Scroll to the bottom of this page for information about diploma, transcript, and letter of completion.

Applying for Graduation: PhD & Master's Degrees
 

Graduate Academic Affairs: PhD and Master's Students
8am-Noon and 1pm-5pm, Monday - Friday.
Contact Us
(951) 827-3315
GAA@ucr.edu
 

Application and Submission Deadlines^*

^*These deadlines are calculated based on the Academic Calendar available at https://registrar.ucr.edu/calendar.

¹Once approved, candidacy does not expire unless one year has passed since you applied for candidacy.  Your degree audit will show a green check mark
once your candidacy is approved.

²If you apply for graduation in a particular quarter, but do not finish the degree, you will be required to apply for graduation again in the new quarter.

³After a quarter ends and before the next quarter begins, there is typically some "in between" time. This amount of time varies depending on the quarter. For example, if the Summer quarter ends September 22, all students wishing to receive a Summer graduation date must complete the requirements on or before that date. However, Fall quarter doesn't begin until September 25th, so students have until the date listed in the above table, which is the last business day before the next quarter begins, to complete the requirements and avoid fees for the next quarter. The conferral date for the degree would be for the next quarter (Fall in this example).

⁴The in-between Spring/Summer deadlines apply only to students who were not enrolled for all three quarters of the previous academic year (for Summer 2025, students who were not enrolled for all three: Fall 2024, Winter 2025 and Spring 2025).  Please visit our Regulations and Procedures page for information about summer enrollment.

Master's Degree

• Step 1: Degree Audit

  Review your degree audit via R'Web (see Degree Audit icon under your authorized applications menu).  Confirm all requirements have been or will be completed by the end of the quarter you wish to graduate.  Discuss any discrepancies with the Graduate Program Coordinator in your department.

• Step 2: Application for Candidacy

  Fill out the Master's Application for Candidacy in R'Grad appropriate for the master's plan you are completing (Plan I vs Plan II).  If you are completing a Thesis (Plan I), you must nominate your Thesis committee as part of the advancement process.  The application for candidacy is due by the first day of instruction of the quarter you plan on graduating.  See Application/Submission Deadlines chart above.

• Step 3: Apply to Graduate

  Apply to graduate via R'Web.  The application will be available once registration begins for the quarter you wish to graduate.  The deadline to apply is the Monday of week 4.  See the Application/Submission Deadlines chart above.

• Step 4: Capstone Requirement (comprehensive exam, thesis, manuscript, etc.)

  Complete your capstone requirement (comprehensive exam, manuscript, project, etc.) and confirm the report of completion of the capstone was submitted by your department to Graduate Academic Affairs.  Creative Writing students completing a manuscript must follow the manuscript submission instructions received via email with the Advancement to Candidacy confirmation.  Any student completing a Thesis (Plan I) as the capstone requirement must review the Thesis Filing page for detailed instructions regarding submission of the Thesis for format review and finalizing the document.

• Step 5: Update your Permanent Address in R'Web

  Your diploma will be directly mailed at no cost (starting Spring 2018 and later). Your diploma will be mailed to your permanent address on R’Web. Make sure your address is up-to-date! You can change your permanent address by clicking on the “Personal Information” icon in R’Web.  For more information about diplomas, please visit https://registrar.ucr.edu/graduation-guide/diplomas.

PhD Degree

• Step 1: Degree Audit

  Review your degree audit via R'Web (see Degree Audit icon under your authorized applications menu) and review the Advancement to Candidacy letter you received from Graduate Academic Affairs at the time of advancement. Confirm all requirements have been (or will be) completed by the end of the quarter you wish to graduate. Discuss any discrepancies with the graduate program coordinator in your department. 

• Step 2: Apply to Graduate

  Apply to graduate via R'Web. The application will be available once registration begins for the quarter you wish to graduate. The deadline to apply is the Monday of week 4. See the Application/Submission Deadlines chart above.

• Step 3: Final Defense and Dissertation Submission

  Review the Dissertation Filing page for detailed instructions regarding submission of the Dissertation for format review and finalizing the manuscript. 

• Step 4: Update your Permanent Address in R'Web

  Your diploma will be directly mailed at no cost (starting Spring 2018 and later). Your diploma will be mailed to your permanent address on R’Web. Make sure your address is up-to-date! You can change your permanent address by clicking on the “Personal Information” icon in R’Web.  For more information about diplomas, please visit https://registrar.ucr.edu/graduation-guide/diplomas.

FAQs about Graduation Application

• What if I apply to graduate, but don't complete my requirements by the deadline?

  Communicate with the graduate program coordinator in your academic department. They can adjust your exit term and notify the Graduate Division that you will adjust your graduation term. Review the Application/Submission Deadlines button below and apply for graduation again for the quarter you plan to graduate. 

  You DO NOT need to apply for candidacy a second time unless you are changing to a different Plan (i.e. Project vs. Comprehensive Exam or Thesis vs. Comprehensive Exam).  The Graduate Academic Affairs Office will notify you if a second candidacy application is needed.  
   

• How do I inform the Graduate Academic Affairs office if I will not complete my requirements by the end of the graduation quarter I applied for?

  If you will not finish by the deadline for the quarter of graduation you applied for, please notify your program coordinator/academic advisor.  They will notify Graduate Academic Affairs that your graduation application needs to be cancelled.  Once GAA cancels your grad app, you'll be able to apply for a future quarter.  

  If you are already advanced to candidacy, you do not need to apply for candidacy again for a second time.  

• What is the difference between filing a graduation application and submitting an advancement to candidacy application?

  The graduation application tells the Registrar's Office and Graduate Academic Affairs that you plan to complete the degree by the end of the quarter. It also gives you an opportunity to check your official name status for your diploma. The Advancement to Candidacy application is for master's students only and triggers your department and Graduate Academic Affairs to review and confirm that all requirements have been completed or will be completed by the end of the quarter.

  If you fail to complete your requirements by the end of the quarter you applied for candidacy, you DO NOT need to file a new Advancement to Candidacy application.  Graduate Academic Affairs will move your candidacy forward and let you know if more information is needed.  

• I tried to complete the graduation application in R'Web, but I received an error message.  What should I do?

  You may already have completed the graduation application. Go to your Student Profile in R'Web and click on "View Application to Graduate". This will tell you if you have an active graduation application and will give you information about next steps.

• What is the difference between graduation and commencement?

  When we use the term graduation, we are talking about finishing degree requirements and earning the degree. When we use the term commencement, we are talking about the ceremony that is held at the end of the academic year. The commencement ceremony is voluntary.  You can still graduate even if you don't participate in commencement.

• When will I get my diploma?

  Your diploma is managed by the Registrar's Office and will be mailed to your permanent address approximately 2 months after the conferral date of your degree.  Please be sure to keep your permanent address updated in R'Web.  More information can be found on the Registrar's web site.