PhD, DMA, and DEd students have 7 years from the term of admission in which to complete the doctoral degree. Examples:

• A student admitted in Fall 2020 must complete the degree by the end of Summer 2027. 
• A student admitted in Summer 2020 must complete the degree by the end of Spring 2027. 

Students may petition for additional time to complete the degree by submitting the Extension of 7-year Deadline petition. As part of the petition process, students must submit a plan with term-by-term progress milestones. Each quarter, a renewal request must be submitted outlining the progress they have made that quarter and confirming that they are making satisfactory progress on the dissertation. 

A petition for an extension of the 7-year deadline will only be considered if the student is:

• otherwise in good academic standing
• has advanced to candidacy
• has an approved dissertation proposal by the end of the 7th year. 

Petitions are evaluated on a case by case basis, and are not automatically granted.

In addition, some departments may require that the dissertation be completed within a certain number of years after advancement to candidacy (e.g. three years) to ensure currency of knowledge. In such cases, a petition for an extension of that three-year period will be evaluated in the same manner as a petition to extend the seven-year time limit.

Students are responsible for staying informed about and complying with individual departmental regulations as well as Division of Graduate Studies regulations.

These policies do not apply to JD students in the School of Law. JD students should contact the School of Law with any questions about time limits for their degrees.