The End Game

Resignation of Appointment

If you work until the end of your appointment period (e.g. December 31, May 15, or the end of a summer appointment), no formal resignation is needed. Students with assistantship appointments (RA, TA, GA, PPGA) are eligible to hold their assistantships through the end of the semester in which they deposit if that was the end date on the appointment when offered and accepted (for research assistants, check with your advisor). For example, a student with a spring appointment processed to end May 15 may hold the assistantship through May 15, even if the student deposited the thesis anytime between January 1 and May 15. This does not obligate the student to continue the assistantship, and the campus policy permits students to resign their assistantships and retain their waivers, if they deposit the thesis within 7 days of the resignation effective date. For students with academic year assistantship appointments, their assistantship would end in the semester in which they deposit and may not continue into the next semester.

DO NOT resign your appointment until you are ready to deposit your thesis.

If you resign your appointment before working for at least three-fourths of the term (91 days during the fall and spring terms; 41 days during summer term), you will be assessed tuition and fees, unless you withdraw from the University or turn in the Ph.D. thesis to the Graduate College within seven days following the date of resignation. A term is defined as the period starting on the first day of classes and ending on the last day of final examinations.

When Must You Be Registered as a Student?

A student must be registered during the term in which the thesis defense is taken. There is one exception to this rule. A student who was registered during summer session need not register for the fall semester if the final defense occurs on or before the final October examination deadline for the doctoral degree student. This date is published in the Graduate College Calendar. This exception provides a grace period at the beginning of the fall semester for students who are unable to assemble their dissertation committees over the summer.

If you miss the October deadline for the defense, you must register as a student for that semester. If you have no appointment, tuition and fees must be paid. This and other financial considerations often lead to a request for a "short extension" of the student's appointment. If you anticipate the need for such an extension, see your advisor and the Associate Head for Graduate Programs far in advance. Do not assume such an extension will be automatic; in fact, it is unlikely. Financial planning has probably already assumed you would finish, and new students may have been hired to start the semester. Money to tide you over for a few months may not be available.

You need not be a registered student simply to deposit your thesis. Other academic activities (e.g. thesis defense, pay appointment) require registration as a student in that semester.

Exit Interview with the Associate Head for Graduate Programs

Before you can deposit your thesis with the Graduate College, you must meet with the Associate Head for Graduate Programs for an Exit Interview. The following items are required for the exit interview. Please bring them with you:

One electronic copy of your thesis in pdf format (this should be e-mailed to wwimmer@illinois.edu or put on a memory stick or CD and given to the Physics Department Graduate Records Office).
Application for Degree (only required if you have not previously put yourself on the degree list for the semester you plan to graduate)
Departmental Resignation Form
ExitChecklist required by University Academic Human Resources Office (3 pages)
Evaluation
Contact Information, Mailbox Info and Key Form
Request for Certification of Degree Letter (This Request for Certification of Degree form is optional, you only need to fill it out if you will need an official letter from the University Registrar's Office verifying the completion of your degree for visa or employment purposes only). Please note that you will need to take this form with you to the Graduate College Thesis Office when you go to deposit your thesis so that they can stamp it. You will then need to bring it back to the Physics Department Graduate Records Office in Room 227 Loomis Lab so it can be signed and forwarded to the Registrar's Office. This form has to be sent to the Registrar's Office by the Physics Department. Students are not allowed to take the form themselves to the Registrar's Office. It typically takes 5-7 business days for the letter to be generated by the Registrar's Office so if you need this type of letter, please plan ahead!

*Please be sure to update your mailing address in the UI-Integrate Web Self Service System. Diplomas will be mailed out approximately eight weeks after the date of degree conferral. In addition, please update your mailing address with anyone you receive postal mail from so that your mail does not arrive at Loomis Lab after you depart. Change of address cards are available if you need them.

It is your responsibility to meet the thesis format requirements of the Graduate College Thesis Office; however, the Physics Department Graduate Office will check that your thesis meets the physics departmental formatting requirements and that you have acknowledged the funding sources for your research before giving you the Department Format Approval Form that you will need in order to have the Graduate College Thesis Office review your thesis. Once you have provided the Physics Department Graduate Office with the items it requires, you will receive " The Certificate Of Committee Approval Form" that is necessary to deposit your thesis. You may then proceed to the Graduate College to deposit your thesis.

Depositing Your Thesis

"Depositing your thesis" means submitting copies of the thesis and other mandatory documents to the Graduate College. You will not receive your Ph.D. from the University of Illinois without complying with the detailed instructions for depositing your thesis.

Join the Alumni Association to Maintain Your Contact with the Department

Membership in the University of Illinois Alumni Association (UIAA) provides you with a lifelong connection to the Department of Physics and a wide variety of member benefits, such as a free lifetime email address, and services of the Alumni Career Center. Part of your membership dues goes directly to support activities in Physics- the departmental newsletter and regional alumni reunions, etc. Join today!