Late Completion of Thesis Work for Graduation

While students cannot graduate while on a leave of absence, they are permitted to graduate in a semester when they are not registered, provided they meet the following requirements:

• They were registered and paid tuition in the semester immediately prior to the one during which they seek to graduate.

• They have successfully defended AND filed the thesis or dissertation by the end of the add/drop period for the semester when they seek to graduate.

For example, if a student plans to graduate in May of a given year but does not meet the filing deadline of the first Monday in May, she may apply for Fall graduation if she intends to defend and file her thesis/dissertation by the last day of the add/drop period—which is the second week of the semester.