Exemption and Adaptation Directive

Annex to the decision of our University Senate No. 2024/09-4 dated 30.04.2024.
Revision and Amendment: Annex to Senate Decision No. 2025/12 dated 19.06.2025.

ISTANBUL SABAHATTIN ZAIM UNIVERSITY
EXEMPTION AND ADAPTATION DIRECTIVE

PART ONE
Introductory Provisions

Purpose

ARTICLE 1- (1) The purpose of this Directive is to regulate the principles concerning the exemption procedures and class adaptation of courses taken and passed by students newly enrolling in the undergraduate programs of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University at higher education institutions recognized or whose equivalence is accepted by the Council of Higher Education.

Scope

ARTICLE 2- (1) This Directive covers the provisions concerning the exemption procedures and class adaptation of courses taken and passed by students newly enrolling in the undergraduate programs of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University at higher education institutions recognized or whose equivalence is accepted by the Council of Higher Education.

Legal Basis

ARTICLE 3- (1) This Directive has been prepared based on subparagraph (b) of Article 44 of Higher Education Law No. 2547, the Regulation on the Principles of Transfer Between Associate and Undergraduate Degree Programs, Double Major, Minor, and Inter-Institutional Credit Transfer at Higher Education Institutions, and the Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University Undergraduate Education and Training Regulation.

Definitions

ARTICLE 4- (1) As used in this Directive;

a) CGPA: Cumulative grade point average,

b) GPA: Grade point average,

c) ECTS: European Credit Transfer System,

ç) Unit: the Faculties affiliated with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

d) Unit Board: the boards of the Faculties affiliated with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

e) Unit Executive Board: the executive boards of the Faculties affiliated with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

f) Dean's Office: the Dean's Offices of the Faculties affiliated with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

g) Exchange programs: student exchange and internship programs, such as Erasmus, Farabi, or Mevlana, conducted within the framework of bilateral agreements between Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University and a domestic or foreign higher education institution,

ğ) Adaptation: the process of determining the class/semester that students newly enrolling in the undergraduate programs of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University will continue in, based on the total ECTS credit value of their exempted courses,

h) Exemption: the process by which certain courses in the curriculum are counted as fulfilled by previously taken courses, based on the compatibility of content, weekly course hours, ECTS credit, or local credit,

ı) Student: a student newly enrolling in the undergraduate programs of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

i) Rector: the Rector of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

j) Senate: the Senate of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

k) University: Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

l) Local Credit: the sum of the total weekly theoretical course hours and half of the weekly laboratory and practical hours,

m) CoHE: the Council of Higher Education,

shall have the meanings set out above.

PART TWO
Adaptation Commission and Procedures and Principles Regarding Exemption

Adaptation Commission and its duties

ARTICLE 5- (1) The Adaptation Commission consists of three instructors, at least one of whom must be a faculty member, appointed by a decision of the relevant Unit Executive Board upon the recommendation of the relevant Department Chair.

(2) The Adaptation Commission is responsible for reviewing and evaluating the courses for which exemption is requested, and for submitting the evaluation report, by official letter, to the relevant Department Chair for discussion at the Department Board.

Exemption request

ARTICLE 6- (1) Students newly enrolling at the University may apply for exemption, within five business days of the enrollment date at the latest, for courses taken and passed at any higher education institution, by applying to the relevant faculty secretariat with a transcript, course contents, and a petition obtained from the student information system. If the courses for which exemption is requested were taken in a language other than Turkish or English, a certified Turkish translation of the transcript and course contents must be attached to the petition.

(2) Students who newly enroll at the University but defer their registration due to valid excuses must submit their exemption request within five business days from the date the weekly course schedule for the semester in which they will begin their undergraduate studies is announced, at the latest.

(3) Among students newly enrolling at the University, those who pass the compulsory foreign language proficiency exam administered by the University, and those exempted from the compulsory foreign language preparatory class pursuant to the relevant provisions of the University's Foreign Language Preparatory Class Education, Instruction, and Examination Directive, must submit their exemption request within five business days from the date the weekly course schedule for the semester in which they will begin their undergraduate studies is announced.

(4) Courses taken in double major or minor programs may not be counted as exemptions for courses in the primary major program. However, courses taken in the primary major program may be counted as exemptions for courses in the double major program. Students enrolled in double major programs must submit their exemption request, for courses taken and passed in the primary major program that they wish to have exempted in the double major program, within five business days following the end-of-semester make-up exams.

(5) Students who successfully complete the foreign language preparatory class must submit their exemption request within five business days from the date the weekly course schedule for the following semester is announced, at the latest.

(6) Students may not submit requests for exemption or for the cancellation of exemption and class adaptation transactions already carried out, in semesters following the enrollment date. However, an exemption request may be submitted for courses newly added to the curriculum in subsequent semesters.

(7) In order for students to request exemption for courses taken at higher education institutions abroad, they must have obtained apostille certification for their transcript and course contents.

