By Ibrahim S. Bangura
Freetown, August 28, 2026 — The University of Sierra Leone (USL) has announced a sweeping policy shift requiring students to submit dissertations electronically, ending the long‑standing practice of producing costly hard‑bound copies.
The directive, issued by the Vice‑Chancellor and Principal, takes immediate effect across all faculties and departments. Students may still print personal copies for their own use, but bound submissions will no longer be accepted by the University.
Explaining the rationale, the Vice‑Chancellor said the requirement for bound dissertations had become unjustifiable, noting that many ended up discarded despite the significant expense to students. “We cannot continue with a system that places an unnecessary financial burden on our students and, at the same time, creates avoidable waste,” he stated.
The new policy is part of USL’s broader drive toward digital transformation, efficiency, and sustainability. The University is preparing to deploy a plagiarism detection system to strengthen academic integrity, with all electronic dissertations subjected to originality checks before acceptance and archiving.
“Our transition to electronic submission does not mean a reduction in academic standards. On the contrary, we are strengthening our quality assurance mechanisms,” the Vice‑Chancellor stressed.
USL confirmed it has adequate digital storage infrastructure to preserve and retrieve approved dissertations securely. The electronic system is expected to streamline archiving and make research management more efficient.
All Deans, Heads of Departments, and Faculty Members have been directed to enforce the new policy immediately. The Vice‑Chancellor described the move as another milestone in modernising academic administration while protecting students from avoidable costs.