PhD Residence Status

PhD students are required to remain registered full-time for the duration of their studies (excluding leaves of absence). There is no part-time registration.

PhD Program Enrollment Limit

Students who matriculated prior to Summer 2016 and who have not completed their Ph.D. after the elapse of twelve years are no longer permitted to register in their degree programs. Students who have been admitted to candidacy by the end of 12 years will, however, still be permitted to graduate past the twelfth year with their department’s permission and completion and defense of the doctoral dissertation. Departmental permission may require that the student demonstrate current knowledge of their field (defined by each department). Students will then be required to pay a graduation fee in the quarter they plan to graduate.

Students who matriculated in or after Summer 2016 are not permitted to register after they have reached their program’s enrollment limit. The enrollment limit varies by program, and students should consult their program for further details. Students who are admitted to candidacy before they reach their program’s enrollment limit will be permitted to graduate as described above.

Students who reach the enrollment limit are not eligible for loan deferments, additional student loans, or health insurance coverage through the university in subsequent quarters. They will be eligible for a two-quarter grace period (usually Autumn and Winter quarters) during which they will maintain access to electronic resources. After the end of the two-quarter grace period students will only be eligible for alumni privileges, which are available regardless of whether a student has received a degree.

PhD Program Leaves of Absence

Students are permitted up to four quarters personal leave (counting Summer) and four quarters medical leave (counting Summer) during their career in a doctoral program.

The Division of the Social Sciences generally does not permit a Leave of Absence during the first quarter of study. A first-quarter Leave of Absence may be permitted for PhD students in the rare occasions that a doctoral student experiences a personal or medical emergency during the quarter. If such an occasion arises, the student should consult with their program’s Director of Graduate Studies and the Dean of Students Office.

Curricular leave that does not count toward personal or medical leave may be approved for a student who wishes to pursue another academic program that forms an intellectual whole with their doctoral program.

The student’s doctoral program and the Dean of Students must approve all leaves of absence.

Students may also take a one quarter parental leave of absence in the quarter before, of, or after the arrival of a new child. Students on parental leave remain eligible for U-SHIP coverage and funding, and are eligible to receive their stipend.