Registration Options for Advanced PhD Candidates
All PhD students must affirmatively register every semester in order to maintain a record of full-time enrollment and be eligible for financial aid. As you approach the final stages of your degree, you should consider carefully – and discuss with your program – what registration status is right for you. This is especially important if you are considering employment opportunities prior to finishing your dissertation.
Registration for students in good standing: PhD students in good academic standing are typically eligible for a maximum of 5 or 6 years of full-time registration, depending on their program (see your admissions offer letter to confirm the maximum length of your program). During the standard length of your program, the default expectation is that you are registered in residence full-time, and thereby eligible for financial aid, health coverage, and other benefits.
If you will be enrolled full-time in residence, you must enroll in the appropriate placeholder course (e.g., DISR 9999) no later than the last day of add/drop period. See here for relevant deadlines and information related to registration.
IMPORTANT: Students who submit their dissertations BEFORE the end of the add/drop course enrollment period (see the academic calendar) are NOT eligible to register as students for the remainder of that term. Students who wish to remain registered until the end of a given semester must submit their dissertations AFTER add/drop closes in order to remain registered for that semester.
If you are a PhD candidate who has completed all PhD requirements except the dissertation, the Graduate School does not require you to be registered to submit your dissertation. If you are no longer eligible for full-time registration or are pursuing employment elsewhere, you should discuss the possibility of submitting your dissertation without being registered. Programs are not obligated to accept a dissertation once a student’s full-time registration has lapsed. Please be sure to check with your adviser and DGS if you are considering submitting your dissertation without being registered full-time.
See below for alternative registration options for advanced PhD candidates.
Alternative Registration Options
Registration in Absentia
This status is only applicable if you are engaged in full-time academic work at an institution or location outside of New Haven as necessitated by your dissertation project.
Dissertation Completion Status
This is a less-than-halftime status that allows you to maintain your university access privileges, including NetID, electronic library resources, and Yale email account.
Extended Registration (7th- and 8th-year)
Registration beyond year 6 is not required, and is only approved in rare circumstances.
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