Automating a Real-World University Timetabling Problem with Tabu Search Algorithm

University timetabling problem is hard combinatorial optimization problem that has been considered by several metaheuristics researchers. This paper applies Tabu Search algorithm, which is one of the most popular metaheuristics that have efficiently solved many hard combinatorial problem like timetabling, to a real-world university timetabling problem in Vietnam. The algorithm is tested on nine real-world instances and experimental results are generally better than handmade timetables being used in practice.