How the semesters at ISU are organized?
A semester is part of the academic year when the academic activities are carried out. The academic year begins on 1st October and ends on 30th September the following year. It is divided into two semesters, fall and winter semester.
- the first (fall) semester (1st October until 14th February the following year)
- the second (spring) semester (15th February until 30th June).
The first (fall) semester starts on 1st October and ends on 14th February the following year, and the academic activities are carried out from 1st October until 15th January the next year. The semester is 18 week long (12 weeks of lectures + 2 midterms weeks + 4 (preparatory and exam) weeks.
The second (spring) semester starts on 15th February and ends on 30th Septembers and the academic activities are carried out from 15th February until 31st May. The semester is 21 weeks long (12 weeks of lectures + 2 midterm weeks + 2 x 3 weeks exam sessions in June and September).
It is important to check the schedule on e-learning at the beginning of the year. Check the days you have lectures and attend them regularly. Follow the instructions given by your course professor, work on project activities, and prepare your term paper.
You can find the materials for the courses in the bookstore, or you can download them for free from E-learning or you can borrow them from the ISU library.
Follow the midterm exam terms and prepare well. If you need additional help, contact the course professor or assistant.
Schedule of the activities
Students from each department usually have lectures 2 or 3 day per week, which is practical for the students who travel as well. The lectures are held according to the following scheme:
The first (fall) semester
six weeks of lectures (from the beginning of October until mid-November)
a preparatory midterm exam week
a midterm exam week (mid- November until the end of November)
six weeks of lectures – (mid-November until the end of December)
a preparatory midterm exam week
a midterm exam week (end of December/the beginning of January)
The second (spring) semester
six weeks of lectures (mid-February until mid-Mach)
a preparatory midterm week
a midterm exam week (the end of March)
six weeks of lectures – (the beginning of April until mid-May)
a preparatory midterm exam week
a midterm exam week (the end of May)
Lectures
The lectures are held in Bitola and Sveti Nikole, i.e., each student attends the classes depending where he or she is enrolled. The schedule of the classes is adjusted to the students who travel, and therefore our students have lectures twice a week or three times a week.
The exact schedule is posted one week before the beginning of the lectures and will be available for all the students at the e-learning platform. In the meantime, you can check the Academic Calendar, where all the general terms for the courses and exam sessions are given.
Taking midterm exams
Midterm exams are knowledge tests that are scheduled twice during the semester:
- the first midterm exam – in the middle of the semester, i.e., after six weeks of lectures
- the second midterm exam – at the end of the semester, i.e., after another six weeks of lectures
To be able to take the second midterm exam it is mandatory the student to have passed the first midterm exam. The students who didn’t pass the one of the midterm exams are obliged to take a final exam during the exam sessions. If the students pass both midterm exams, they are not obliged to take the final exam.
The terms for the midterm exams are announced on e-learning platform.
Taking exams
During the academic year there are six exam session from which three are regular and three are irregular.
Regular exam sessions:
- January exam session
- June exam session and
- September exam session,
Additional exam sessions:
- April exam session;
- October exam session and
- November exam session.
The first regular session is in January and students take the final exams of the courses they attended in the fall semester. Provided the student doesn’t pass the exams in January, the exams can be taken in April (additional) session. Regarding taking the final exams in the additional exam session students don’t pay penalties.
The second regular exam session is in June and students take the final exams of the courses they attended in the spring semester. Provided the students doesn’t pass the exams, the exams can be taken in September exam session– also without paying penalties, unless the student has fulfilled the condition for enrollment in the following year. There are additional exam sessions in October and November.
The courses from even and odd semesters can be taken in all exam sessions.
Regardless of the fact whether the student has previously passed both midterm exams, the exams should be registered electronically (via E – Index platform) before the exam session. The results of the exam will arrive on the student’s account as soon as the professor publishes them.
Signing up for exams
Before the final exam, regardless if the students have passed the two midterm exams, they have to register online for the final exams they want to take. The results from the exams will be posted on e-learning platform as soon as the professor publishes them. The same results will be published in the student’s online record book – the E – Index.
Signing up for the exams is free for the students of the Erasmus+ mobility program.
Formation of the grade
The incoming students through Erasmus + program are regarded as full-time students. The full-time students are obliged to attend the lectures in all courses and they have the opportunity to take midterm exams.
The formation of the grade in any course is obtained with the total number of points earned by the midterm exams, points for attending classes, points from additional activities, term paper, etc. The assessment process is based on the points obtained throughout the semester. The following calculation applies to all faculties except the Faculty of Law. However, the calculation can vary from faculty to faculty and it is best to check the faculty program of studies or to consult with the professor.
+ first midterm exam (up to 35 points)
+ second midterm (up to 35 points)
+ term paper (up to 10 points)
+ attendance and additional activities (up to 20 points)
Maximum points = 100
The grading scale is given bellow:
Grade 6: 51-60 points
Grade 7: 61-70 points
Grade 8: 71-80 points
Grade 9: 81-90
Grade 10: 91- 100
For the Faculty of Law, the following calculation has been used:
+ first midterm exam (up to 40 points)
+ second midterm (up to 40 points)
+ term paper (up to 10 points)
+ attendance and additional activities (up to 10 points)
Maximum points = 100
The grading scale is given bellow:
Grade 6: 51-60 points
Grade 7: 61-70 points
Grade 8: 71-80 points
Grade 9: 81-90
Grade 10: 91-100