diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 020dbe491..d3d733e54 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ ruby '3.4.5'
 
 gem 'mysql2', '~> 0.5.7'
 gem 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4'  # Alternative for development
-gem 'puma', '~> 5.0'
+gem 'puma', '~> 6.0'
 gem 'rails', '~> 8.0', '>= 8.0.1'
 gem 'mini_portile2', '~> 2.8'  # Helps with native gem compilation
 gem 'observer'  # Required for Ruby 3.4.5 compatibility with Rails 8.0
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 5e7341cb0..6fdf41173 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ GEM
       term-ansicolor
       thor
     crass (1.0.6)
+    csv (3.3.5)
     danger (9.5.3)
       base64 (~> 0.2)
       claide (~> 1.0)
@@ -128,6 +129,7 @@ GEM
     debug (1.11.0)
       irb (~> 1.10)
       reline (>= 0.3.8)
+    delegate (0.4.0)
     diff-lcs (1.6.2)
     docile (1.4.1)
     domain_name (0.6.20240107)
@@ -149,8 +151,11 @@ GEM
       faraday (>= 0.8)
     faraday-net_http (3.4.1)
       net-http (>= 0.5.0)
+    faraday-retry (2.3.2)
+      faraday (~> 2.0)
     find_with_order (1.3.1)
       activerecord (>= 3)
+    forwardable (1.3.3)
     git (2.3.3)
       activesupport (>= 5.0)
       addressable (~> 2.8)
@@ -197,10 +202,13 @@ GEM
       mime-types-data (~> 3.2025, >= 3.2025.0507)
     mime-types-data (3.2025.0924)
     mini_mime (1.1.5)
+    mini_portile2 (2.8.9)
     minitest (5.25.5)
     mize (0.6.1)
+    monitor (0.2.0)
     msgpack (1.8.0)
     multi_json (1.17.0)
+    mutex_m (0.3.0)
     mysql2 (0.5.7)
       bigdecimal
     nap (1.1.0)
@@ -217,7 +225,7 @@ GEM
       net-protocol
     netrc (0.11.0)
     nio4r (2.5.9)
-    nokogiri (1.15.2-aarch64-linux)
+    nokogiri (1.18.10-aarch64-linux-gnu)
       racc (~> 1.4)
     nokogiri (1.18.10-arm64-darwin)
       racc (~> 1.4)
@@ -230,6 +238,7 @@ GEM
       faraday (>= 1, < 3)
       sawyer (~> 0.9)
     open4 (1.3.4)
+    ostruct (0.6.3)
     parallel (1.27.0)
     parser (3.3.9.0)
       ast (~> 2.4.1)
@@ -350,6 +359,7 @@ GEM
       addressable (>= 2.3.5)
       faraday (>= 0.17.3, < 3)
     securerandom (0.4.1)
+    set (1.1.2)
     shoulda-matchers (6.5.0)
       activesupport (>= 5.2.0)
     simplecov (0.22.0)
@@ -358,7 +368,10 @@ GEM
       simplecov_json_formatter (~> 0.1)
     simplecov-html (0.13.2)
     simplecov_json_formatter (0.1.4)
+    singleton (0.3.0)
     spring (4.4.0)
+    sqlite3 (1.7.3)
+      mini_portile2 (~> 2.8.0)
     stringio (3.1.7)
     sync (0.5.0)
     term-ansicolor (1.11.3)
@@ -398,18 +411,30 @@ PLATFORMS
 DEPENDENCIES
   active_model_serializers (~> 0.10.0)
   bcrypt (~> 3.1.7)
+  bigdecimal
   bootsnap (>= 1.18.4)
   coveralls
+  csv
   danger
   database_cleaner-active_record
+  date
   debug
+  delegate
   factory_bot_rails
   faker
+  faraday-retry
   find_with_order
+  forwardable
   jwt (~> 2.7, >= 2.7.1)
   lingua
-  mysql2 (~> 0.5.5)
+  logger
+  mini_portile2 (~> 2.8)
+  monitor
+  mutex_m
+  mysql2 (~> 0.5.7)
   observer
+  ostruct
+  psych (~> 5.2)
   puma (~> 6.0)
   rack-cors
   rails (~> 8.0, >= 8.0.1)
@@ -418,14 +443,19 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   rswag-specs
   rswag-ui
   rubocop
+  set
   shoulda-matchers
   simplecov
   simplecov_json_formatter
+  singleton
   spring
+  sqlite3 (~> 1.4)
+  timeout
   tzinfo-data
+  uri
 
