Deadlines - Graduate Academic Affairs
DEADLINES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED
Effective July 1, 2025
The posted deadline must be met. Unless a specific time is noted, petitions must be received by 11:59pm on the deadline. A petition in R'Grad is only considered "received" once it arrives in the Graduate Dean's queue.
If the deadline is missed, or the student is not eligible for the requested petition at the time it is received, the petition will be denied. If the student becomes eligible, they must submit a new petition and have it received by the deadline.
R'Grad
All petitions are available via R'Grad, unless otherwise noted. It may take up to 10 business days for a petition to be reviewed by Graduate Academic Affairs once received in the Graduate Dean queue. Petitions can be tracked in R'Grad to see where it is in the process.
Regulations and Procedures
Regulations and procedures relating to the following petitions can be found at Regulations and Procedures for Graduate Academic Affairs.
Academic Calendar
Many deadlines reference the first day of instruction. The Academic Calendar can be found on the Registrar's website and lists important dates for each quarter.
|
Petition
|
Deadline
|
| Add a Major |
Quarter the added major will be effective. Please visit Graduate Admissions for more details on this process and a link to the application. |
| Annual Mentoring and Evaluation |
September 30th - submitted annually for all graduate students |
| Application for Candidacy for Master's Degree | Friday of week 3 - quarter of Master's graduation |
| Catalog Year Change | First day of instruction - quarter the catalog year change will apply |
| Change of Grading Basis (Use Enrollment Adjustment Form) | Friday of week 8 - quarter the course is taken |
| Committee Change (Dissertation or Thesis Committee) |
5 business days prior to final defense Both Master's and PhD students use this form to update their committees |
| Credit by Exam | First day of instruction - quarter the exam is taken |
| Degree Objective Change - Master's to PhD |
Quarter the degree objective change will be effective. Please visit Graduate Admissions for more details on this process and a link to the application. |
| Degree Objective Change - PhD to Master's |
First day of instruction - quarter the degree objective change will be effective |
| Designated Emphasis Application |
Once the Designated Emphasis is complete (recommended) DE applications can be found on the Regulations and Procedures page |
| Directed Studies (290) | First day of instruction - quarter the course is taken |
| Dissertation |
Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation Dissertation submission information for PhD students |
| Double Count (Use Transfer Course Work/Double Count petition) |
Prior to advancement to candidacy Double counting is only for combined program Master's students. |
| Education Abroad Program Academic Planning Form for Graduate Students | Advising form for graduate students who wish to pursue Education Abroad Programs. Students must start by consulting with the UCR Study Abroad office. |
| Enrollment Adjustment Form (EAF) |
|
| Exceed Unit Limit | First day of instruction - quarter units will be exceeded |
| Filing Fee (Master's or PhD) | First day of instruction - quarter of filing fee |
| Final Defense (Master's or PhD) | Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation |
| Format Review (Dissertation or Thesis) | Two weeks prior to the last Friday of the quarter - quarter of graduation |
| Grade Appeal |
No later than 6 weeks after the beginning of the subsequent quarter Grade appeals follow these procedures |
| Graduation Application | Friday of week 3 - quarter of graduation |
| Half-Time Status and Reduced Fees | First day of instruction - quarter of Half-Time Status |
| In Absentia Registration | First day of instruction - quarter of In Absentia |
| Incomplete Extension | Last day of instruction - quarter following the assignment of the Incomplete (recommended) |
|
Intercampus Exchange Application |
One month prior to the first day of instruction at the host campus Most UC's are on the quarter system, only UC Berkeley and UC Merced are on the semester system. |
| Leave of Absence | First day of instruction - quarter of leave |
| Letter of Completion | Only request if you have an immediate need to show proof of degree completion prior to the transcript and diploma being available and if your degree audit is complete. The Registrar provides several resources for proof of degree completion. Please visit https://registrar.ucr.edu/graduation-guide/diplomas#proof-of-graduation for details. |
| Major Change |
Quarter the major change will be effective. Please visit Graduate Admissions for more details on this process and a link to the application. |
| Master’s Degree Add (in PhD field) |
First day of instruction Use to add master's degree curricula in the same field as the student's PhD. If a student wishes to add a master's degree in another field, they must follow the Add a Major procedure. |
| Manuscript (Creative Writing Only) |
Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts students completing a manuscript will receive submission instructions after advancement to candidacy. |
| Manuscript Completion Form (Creative Writing Only) | Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation |
| Nomination of Oral Qualifying Exam Committee | 5 business days prior to exam |
| NRST Reduction Extension Request | First day of instruction (recommended) - quarter of reduction |
| Other Request |
Use for requests not addressed by current petitions, including: awards, employment, exceptions (other), late arrival, and repeat course work. |
| Readmission |
Quarter of readmission. Please visit Graduate Admissions for more details on this process and a link to the application. |
| Report of Exam Result or Degree Requirement |
Tuesday after quarter ends Grades, exam results, and non-course degree requirements are all due Tuesday after the quarter ends. |
| Report of Oral Qualifying Exam | 5 business days after exam (recommended) |
| Signature Approval Page (Dissertation or Thesis) | Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation |
| Substitute Coursework | First day of instruction (recommended) - quarter of substitution |
| Thesis |
Last Friday of the quarter by 12:00pm - quarter of graduation Thesis submission information for Master's students |
| Timetable to Completion | First day of instruction - quarter of hold |
| Timetable to PhD Oral Qualifying Exam | First day of instruction - quarter of hold |
| Transfer Course Work | First day of instruction (recommended) - first quarter of graduate program |
| Waive Course Work | First day of instruction (recommended) - first quarter of graduate program |
| Withdrawal from UCR | Last day of instruction - quarter of withdrawal |
EXCEPTION REQUEST
If your petition is denied, you may request an exception. Only extraordinary, rare, and well-justified circumstances will be considered.
- Create an "Other Request" petition via R'Grad.
- In the "Choose a topic for your request" drop down, choose "Other."
- The explanation must specify you are requesting an exception and reference the number of the petition that was denied. Clearly explain why your request should be considered.