applications to carry the advisor-student relationship entirely to the virtual environment, but to institute regular office hours for academic advising, to inform the student accordingly, and to encourage student participation so as to sustain face-to-face communication.

The academic advisor is expected to know and implement all Regulations and Directives, the decisions of the Senate, University Executive Board, and the relevant academic departments concerning education as well as any changes made to them.