Forms

Where to get forms

Many of the forms that graduate students will need to fill out during their studies, including petitions for degrees, are downloadable at:

http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/home/forms.html

Dissertation progress report (online)

Students are required to submit an annual dissertation progress report to the Graduate School, mapping out their achievements in the past year, and goals and timeframe for the upcoming year.

For training grant purposes, students are requested to list on this form any publications, meeting abstracts, and meetings and retreats attended.

Each year in April, students who have advanced to candidacy but not yet petitioned for the PhD will receive an email from the Graduate School notifying them to complete the online dissertation progress report. Once completed, the thesis advisor and the DGS will be notified to review and approve the report. A student who fails to complete the dissertation progress report at the end of the spring term will not be allowed by the Graduate School to register in the following fall term.

Continuing registration

Students must register with the Graduate School each term until the dissertation is submitted or 6 years of study have been completed. Beginning the 5th year, students must submit the “Continuous Registration Form” to the Graduate School. The department will pay for the student’s continuous registration fee.

Registration beyond the 6th year

The Graduate School does not require students to register beyond the 6th year for submission of the dissertation or award of the Ph.D. degree. However, registration is required to receive financial support, including stipend and health insurance, and to use the University facilities. Thus, from this viewpoint it may be advantageous for students to register even if they have only a few months beyond the end of the 6th year to finish the dissertation. This matter should be discussed with the thesis advisor.

Students intending to register beyond the 6th year must fill out a “Petition for Extended Registration,” which requires approval by the DGS. (Usually, students submit this form at the same time that they submit the annual dissertation progress report.) The Petition for Extended Registration should be filled out and given to the Cell Biology Registrar along with a copy of the most recent dissertation progress and a letter to the DGS detailing the reasons for the petition. After obtaining the DGS signature, the Registrar will forward the petition to the Graduate School. Final approval by the Graduate School is contingent on certification from the thesis advisor and the DGS that the student will work full-time and is on track to complete the dissertation by the end of the extended registration period.