 RUBY VERSION
-   ruby 3.2.7p253
+   ruby 3.4.5p51
 
 BUNDLED WITH
    2.4.14
diff --git a/app/controllers/sign_up_topics_controller.rb b/app/controllers/sign_up_topics_controller.rb
index 11ddf5c7b..9294548e6 100644
--- a/app/controllers/sign_up_topics_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/sign_up_topics_controller.rb
@@ -16,6 +16,35 @@ def index
     # render json: {message: 'All selected topics have been loaded successfully.', sign_up_topics: @stopics}, status: 200
   end
 
+  def rubric_list
+    if params[:assignment_id].nil?
+      render json: { message: 'Assignment ID is required!' }, status: :unprocessable_entity
+      return
+    end
+
+    assignment = Assignment.find_by(id: params[:assignment_id])
+    if assignment.nil?
+      render json: { message: 'Assignment not found!' }, status: :not_found
+      return
+    end
+
+    topics = assignment.sign_up_topics.includes(:questionnaire)
+    render json: topics.map { |t| serialize_topic_with_rubric(t) }, status: :ok
+  end
+
+  private
+  def serialize_topic_with_rubric(topic)
+    {
+      id: topic.id,
+      name: topic.topic_name,
+      identifier: topic.topic_identifier,
+      max_choosers: topic.max_choosers,
+      questionnaire_id: topic.questionnaire_id,
+      questionnaire_name: topic.questionnaire&.name,
+      assignment_id: topic.assignment_id
+    }
+  end
+
   # POST /sign_up_topics
   # The create method allows the instructor to create a new topic
   # params[:sign_up_topic][:topic_identifier] follows a json format
diff --git a/app/helpers/topic_rubrics_helper.rb b/app/helpers/topic_rubrics_helper.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c263ad1ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/helpers/topic_rubrics_helper.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+module TopicRubricsHelper
+  # Assign a questionnaire to a specific topic
+  def self.assign_rubric_to_topic(topic_id, questionnaire_id, assignment_id, round = nil)
+    topic = SignUpTopic.find(topic_id)
+    assignment = Assignment.find(assignment_id)
+    questionnaire = Questionnaire.find(questionnaire_id)
+
+    # Validate that the questionnaire belongs to this assignment
+    unless assignment.questionnaires.include?(questionnaire)
+      raise ArgumentError, 'Questionnaire must be associated with this assignment'
+    end
+
+    # Check if assignment_questionnaire already exists
+    assignment_questionnaire = AssignmentQuestionnaire.find_or_initialize_by(
+      assignment_id: assignment_id,
+      questionnaire_id: questionnaire_id,
+      topic_id: topic_id,
+      used_in_round: round
+    )
+
+    assignment_questionnaire.save!
+    assignment_questionnaire
+  end
+
+  # Remove rubric assignment from a topic
+  def self.remove_rubric_from_topic(topic_id, assignment_id, round = nil)
+    AssignmentQuestionnaire.where(
+      assignment_id: assignment_id,
+      topic_id: topic_id,
+      used_in_round: round
+    ).destroy_all
+  end
+
+  # Get the rubric for a topic (with fallback to default)
+  def self.get_rubric_for_topic(topic_id, round = nil)
+    topic = SignUpTopic.find(topic_id)
+    topic.rubric_for_review(round)
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/models/assignment_questionnaire.rb b/app/models/assignment_questionnaire.rb
index 87a55883d..eff37cb24 100644
--- a/app/models/assignment_questionnaire.rb
+++ b/app/models/assignment_questionnaire.rb
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
 class AssignmentQuestionnaire < ApplicationRecord
   belongs_to :assignment
   belongs_to :questionnaire
+  belongs_to :topic, class_name: 'SignUpTopic', foreign_key: 'topic_id', optional: true
 end
diff --git a/app/models/sign_up_topic.rb b/app/models/sign_up_topic.rb
index 1d89b687b..a30d04933 100644
--- a/app/models/sign_up_topic.rb
+++ b/app/models/sign_up_topic.rb
@@ -1,9 +1,37 @@
 # frozen_string_literal: true
 
