What attendance do I need to sit IOE semester exams?
At least 70%, and you must also pass the Internal Assessment in every subject. Fail the internal assessment and you are barred from that subject’s semester examination.
Two gates stand between you and a semester examination, and both operate before the paper rather than on it. Under Tribhuvan University rules the attendance of a studying student must be at least 70 per cent, and the Internal Assessment must be passed in every subject; a student who does not pass the internal assessment in a subject is not permitted to sit that subject’s semester examination. Neither is a component you can make up on the day. The examination itself is run by IOE’s Examination Control Division rather than by your campus, on the dates in the Academic Calendar IOE publishes, so a campus that has barred you has nothing further to decide and no paper of its own to offer you instead.
- Attendance
- A minimum of 70%, under Tribhuvan University rules
- Internal Assessment
- Must be passed in every subject
- If you fail the internal assessment
- You are not permitted to sit that subject’s semester examination
Why does the internal assessment matter more than its weight?
Because failing it removes your right to sit the paper, rather than costing you marks on it. That converts a weak semester into a backlog, and the backlog then meets the progression rules.
A student who has not appeared in at least one subject of a regular semester examination cannot be admitted to a class more than one level above. Being barred from a paper counts as not appearing, so an internal assessment failed in the first semester can hold a year that the eight-year completion window is still counting.
What does 70% actually allow?
Roughly three absences in ten. That sounds generous until illness, a family obligation and a transport strike land in the same month, so treat it as a floor to stay well clear of rather than a budget to spend.
The booklet states the threshold and no more. It does not say whether the 70% is counted per subject or across the semester, nor who verifies it, so ask your campus which of those it applies before you plan around a number.
Who runs the examinations, and who sets the dates
Examinations for every level taught under the Institute of Engineering are conducted by IOE’s Examination Control Division, according to the Academic Calendar IOE publishes. Your campus delivers the teaching; it does not set or mark the paper.
That same calendar is where the booklet says to look for academic activities and campus holidays. It is published centrally by IOE rather than by the campus, which is worth knowing when two notice boards disagree about a date.
Sections 11.1.1, 11.1.2 and 11.2.1 of the booklet, page 21; the academic calendar reference is section 16.2, page 25; the progression rule is section 12.1, page 22. Examination rules follow TU regulations; confirm the current position with your campus examination section.
Sources
- IOE B.E./B.Arch Booklet 2083published 7 August 2026 · read 18 August 2026
Last reviewed by Ram Raj Thapa, Admissions Officer, Imperial College of Engineering. Every figure on this page is cited to the document it came from.
