Registration for U.S. Students

U.S. citizens must be registered during the term (including summer) in which they distribute the defense copies of the dissertation (as approved for defense by the sponsor) to the five approved defense committee members. See Distributing Dissertation Copies. Provided that all required Residence Units are paid, students who are distributing and/or defending must register for either Matriculation & Facilities or Extended Residence. Students who are defending while on teaching or research appointments, or who are also completing pre-dissertation degree requirements, must register for Extended Residence; other students should register for Matriculation and Facilities. These rules apply to the summer as well as to the fall and spring semesters. The semester in which distribution occurs is the last semester in which a student is permitted to register.

If U.S. students distribute any time between the first day of the Fall semester and the day before the start of the Spring semester, their final registration is in the Fall semester.

If U.S. students distribute any time between the start of the Spring semester and the day before the start of Summer Session, their final registration is in the Spring.

If U.S. students distribute any time between the start of Summer session and the day before the start of the Fall semester, their final registration is in the Summer.

For International Students in F-1 or J-1 status

International students must be registered during the term (including summer) in which they distribute the defense copies of the dissertation (as approved for defense by the sponsor) to the five approved defense committee members. The semester in which distribution occurs is the last semester in which a student is permitted to register. International students in F-1 or J-1 status must consult with the International Students and Scholars Office regarding their registration requirements.

For All Students

All students must submit page one of the Application for Dissertation Defense form by the respective deadline. Page two of the Application for Dissertation Defense is due at the time of distribution and at least four weeks prior to the dissertation defense. To expedite the processing please ensure that the form is complete and neatly typed.

The student signs and submits the first page of the Application for Dissertation Defense form to the Dissertation Office in 107 Low, and submits the second page to the professor or administrator responsible for organizing the defense committee. On the second page, the organizer of the committee enters the names of the defense committee members, obtains the Department/Program Chair’s signature, and sends the second page to the Dissertation Office. After receiving the second page of the application, the Dissertation Officer confirms that the candidate has accumulated six Residence Units (except students in Business, Social Work, or Teachers College,) has received the M.Phil. degree, and was registered when distribution of the defense copy occurred. The Dissertation Officer also confirms that the committee, as proposed by the department/program, is in accord with GSAS rules on committee composition.