Extended Registration Beyond Year Six

Extended Registration for Year 7

Full-time registration in year 7 of a PhD program is not automatic and must be approved by your program.  PhD students who wish to register for year 7 must submit a 7th-year extension request form. Students in the sciences who are approved for extended registration are expected to be funded by their PI or department.

Students registered full-time in year 7 are eligible for:

• a health award for the cost of Yale Health coverage
• parental relief
• the family support subsidy, and
• teaching in the Teaching Fellow Program
  • All 7th-year students are paid for teaching at the non-stipend rate; and may undertake up to three appointments over two semesters.
  • Exception: Departmental COVID extensions remain available to humanities and social science students who were enrolled in the spring 2020 semester in any registration status, including leaves of absence. These extensions provide up to two terms of Teaching Fellowship at the standard stipend rate and a summer of additional funding (a 6th summer), along with a Health Award. Please note that Teaching Fellowship funding is contingent on teaching in Yale’s Teaching Fellow Program; remote teaching is not permitted.
    • Students who receive a departmental COVID extension are also eligible to use any remaining UF from their original funding package in year 7, rather than by the standard deadline of the end of year 6. 
    • 7th-year students on a departmental COVID extension will receive a fellowship from GSAS to cover the cost of the Continuous Registration Fee (CRF) in any semester in which they teach in the Teaching Fellow Program, receive a deferred UF, or receive an external award.

All students in year 7 are charged the Continuous Registration Fee (CRF) each term and are responsible for its payment. If a 7th-year student teaches in the Teaching Fellow Program, they will receive a fellowship from the Graduate School to cover the cost of the CRF in each semester in which they teach. 

Note: If you are a PhD candidate who has completed all of your PhD requirements except the dissertation, GSAS does not require you to be registered to submit your dissertation. However, 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 director of graduate studies if you are considering submitting your dissertation without being registered. 

Extended Registration for Year 8

Registration in year 8 is rare in the Graduate School and may only be granted if a student has encountered serious circumstances beyond their control over the course of their academic program. Such circumstances could be academic (e.g., change of adviser, unforeseeable research obstacle) or personal (e.g., illness, family obligation, personal crisis). A petition must be approved both by your program and by the deans of the Graduate School. PhD students who wish to petition to register in year 8 must submit an 8th-year extension request form, including a statement explaining the serious circumstances that necessitate the extension. 

Students who register full-time in year 8 receive a health award for Yale Health coverage and are eligible for the family support subsidy. 8th-year students are not eligible to teach in the Teaching Fellow Program. All students in year 8 are charged the Continuous Registration Fee (CRF)  each semester and are responsible for its payment. 

Note: If you are a PhD candidate who has completed all of your PhD requirements except the dissertation, GSAS does not require you to be registered to submit your dissertation. However, 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 director of graduate studies if you are considering submitting your dissertation without being registered.