(8) Students may not request exemption for courses taken at higher education institutions not recognized by CoHE or whose equivalence is not accepted, nor for the teaching practice courses of the teacher training undergraduate programs of the Faculty of Education.

(9) Exemption requests must be submitted in person to the relevant faculty secretariat, either by the student or by an official proxy.

(10) Applications submitted with incomplete information or documents, with unapproved documents such as faxes or photocopies, or after the deadline, will not be evaluated.

Exemption procedure

ARTICLE 7- (1) The name of the course a student has taken and passed at any higher education institution does not need to be identical to the name of the course to be exempted at the University. However, the content of these courses must be at least 80% compatible, and at least one of the ECTS credit, local credit, or weekly course hour values must be at least 70% compatible. This requirement does not apply to the exemption of courses taken under subparagraph (ı) of Article 5 of Higher Education Law No. 2547 or under international student exchange programs.

(2) In order for students to request exemption for courses taken and passed at any higher education institution, the letter grade of these courses must be at least CC (at least 70 out of 100).

(3) The provisions of the Regulation on the Continuation of Graduates of Vocational Schools and Open Education Associate Degree Programs to Undergraduate Education apply to students enrolling via the Vertical Transfer Examination. Upon their request, courses taken during their associate degree studies that are accepted as equivalent are exempted by the Adaptation Commission.

(4) Exemption procedures for the foreign language preparatory class are carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation on the Principles to be Followed in Foreign Language Teaching and Instruction in a Foreign Language at Higher Education Institutions, published in the Official Gazette No. 29662 dated 23/3/2016, and the provisions of the Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University Foreign Language Preparatory Class Education, Instruction, and Examination Directive.

(5) Exemption procedures for courses taken at the summer school of another higher education institution are carried out in accordance with the provisions of the University Summer School Directive.

(6) Exemption procedures for courses taken under the Erasmus+ Program are carried out in accordance with the provisions of the University's Erasmus+ Program Directive and the principles set out in the Erasmus+ Program Student Learning Mobility Academic Recognition Guide.

(7) Requests for exemption of courses taken in programs with Turkish as the language of instruction against courses taught in a foreign language may only be evaluated for students possessing the relevant foreign language proficiency.

(8) For courses previously exempted by any higher education institution, the application must be made using the documents of the higher education institution where the course was originally taken.

(9) Exemption may not be requested, through recognition of previously acquired qualifications, for courses such as the graduation thesis, graduation project, graduation study, and the like.

PART THREE
Class Adaptation and Grade Conversion

Class/semester adaptation

ARTICLE 8- (1) The class adaptation of students who transfer laterally between institutions is carried out according to the following principles:

(a) The class adaptation of students who transfer laterally between institutions based on their cumulative grade point average is made to the class one level above the class they had completed in their previous program, without taking into account the ECTS values of the courses for which they are exempted. When calculating the maximum period of study for these students, the time spent in their previous program is counted toward the maximum period of study.

(b) The class adaptation of students who transfer laterally between institutions to an equivalent program based on their central placement score (Additional Article-1) is made to the class one level above the class they had completed in their previous program, without taking into account the ECTS values of the courses for which they are exempted. When calculating the maximum period of study for these students as well, the time spent in their previous program is counted toward the maximum period of study.

(c) The class adaptation of students who transfer laterally between institutions to a different program based on their central placement score (Additional Article-1), on the other hand, is determined according to Table-1, taking into account the total ECTS credit value of the exempted courses. When calculating the maximum period of study for these students, the time spent in their previous program is not counted toward the maximum period of study.

(2) The class adaptation of students who transfer laterally within the institution is determined according to Table-1, taking into account the total ECTS credit value of the exempted courses. For students who transfer between the Turkish, English, or Arabic programs of the same department within the institution, their class continues from where they left off in their previous program, and the time spent in their previous program is counted toward the maximum period of study.

(3) The class adaptation of students enrolling via the Vertical Transfer Examination is determined according to Table-1, taking into account the total ECTS credit value of the exempted courses.

(4) The adaptation of an irregular student who will begin their undergraduate studies at the start of the spring semester for reasons such as successfully completing the foreign language preparatory class at the end of the fall semester or deferring enrollment during the fall semester, is made to the second semester of the first year.

(5) The class adaptation of students enrolling in minor programs is made to the class one level above their primary major program. The class adaptation of students enrolling in double major programs, on the other hand, is determined according to Table-1, taking into account the total ECTS credit value of the courses exempted in the double major program.

(6) For courses whose ECTS credit value is not specified on the transcript, the ECTS credit value is accepted as one and a half times the total weekly course hours of the relevant courses.

(7) If the total ECTS credit value of a student's exempted courses exceeds 70% of the total ECTS credit value of the class shown in the curriculum of the undergraduate program, the student is adapted to the class/semester one level above. The student's remaining maximum period of study is then calculated according to Table-1 below. Once a student's class adaptation has been made, it may not be changed in subsequent semesters.

