University of Sierra

Her Royal Majesty's University of Sierra (commonly referred to as the University of Sierra or abbreviated as US) is a national  with eighteen campuses and two affiliated law schools in sixteen PSAs of the Kingdom of Sierra. It is the largest four-year public university system in Anglo-America. It is one of the three national higher education systems in Sierra (the other two being the Sierra National University and Sierra Community Colleges systems), although each individual PSA (with the exception of those in the Deseret) are responsible for the majority of individual funding and campus administration. The current University of Sierra system was established in 1868 by a statutory charter established by Parliament (in response to a issued by King Smith I), which was also responsible for the creation of the two other higher education systems. The University of Sierra is governed by the Board of Regents, which consists of 20 individuals, 18 of which are appointed from each campus, and 2 of which are appointed by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Queen. The President of the Board of US is elected among the board members to serve as the first among equals.

As of 2016, it has a combined student body of 545,042, and 28,000 staff members, as well as 3.7 million living alumni across all of its campuses. It has one of the largest student bodies and faculty staff in the Americas, and has consistently ranked as some of the world's top university systems. The University of Sierra campuses in Berkeley and Porciúncula have both ranked in the Top 10 universities worldwide by numerous sources, and its other campuses have perennially been featured on top universities listings. Researchers and faculty members tied with its campuses have been amassed over 60 since the system's foundation. The University of Sierra's alumni have included twelve K.S. prime ministers, several foreign heads of states, 22 living billionaires, and over 30 Nobel Prize laureates. Although student tuition is relatively high, the high amount of endowment provided to the system has provided most of its students affordable pricing through financial aid.

The University of Sierra was established in 1868 under the National Tertiary Education Act, a statute passed by Parliament that ordered the establishment of the Ministry of Education, and the creation of three distinct institutions, among them including the University of Sierra, the Sierra National University, and Sierra Junior Colleges (later renamed the Sierra Community Colleges) systems. The University of Sierra was specifically created for students who desired to pursue professional careers and doctorate degrees, with an emphasis on research, and theoretical learning, as opposed to the Sierra National University which was geared towards students who desired practical, career-oriented education. US was also provided its own charter, and to be governed by a Board of Regents, which would enjoy from the national government including the Ministry of Education with a few exceptions.

The Board of Regents alone, in most cases, has general authority and jurisdiction over each and every one of its campuses in all of the PSAs, and is responsible for providing and maintaining general curriculum, policies, and internal organization. Over the years, the Board of Regents have allowed its campuses to exercise a great degree of individual autonomy, and has primarily concerned itself with the fair allocation of funding, and investigating and administrating discipline against faculty and staff. Although the federal government annually provides direct funding to US, in nearly all of the campuses, nearly half of each campus funding is directly subsidized by their respective PSA.

Academics
The University of Sierra's campuses are each individually by a  organization, and are all perennially reviewed and assessed to ensure that each campus provides quality service and education, and complies with academic expectations. Cumulatively, as of 2016, US offers 55 majors, 122 graduate degrees, and 22 professional degrees to its students. All US campuses are members of the Anglo-American Association of Universities (AAAU), an organization comprising of the top universities in the Conference of American States.

Twelve campuses operate using the quarter schedule while the remaining six are on the semester schedule. All US law schools operate under the semester schedule, and all campuses start the nominal school year on the second week of September, and end on the first week of June. All campuses offer optional winter and summer terms.

All undergraduates, including transfer students, are expected to complete the Comprehensive Intersegmental General Education Plan (CIGEP) in order to obtain a, which includes at least six classes outside of their concentration of study, including courses on national politics, ethics, art, college mathematics, and the sciences. In addition, as with most universities in Sierra, students are required to take and pass the Standardized Postgraduate Entry Exam (commonly referred to as the Stanpoe) to be admitted into graduate school (there are separate exams for US law, dental, and nursing schools)

In order for students to be considered full-time, they must take at least four courses during a term. In addition, all students are expected to maintain a no lower than 2.0. Those who have a GPA lower than 2.0 are automatically placed under where they undergo an academic recovery program, and students who fail to show improvement in their academic performance risk academic dismissal from the campus, and in some cases, the entire US system.

Most campuses have adopted an, and has encouraged a system of anonymous reporting of students who have blatantly cheated or demonstrated academic dishonesty. Universally, across all campuses and schools, repeated incidences of cheating can warrant academic dismissal. At some campuses, an honor committee composed of undergraduates and graduates investigate exceptional cases alleging cheating. Defendants may choose to appeal their case, but conviction can result in suspension or expulsion.

Campus naming conventions
With the exception of the Bernheim campus, each US campus is referred to as the "University of", followed by the name of its province, state, or area (PSA), and then the name of its declared home city, with the name of the PSA and the city separated by a comma. For example, for the campus in Riverside, the US there is known officially as the "University of Inland Empire, Riverside", as opposed to the "University of Sierra, Riverside", with the "Inland Empire", the campus' home PSA, in use, followed by "Riverside", to denote the specific location. Over the years, there has been a push towards abandoning the traditional nomenclature of using the name of a campus' home PSA, and uniformly adopting the name, the "University of Sierra" as the Bernheim campus (located in the Province of San Joaquin), does.