Important Dates for Grad Students Planning a Thesis Defense in Spring 2013

Following are two very important dates for grad students planning a thesis defense during Spring 2013:

January 14: If you plan to defend your thesis anytime during the Spring 2013 term (January 14 - May 10) you will need to be registered for the entire Spring 2013 term. Minimum committee requirements and additional information regarding doctoral examinations can be found in Chapter VI of the Graduate College Handbook. Also, if you plan to defend your thesis during the Spring 2013 term and you have the necessary 96 hours required for graduation, you should consider registering for 0 hours of Phys 599 to minimize fees for the Spring 2013 semester: http://www.grad.illinois.edu/pubs/contacts/03c.  Note, however, that there are potentially negative consequences of registering for 0 hours (e.g., loss of McKinley health and other services, loss of deferral of student loans), so please contact Lance Cooper if you want to discuss the pros and cons of registering for 0 credit hours.

April 15: If you defend your thesis during the Spring 2013 term and resign your fall RA or TA appointment before April 15, you will lose your tuition waiver for the Spring 2013 term UNLESS you follow the following two-step procedure exactly: (i) You must first resign your RA or TA appointment, then (ii) after resigning your appointment, you must deposit your thesis within seven (7) days of the date you resigned your appointment. Note: If you don't follow this procedure exactly as described, it is likely that you will lose your Spring 2013 tuition waiver and be required to pay the full amount of tuition and fees for the Spring 2013 term.

If you resign your fall RA or TA appointment on or after April 15, you will keep your tuition waiver for the Spring 2013 term regardless of when you deposit your thesis. Students with assistantship appointments are eligible to hold their assistantships through the end of the semester in which they deposit if the end date of their appointment is the same or later than the deposit date.

If you have any questions regarding these deadlines, rules, or procedures, please contact Lance Cooper in the Grad Programs office.

More information about other Spring 2013 deadlines are posted on the Graduate College Academic Calendar and the Refund Calendar.