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
 class SignUpTopic < ApplicationRecord
   has_many :signed_up_teams, foreign_key: 'topic_id', dependent: :destroy
-  has_many :teams, through: :signed_up_teams # list all teams choose this topic, no matter in waitlist or not
+  has_many :teams, through: :signed_up_teams
   has_many :assignment_questionnaires, class_name: 'AssignmentQuestionnaire', foreign_key: 'topic_id', dependent: :destroy
-  has_many :due_dates, as: :parent,class_name: 'DueDate', dependent: :destroy
+  has_many :due_dates, as: :parent, class_name: 'DueDate', dependent: :destroy
   belongs_to :assignment
+  belongs_to :questionnaire, optional: true
+
+  # Get the rubric/questionnaire for this topic
+  # Falls back to the default assignment rubric if no topic-specific rubric exists
+  def rubric_for_review(round = nil)
+    # First, try to find a topic-specific rubric
+    topic_questionnaire = assignment_questionnaires.find_by(
+      assignment_id: assignment_id,
+      used_in_round: round
+    )&.questionnaire
+
+    return topic_questionnaire if topic_questionnaire.present?
+
+    # Fall back to the default assignment rubric
+    assignment.questionnaires.find_by(
+      assignment_questionnaires: { used_in_round: round }
+    )
+  end
+
+  # Check if this topic has a specific rubric assigned
+  def has_specific_rubric?(round = nil)
+    assignment_questionnaires.exists?(
+      assignment_id: assignment_id,
+      used_in_round: round
+    )
+  end
 end
diff --git a/config/application.rb b/config/application.rb
index 798f8702b..f78d01563 100644
--- a/config/application.rb
+++ b/config/application.rb
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ def self.preview_path=(_)
 module Reimplementation
   class Application < Rails::Application
     # Initialize configuration defaults for originally generated Rails version.
-    config.load_defaults 7.0
+    config.load_defaults 8.0
     config.active_record.schema_format = :ruby
 
     # Configuration for the application, engines, and railties goes here.
diff --git a/config/routes.rb b/config/routes.rb
index b77a95f63..2dcf733c1 100644
--- a/config/routes.rb
+++ b/config/routes.rb
@@ -90,12 +90,16 @@
         end
       end
 
-
-
-      resources :sign_up_topics do
+      resources :sign_up_topics, only: [:index, :create, :update, :show, :destroy] do
+        member do
+          post :assign_rubric
+          delete :remove_rubric
+          get :show_rubric
+        end
         collection do
           get :filter
           delete '/', to: 'sign_up_topics#destroy'
+          get :rubric_list
         end
       end
 
@@ -141,4 +145,6 @@
           delete :delete_participants
         end
       end
+
+      
 end
diff --git a/db/migrate/20251029210525_add_topic_id_to_assignment_questionnaires.rb b/db/migrate/20251029210525_add_topic_id_to_assignment_questionnaires.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..56f033af6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db/migrate/20251029210525_add_topic_id_to_assignment_questionnaires.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+class AddTopicIdToAssignmentQuestionnaires < ActiveRecord::Migration[8.0]
+  def change
+    add_column :assignment_questionnaires, :topic_id, :bigint
+    add_index :assignment_questionnaires, :topic_id
+    add_foreign_key :assignment_questionnaires, :sign_up_topics, column: :topic_id
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/db/schema.rb b/db/schema.rb
index 462029322..2eec7e2c0 100644
--- a/db/schema.rb
+++ b/db/schema.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #
 # It's strongly recommended that you check this file into your version control system.
 
