Education Policy

  • Registration and Fee Payment:

    • Each trimester of the programme begins with a mandatory REGISTRATION process, which specifies the prescribed course package for each student for that trimester.
    • The Registration process for each trimester is completed when the student confirms his / her course package along with the payment for the trimester fees.
    • The student has to pay the full trimester fees for every trimester in which he / she registers, irrespective of the number of courses in his / her prescribed course package.

  • Course Substitution and Withdrawal:

    • Students may request for course substitution or withdrawal in accordance with established policies and procedures.
    • All such requests must be submitted within two weeks from the first live contact session of the trimester and are subject to approval by the Institute.

  • Continuous Internal Evaluation:

    • BITS Pilani follows a continuous system of internal evaluation.
    • A Letter Grade A, A-, B, B-, C, C-, D, or E carrying grade points 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, or 2 respectively is awarded for each course.
    • If a student does not offer adequate opportunity for evaluation in a course, a report such as NC (Not cleared) may be awarded.
    • Final grading will be announced only after approval by the Examination Committee of BITS Pilani.

  • Evaluation Scheme:

    • For each course in each trimester, there will be multiple Evaluation Components (EC) spread over the trimester, as specified in the Course Handout for each course.
    • The (weightage) distribution and deadlines for evaluation components may vary from course to course.
    • Students are expected to adhere to the relevant guidelines and comply with the submission deadlines.

  • End-of-Trimester Exams

    • Each course will typically have an end-of-trimester exam.
    • Appearing for the end-of-trimester examinations for all enrolled courses is mandatory.
    • Successful completion of these examinations is a compulsory requirement for passing and completing the course.
    • rimester end exams for each course are typically scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. For each course, students can choose between two available date and time options for trimester end exams—making it easier to plan around personal and professional commitments.
    • Students must adhere to the published exam schedule, rules, and guidelines announced prior to each exam.
    • For students residing in India End-of-trimester examinations are conducted only at the designated exam centres located in the following cities. Students can take their examination at any of our 24 designated examination centres in India at the following

    Choose from 24 centres spread across major cities in four zones:

    South Zone – Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada
    North Zone – Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi NCR, Jaipur, Jammu, Lucknow, Pilani, Srinagar
    West Zone – Ahmedabad, Goa, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune
    East Zone – Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Silchar

    Students may update their preferred exam centre each trimester, subject to availability.

  • Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA):

    • The CGPA (calculated on a 10 point scale) will be used to describe the overall performance of a student (from the trimester of admission till the point of reckoning) in all courses for which LETTER GRADES are awarded.

  • CGPA is a weighted average of the grade points of all courses considered:

    • CGPA = U1 * G1 + U2 * G2 + U3 * G3 + . . . U1 + U2 + U3 + ...

    Where U1, U2, U3 …… denote UNITS / CREDITS of the course, and G1, G2, G3 denote grade points of the LETTER GRADES awarded in that course.

  • Minimum Academic Requirements:

    • Subject to fulfilling the Academic Regulations of the Institute, the student will be issued a grade sheet at the end of each trimester.
    • The Transcript and a Provisional Certificate, followed by the Final Degree Certificate will be issued at the end of the programme.
    • The minimum academic requirements for successful completion of the MSc (Data Science & AI) programme include:
      • that a student completes all the mandated courses and obtains a total of 72 credits / units
        1. with a minimum CGPA of 5.50 and
        2. with no E Grade or NC Report in any course.
      • And that a student obtains at least 4 credits / units through Apex Projects.
    • For the BS (Data Science & AI) programme the minimum academic requirements include
      • that a student completes all the mandated courses and obtains a total of 144 credits / units and
        1. with a minimum CGPA of 4.50
        2. with no E Grade or NC Report in any course.
      • And that a student obtains at least 5 credits / units through Apex Projects.
    • For the B.Sc (Data Science & AI) programme the minimum academic requirements include
      • i. that a student completes all the mandated courses and obtains a total of 108 credits / units and
        1. with a minimum CGPA of 4.50
        2. with no E Grade or NC Report in any course.
      • And that a student obtains at least 5 credits / units through Apex Projects.
    • For the Certificate exit, the required 24 credits have to be earned from the following courses: Probability & Statistics, Computer Programming, Data and the World, Computing Systems, Fundamentals of Data Science and Engineering, Data Structures for Data Science, Data Preprocessing, Supervised Learning, Unsupervised Learning, Programming using Generative AI and any one of the APEX project.
    • For the Diploma exit, the required 54 credits have to be earned from the following courses (in addition to those required for the Certificate exit above): Mobile and Web Application Development, Classical AI, Data Visualisation, Relational Databases and Querying, Deep Neural Networks, Multimedia Processing, Search Engines, Advanced Deep Learning, NLP Applications, Modern Databases and minimum 5 credits from any of the APEX projects.

