By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — The University of Sierra Leone has abolished the requirement for students to submit hard-bound copies of their dissertations, introducing an electronic-only submission system in a move aimed at reducing costs, cutting waste and modernising academic administration.
The directive, issued by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal on August 28, 2026, takes immediate effect and applies to student dissertations across the university.
Under the new policy, faculties and departments will no longer be permitted to require students to submit hard-bound copies of their dissertations to the university.
Students may still print and bind copies for their personal records, but such copies will not be accepted as official submissions.
Move welcomed by former student
The decision has received support from some former students of the university.
Mohamed Kamara, 29, a former alumnus of Fourah Bay College, welcomed the move, describing it as consistent with a broader global shift towards digital academic administration.
“This is a great move by the university. I hope other universities will follow FBC,” Kamara said.
He added that electronic submission is increasingly becoming the norm for universities around the world, making the University of Sierra Leone’s decision timely.
Reducing the financial burden
The university said the policy is intended partly to reduce the financial burden on students and prevent avoidable waste.
The production of hard-bound dissertations can add considerable costs for students, particularly those completing postgraduate research who may previously have been required to produce multiple physical copies.
By making electronic submission the official process, the university is eliminating the need for students to incur compulsory printing and binding expenses.
The move also reflects the growing reliance on digital platforms in higher education, where research, academic assessment and institutional records are increasingly managed electronically.
Plagiarism detection system
The new system will also introduce additional safeguards for academic integrity.
According to the university’s directive, all electronic dissertation submissions will be screened to ensure that they meet minimum standards for academic writing and proper authorship.
The university said it is in the process of deploying a plagiarism detection system.
Only dissertations that pass the required verification process will be accepted and archived, according to the notice.
The introduction of electronic screening could strengthen the university’s ability to detect plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct before research is formally accepted.
Building a digital archive
The university said it has adequate digital storage infrastructure to securely archive approved dissertations that meet the required standards.
The shift could also help the institution build a more organised digital repository of student research, reducing its reliance on physical storage.
However, the university’s notice does not indicate whether the archived dissertations will eventually be made publicly accessible or remain available only to authorised university users.
Departments warned against non-compliance
The directive requires Deans, Heads of Departments and faculty members to communicate the policy change to academic staff and students without delay.
The university has also warned that any deviation from the directive will be subject to appropriate administrative action.
This means individual departments and academic staff are not expected to impose separate requirements for hard-bound copies where the new university-wide policy applies.
The notice was authored by Dr Tonya Musa, Director of Communication and International Relations, and issued from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal.
A significant shift for Sierra Leone’s higher education sector
The University of Sierra Leone described the move as part of its commitment to modernisation, reducing costs for students and responsible resource management.
The decision represents a significant departure from the traditional paper-based approach to dissertation submission in Sierra Leone.
For students, the immediate benefit is likely to be the removal of compulsory printing and binding costs. For the university, the transition offers an opportunity to streamline the submission, verification and long-term preservation of academic research.
The effectiveness of the new system, however, will depend on reliable digital infrastructure, clear submission procedures and adequate support for students and academic staff during the transition.
For Kamara and other supporters of the policy, the change is a sign that Sierra Leone’s universities are beginning to align their academic processes with evolving international practices.
With the directive now in force, the University of Sierra Leone has made clear that electronic submission, rather than hard-bound copies, will be the official route for student dissertations.