Table-1: Class/Semester Adaptation and Remaining Maximum Period of Study Calculation Table

Grade conversion

ARTICLE 9- (1) The conversion of letter grades for courses exempted at the University is carried out as follows.

a) The grades of exempted courses taken at higher education institutions using the same letter grading system as the University (the same letter grades, grade ranges, and weight coefficients) are converted using the same letter grade, without taking into account the weight coefficients of the letter grade on the 4-point scale at the institution where the course was taken.

Important Note: The grades of exempted courses taken at higher education institutions that, although using a 4-point system like the University, apply letter grades, grade ranges, or weight coefficients different from those of the University, are converted to the letter grade with the closest coefficient value in the University's grading system, based on the relevant institution's weight coefficient.

b) The grades of exempted courses taken at higher education institutions using a grading system different from the University's (such as 5-point, 10-point, 20-point, 50-point, or 100-point) are converted based on the CoHE's "100-Point System Equivalents of Grades in the 4-Point System" table and taking into account the weight coefficients of the letter grade on the 4-point scale at the institution where the course was taken.

c) If the grades of exempted courses taken at other higher education institutions are given in the 5-point system, these grades are first converted to the 100-point system based on the CoHE's "5-Point System Equivalence in the 100-Point System" grade conversion table, and then the grade obtained in the 100-point system is converted to the 4-point system based on the CoHE's "100-Point System Equivalents of Grades in the 4-Point System" table.

ç) If the grades of exempted courses taken at other higher education institutions are given in a numerical grading system, these grades are first converted to the 100-point system, and then converted to the 4-point system based on the CoHE's "100-Point System Equivalents of Grades in the 4-Point System" table.

(2) In the event that multiple courses taken at other higher education institutions are exempted as a single course, the results obtained by multiplying the 4-point weight coefficients of the letter grades at the institution where these courses were taken by the ECTS credit values (if specified on the transcript), or by the local credit values (if ECTS credit values are not specified), or by the weekly course hours (if neither is specified), are summed; the resulting total is divided by the sum of the relevant values; and a new letter grade is determined based on the resulting weighted grade average. In the event that a single course is exempted as multiple courses, the letter grade is given for all of the exempted courses.

(3) If the grades of exempted courses taken at other higher education institutions are given as "Successful," "Satisfactory," "Pass," "Exempt," or similar, a (TR) letter grade is given for these courses.

Announcement of results

ARTICLE 10- (1) Decisions taken by the Department Board regarding exemption procedures and class adaptations are submitted to the relevant Department Chair for discussion at the Unit Executive Board, and the final decisions taken by the Unit Executive Board are sent by the Dean's Office to the Department of Student Affairs to be recorded in the student information system.

(2) Exemption requests are decided by the relevant Unit Executive Board within 15 business days following the student's application.

(3) Exemption requests submitted after courses have begun must be evaluated and decided by the relevant Unit Executive Board within one week at the latest.

(4) Until exemption requests are decided by the relevant Unit Executive Boards, the student is obliged to enroll in and attend the courses for which exemption has been requested. Once the exempted courses have been recorded in the student information system, they are removed from the weekly course schedule by the advisor upon the student's request.

Appeal against results

ARTICLE 11- (1) Appeals concerning the exemption and class adaptation result must be submitted, by petition, to the relevant faculty secretariat in person or by an official proxy, within five business days at the latest from the date the exempted courses are recorded in the student information system. Appeals submitted after this period will not be considered.

(2) Appeals concerning the exemption and class adaptation result are evaluated by the relevant Adaptation Commission within five business days at the latest from the date of appeal. The result of the Adaptation Commission's evaluation is notified to the student in writing by the relevant Dean's Office.

Adaptation form

ARTICLE 12- (1) Common forms determined by the Department of Student Affairs are used in all Units.

(2) The adaptation form specifies the class/semester to which the student has been adapted, the higher education institution from which the course was taken, and the code, name, theoretical, practical, and laboratory hours, local credit, ECTS credit, and letter grade of the course taken, together with the code, name, theoretical, practical, and laboratory hours (if any), local credit, ECTS credit, and letter grade of the exempted course.

PART FOUR
Miscellaneous and Final Provisions

Cases not covered by provisions

ARTICLE 13- (1) In cases not covered by this Directive, the provisions of Higher Education Law No. 2547, the University Undergraduate Education and Training Regulation, and other relevant legislation apply.

(2) In addition to the exemption requirements regulated in this Directive, additional requirements specific to faculties may be determined upon the recommendation of the relevant Unit Board and with Senate approval.

Entry into force

ARTICLE 14- (1) This Directive enters into force after being adopted by the Senate.

Execution

ARTICLE 15- (1) This Directive is executed by the Rector.


 

Click here for the CoHE's 4-Point System to 100-Point System Grade Conversion Table >>> **

 

Click here for the CoHE's 5-Point System to 100-Point System Grade Conversion Table >>> **

** Note: CoHE's tables are used for converting the grades of exempted courses taken at higher education institutions using a grading system different from the University's (such as 5-point, 10-point, 20-point, 50-point, or 100-point).