Time Limit Exception and Completion Plan

A time limit exception request can be sought for students reaching their maximum time in their degree program. To petition an exception to policy, the graduate coordinator/director of graduate studies will complete the Time Limit and Completion Plan form on behalf of the student. 

In completing the petition form, the student’s supervisory committee chair/faculty advisor and the program’s director of graduate studies should meet with the student to review progress in the program and agree upon a completion plan and the milestones to reach completion. The committee chair, director of graduate studies, and student will all sign the form, affirming the feasibility and mutual agreement of the plan. 

The completion plan should include academic and research milestones with anticipated dates of completion for each milestone. Examples of milestones include execution of research project aims, data collection and analysis, completion of chapters of the final manuscript, and required supervisory committee meetings, among other meaningful steps towards degree completion. The completion plan should end with an anticipated thesis defense date, submission of manuscript to the Thesis Office, and graduation. 

To be eligible for a time limit exception, the following must be completed by the time of petition submission: 

• The graduate student must be in academic good standing – maintaining a semester and cumulative 3.000 grade point average, meeting program requirements for satisfactory progress and performance, and degree candidacy, etc. 
• The student’s graduate tracking file must be up to date, including supervisory committee entered, the program of study must be entered and approved by the committee and director of graduate studies, qualifying exams entered or marked as waived, and thesis proposal entered as passed/passed with revision. 

Once completed, the Time Limit and Completion Plan form with all required signatures should be sent to gradrecords@gradschool.utah.edu for review. The process will be delayed if the graduate tracking file is not up to date or if completion form data or signatures are missing. 

Petitions for a time limit exception are reviewed and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Upon approval, the student’s graduate coordinator/director of graduate studies will be notified and the approved time limit exception form and completion plan will be uploaded to the student’s graduate tracking file under the petition tab.