Special Notice
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the University Graduate School has updated its guidelines for conducting thesis and dissertation defenses. Click here for more information.
Stay on top of all of your deadlines for your thesis or dissertation.
Degrees are granted monthly. In order for a degree to be conferred in a given month, the following items must submitted to the University Graduate School by the deadlines below. May and December deadlines will vary.
Almost finished with your degree? This one-stop checklist helps you keep track of everything you need to do to graduate.
Ready to start applying for grants and awards? The IU GradGrants Center (GGC) can help. It offers numerous workshops plus one-on-one assistance to all grad students—and it’s free!
Verify with your program any department requirements that may be separate from the University Graduate School.
Master’s Thesis
Learn more about submission methods »
If Graduating in December or May
- By December 18, 2021 or May 1, 2021, for students whose degree requires a thesis, you must submit your initial thesis to the ProQuest site. Within one week of the deadline, you will receive confirmation that your thesis was accepted or an email requesting formatting revisions.
- By December 18, 2021 or May 1, 2021, your Master's Application for Advanced Degree E-Doc must be received by the University Graduate School. We strongly recommend submitting the E-Doc at least ten days prior to this deadline to allow time for your department to approve it prior to routing to the University Graduate School.
- By January 10, 2022 or May 15, 2021, your approved Defense Signatures edoc which is located on the University Graduate School One.IU task page, as well as a corrected thesis (after initial review by the master’s recorder) must be completed.
If Graduating in a Month Other than December or May
- By the 15th of the month you wish to graduate, you must submit your initial thesis and your Master's Application for Advanced Degree E-Doc must be received by the University Graduate School. You will be notified of any format changes that are needed within a week of the deadline (by the 22nd of the month you submitted).
- By the 27th of the month you wish to graduate, your approved Defense Signatures edoc which is located on the University Graduate School One.IU task page, as well as your thesis corrections as determined by the master's recorder must be completed.
Doctoral Dissertation
Learn more about submission methods »
Defense Deadlines
At least 30 days before your defense, schedule a mutually agreeable time with your committee to hold your defense, and submit your defense announcement.
Submit your announcement on One.IU »
The 30-day deadline applies to the date the University Graduate School receives your announcement, not necessarily when you send it. Track your announcement to ensure timely approval. For more information, click on the small, information icon on the "PhD Defense Announcement" button in the the Graduate School task page on One.IU, when it open, click the “Student Reference Link.”
If Graduating in December or May
Provide all members of your committee with a complete copy of your dissertation at least 30 days before the defense so they will have sufficient time to read and critique your work.
- By December 18, 2021 or May 1, 2021,you must submit your initial dissertation. All the content of your dissertation must be complete at this point as only formatting changes are permitted after your initial submission. You will be notified of any format changes that are needed within a week of the deadline.
- By January 10, 2022 or May 15, 2021, your approved Defense Signatures edoc which is located on the University Graduate School One.IU task page, as well as any formatting changes and other items the UGS doctoral recorder requested following the initial review of your dissertation and record must be completed.
If Graduating in a Month Other than December or May
- By the 15th of the month you wish to graduate, you must submit your initial dissertation. All content of your dissertation must be complete at this point as only formatting changes are permitted after your initial submission.You will be notified of any format changes that are needed within a week of the deadline (by the 22nd of the month).
- By the 27th of the month you wish to graduate,
- your approved Defense Signatures edoc which is located on the University Graduate School One.IU task page, as well as any formatting changes and other items the UGS doctoral recorder requested following the initial review of your dissertation and record must be completed.