  • Academic Counseling Board (ACB):

    • Students who do not progress adequately as per institute’s assessment will come under the purview of the Academic Counselling Board (ACB).
    • As long as the student is under the purview of the ACB, his / her course package per trimester will be decided by the ACB and his / her progress will be continuously tracked by the ACB. This will continue until the student exits the purview of the ACB by meeting the minimum academic requirements.

  • Institute Policies and Student Code:

    • Students shall conform to a high standard of discipline and a strict code of ethics and conduct themselves in a manner befitting students of an Institute of Eminence. Students shall have seriousness of purpose and shall, in every way, train themselves to lead a life of earnest endeavor and cooperation. Students shall show due courtesy, consideration, and respect to their fellow students, employees and the teachers of the Institute.

    Breach of rules and regulations, lack of decorum, acts of indiscipline, misconduct, misbehavior/ sexual harassment with fellow students / use of unfair means in test / examinations may invite appropriate disciplinary action from temporary suspension to dismissal from the Institute.

  • Withdrawal:

    • If a request for withdrawal from the programme is made within thirty days of the first live contact session of the first trimester. , a full refund of the trimester fee will be provided. Please note that the application fee and admission fee are non-refundable.

  • Maximum Duration:

    • B.S in Data Science & AI

      • You are allowed a maximum of 8 years to complete the full 4-year B.S. Degree in Data Science & AI. This generous time-frame is designed to give you the flexibility to balance your studies with other academic, professional, or personal commitments. Within this 8-year window, you may choose to take fewer courses in a trimester, take approved trimester drops, or adjust your pace — as long as you meet all academic requirements and credit obligations within the permitted duration.

      If you opt to exit earlier with an interim credential, you have up to double the normal duration to complete each stage:

      • The 1-year Certificate can be completed in up to 2 years
      • The 2-year Diploma can be completed in up to 4 years
      • The 3-year B.Sc. Degree can be completed in up to 6 years

      There are no additional fee implications for progressing at a slower pace. The programme follows a trimester-based fee model — meaning the trimester fee remains the same regardless of the number of courses you choose to register for in that term. The only additional charge is a continuity fee, which applies only if you take a drop for one or more trimesters. This fee is paid at the time of resuming the programme.

      This flexible structure ensures that your learning stays aligned with your life, while still allowing you to earn a prestigious BITS Pilani credential — on your own terms and timeline.

    • M.Sc. Data Science & AI

      • You are allowed a maximum of 4 years to complete the full 2-year M.Sc. Degree in Data Science & AI. This generous time-frame is designed to give you the flexibility to balance your studies with other academic, professional, or personal commitments.

      There are no additional fee implications for progressing at a slower pace. The programme follows a trimester-based fee model — meaning the trimester fee remains the same regardless of the number of courses you choose to register for in that term. The only additional charge is a continuity fee, which applies only if you choose to drop for one or more trimesters. This fee is paid at the time of resuming the programme.

      This flexible structure ensures that your learning stays aligned with your life, while still allowing you to earn a prestigious BITS Pilani credential — on your own terms and timeline.

    • Trimester Drop

      • The programme offers the flexibility to take a break (or drop) for one or more trimesters if you need to pause your studies due to personal, academic, or professional reasons. This ensures that your progress is not lost, and you can return when you're ready.

      That said, here are a few important things to note:

      • A break (or drop) can only be taken before the start of a trimester. Once a trimester begins and you've accessed classes or learning materials, a break is no longer permitted for that trimester.
      • When you resume the programme after dropping trimesters (one or more), you will be required to pay a continuity fee for each trimester of break, in addition to the regular trimester fee for the trimester you register for.

      This structure allows you to manage your learning journey on your own terms, while ensuring a smooth and supported return to the programme whenever you're ready to continue.

  • DEB ID Requirement (Mandatory for Indian Students)

    • As per UGC guidelines, all Indian students applying for Online or Open & Distance Learning (ODL) programmes must create a DEB ID using their DigiLocker account. This ID is required for admission to UGC-recognized institutions.

    If you do not have a DigiLocker account, you can create one at www.digilocker.gov.in using your Aadhaar number.

    You must submit your DEB ID during onboarding.

    For a detailed step-by-step guide, visit https://bitspilani-digital.edu.in/

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