Registration glossary
The terms you'll see in your university's system at registration, in plain words.
- Section
- One scheduled offering of a course: its own days, time, room and instructor. A course usually has several sections, and you register in one.
- Add/drop period
- The first days of a term when you can add or drop courses without a W on your record. Each university sets its own deadline.
- W (Withdrawal)
- Grade recorded when you withdraw from a course after add/drop and before the withdrawal deadline. It doesn't count in your GPA.
- FA (Fail due to absence)
- A failing grade given when absences pass the limit. At GUST it applies after the withdrawal period; before it, the student gets WA instead.
- GUST
- Prerequisite
- A course you must pass, often with a minimum grade, before you can register for another. A co-requisite may be taken in the same term.
- Overload
- Registering above the normal maximum load. At GUST the normal load is 15 credits, the maximum is 21, and more than 18 needs a cumulative GPA above 3.0.
- GUST
- Cumulative GPA (CGPA)
- The credit-weighted average of grade points across every graded course you have taken. Warning and probation rules are based on it.
- Major GPA (MPA)
- The GPA of the courses in your major only. GUST requires both the CGPA and the major GPA to be at least 2.00 to graduate.
- GUST
- Academic dismissal
- Removal from the university after failing to clear probation. For PUC scholarship students it also cancels the scholarship.
- PUC (Private Universities Council)
- The Kuwaiti body that licenses private universities and runs the internal scholarship scheme. 7,989 general-track students were admitted to its scholarships for 2026/27.
- PUC internal scholarship
- A state-funded seat at a licensed private university. It covers tuition and a book allowance, requires a full-time load, and is cancelled on academic dismissal.
- Foundation program
- Non-credit English or math courses for students below the placement cut-off. Under PUC rules, the scholarship funds at most two foundation semesters.
- Major sheet
- The official list of every course your major requires. Kullia's degree maps are built from these sheets.
- Waitlist
- A queue for a full section. Banner shows waitlist counts where a university enables them; otherwise watch the section for an open seat.
Not affiliated with any university. Always confirm in your university's system before registering.