Continued registration is contingent, in part, on satisfactory progress in the degree program as determined by both the program and GSAS. A student who fails to maintain satisfactory progress will have his or her candidacy terminated. Each program maintains its own standards of satisfactory academic progress, and all students must familiarize themselves with these standards.

The Graduate School considers progress to be minimally satisfactory when progress is such that a student completes the M.A. degree within four consecutive terms of full-time study (GSAS Degree Requirements under section VII.B.1.b for part-time study), the M.A./M.Phil. degrees within four calendar years, and the M.A./M.Phil./Ph.D. within seven calendar years. Students who receive credit for an M.A. completed elsewhere must complete the M.Phil. within three calendar years and the Ph.D. within six. Some programs have a shorter time-to-degree requirement. Where the program's time-to-degree rule is shorter than seven years, the student must follow the program's rule. The Seven-Year Rule, referring to the maximum number of years Ph.D. students are eligible for GSAS financial support, remains. The policy that a GSAS-approved Leave of Absence stops the clock on time-in-registered status and time to degree also remains.

Transition to the 9-Years-in-Registered-Status Policy

The 9-years-in-registered-status policy, announced Fall 2007 was implemented in Fall 2008. Students who were in year 9 in Fall 2007 were allowed to register for one more year, 2008-2009.  Students who were in year 8 in Fall 2007 will be allowed two years of registration; their last year of continuous registration is 2009-2010.

GSAS
October 5, 2007