Candidacy Deadlines

  • Candidacy Eligibility

    A student must be enrolled or otherwise be eligible for campus privileges, for a minimum of one credit, during the term in which preliminary exams are taken. Please see the Rackham Graduate School Academic Policies section 4.3 Candidacy Requirements for more information.

    Term student is eligible for Candidacy (enrollment in course 995) Deadline for student’s completion of all Candidacy requirements (including prelims) Registration term for prelims
    Winter 2025 Friday, January 10, 2025 Winter 2025 term or previous term
    Spring or Spring/Summer 2025 Thursday, May 8, 2025 Spring 2025 term or previous term
    Summer 2025 Monday, June 30, 2025 Summer 2025 term or previous term
    Fall 2025 Wednesday, August 27, 2025 Fall 2025 term or previous term

    Keep in mind prelims taken in the fall or winter term (for a student being advanced to candidacy in that term) will be assessed 8 hours of 995 for that term. Students registered full-time (8 hours, or 6 if a GSI, GSSA, or GSRA) during the previous fall and winter terms have through the end of May to complete the preliminary examination without registering for the spring or spring/summer term.

  • Recommendation for Candidacy

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    A doctoral student may be advanced to candidacy by the graduate school upon recommendation of the student’s department. Advancement to candidacy will be granted when it is determined that the student has completed all requirements for the doctoral degree except the dissertation, and been approved for subsequent dissertation work. To recommend a doctoral student for candidacy the graduate coordinator (not the student) must submit the recommendation through the online system.

  • Advancement to Candidacy

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    When candidacy is approved, the Registrar’s staff will change all 990 enrollments to 995 for the student. Tuition will then be reassessed at the candidacy rate; only 990 registrations will be changed to 995; other courses would require an official drop/add form initiated by the student if changes are needed.

Contact Academic Records and Dissertations

Hours: Academic Records and Dissertations is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is closed Saturdays and Sundays and on the following holidays: Thanksgiving (Thursday and the following Friday), Christmas through New Year’s, Memorial Day, Independence Day (July 4), and Labor Day.

  • Location
    0120 Rackham Building
    915 East Washington Street
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1070

  • Contact
    Phone: (734) 763-0171
    Fax: (734) 936-3335
    Email: [email protected]