A Gold Coast university student has been sentenced to 40 hours of community service after slapping an academic, and then hitting him with his exam paper.

Mechanical engineering student Ali Mohammad pleaded guilty to assaulting an academic at Griffith University last month.

The Southport Magistrates Court heard the English-born student argued with the victim about his exam marks and demanded extra credit.

The academic refused, saying he was following the marking criteria.

The academic then became worried and sought the assistance of other staff members, the police prosecutor said.

Security was called during the incident but Ali Mohammad fled the campus on foot. ( Supplied: Griffith University )

The defendant continued to argue with the staff and then slapped the academic who marked his exam and hit him with the test papers.

Security was called but the defendant fled the university on foot.

In court, Mohammad apologised for his actions, saying he was stressed and had failed that unit four times before.

"It was my mistake because I was thinking a bad way," he said.

"He was trying to teach me."