-ActiveRecord::Schema[8.0].define(version: 2025_04_27_014225) do
+ActiveRecord::Schema[8.0].define(version: 2025_10_29_210525) do
   create_table "account_requests", charset: "utf8mb4", collation: "utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
     t.string "username"
     t.string "full_name"
@@ -43,8 +43,10 @@
     t.datetime "created_at", null: false
     t.datetime "updated_at", null: false
     t.integer "used_in_round"
+    t.bigint "topic_id"
     t.index ["assignment_id"], name: "fk_aq_assignments_id"
     t.index ["questionnaire_id"], name: "fk_aq_questionnaire_id"
+    t.index ["topic_id"], name: "index_assignment_questionnaires_on_topic_id"
   end
 
   create_table "assignments", charset: "utf8mb4", collation: "utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci", force: :cascade do |t|
@@ -408,6 +410,7 @@
 
   add_foreign_key "account_requests", "institutions"
   add_foreign_key "account_requests", "roles"
+  add_foreign_key "assignment_questionnaires", "sign_up_topics", column: "topic_id"
   add_foreign_key "assignments", "courses"
   add_foreign_key "assignments", "users", column: "instructor_id"
   add_foreign_key "courses", "institutions"
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index f22dc27ef..1da02be58 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ services:
     command: tail -f /dev/null
     environment:
       RAILS_ENV: development
-      DATABASE_URL: mysql2://root:expertiza@db:3306/reimplementation?
+      DATABASE_URL: mysql2://root:expertiza@db:3306/reimplementation
       CACHE_STORE: redis://redis:6380/0
     ports:
       - "3002:3002"
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "3307:3306"
     volumes:
-      - expertiza-mysql:/var/lib/mysql2/data
+      - expertiza-mysql:/var/lib/mysql
       - ./db:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d
 
   redis:
diff --git a/spec/models/sign_up_topic_spec.rb b/spec/models/sign_up_topic_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84e0c77fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/models/sign_up_topic_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+require 'rails_helper'
+
+RSpec.describe SignUpTopic, type: :model do
+  let(:assignment) { create(:assignment) }
+  let(:questionnaire) { create(:questionnaire) }
+  let(:topic) { create(:sign_up_topic, assignment: assignment) }
+
+  describe 'associations' do
+    it { should have_many(:assignment_questionnaires) }
+    it { should belong_to(:questionnaire).optional }
+  end
+
+  describe '#rubric_for_review' do
+    context 'when topic has a specific rubric' do
+      before do
+        create(:assignment_questionnaire,
+               assignment: assignment,
+               questionnaire: questionnaire,
+               topic: topic)
+      end
+
+      it 'returns the topic-specific rubric' do
+        expect(topic.rubric_for_review).to eq(questionnaire)
+      end
+    end
+
+    context 'when topic has no specific rubric' do
+      before do
+        create(:assignment_questionnaire,
+               assignment: assignment,
+               questionnaire: questionnaire,
+               topic: nil) # default rubric
+      end
+
+      it 'falls back to the default assignment rubric' do
+        expect(topic.rubric_for_review).to eq(questionnaire)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe '#has_specific_rubric?' do
+    it 'returns true when topic has a specific rubric' do
+      create(:assignment_questionnaire,
+             assignment: assignment,
+             questionnaire: questionnaire,
+             topic: topic)
+      
+      expect(topic.has_specific_rubric?).to be true
+    end
+
+    it 'returns false when topic has no specific rubric' do
+      expect(topic.has_specific_rubric?).to be false
+    end
+  end
+end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/rails_helper.rb b/spec/rails_helper.rb
index 9d528540b..4ca2c3910 100644
--- a/spec/rails_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/rails_helper.rb
@@ -77,7 +77,14 @@
 end
 RSpec.configure do |config|
   # Remove this line if you're not using ActiveRecord or ActiveRecord fixtures
-  config.fixture_path = Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures')
+  # config.fixture_path = Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures')
+
+  if config.respond_to?(:fixture_paths=)
+    config.fixture_paths = [Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures').to_s]
+  else
+    # Fallback for older Rails / rspec-rails
+    config.fixture_path = Rails.root.join('spec/fixtures')
+  end
 
   # If you're not using ActiveRecord, or you'd prefer not to run each of your
   # examples within a transaction, remove the following line or assign false