The Application for Candidacy Exam form is required for PhD and DMA students to notify their academic program and the Graduate School of their intent to take the candidacy examination. Submission initiates the scheduling and review process to confirm that all eligibility requirements are met, and that the exam is appropriately documented.
Important Notes:
- The form must be received by the Graduate School and approved by your advisor and program at least two weeks before the oral portion of the exam.
- Students must be registered for at least 3 graduate credit hours during the semester or term in which any part of the candidacy exam is taken.
- The oral exam should take place within 30 days of the completion of the written portion.
- A student is not considered a post-candidate until the semester after their candidacy exam is successfully completed.
- Refer to the Graduate School Calendar for specific deadlines.
Submission Instructions:
Step 1: Log into GradForms at gradforms.osu.edu.
Step 2: Navigate to Forms > Graduation/Examination.
Step 3: Next to Application for Candidacy Exam, select Create New.
Step 4: Review the Student Information section.
- If the “Missing Grades” field shows ‘Yes,’ contact your program office. All grades must be recorded before the exam can proceed.
Step 5: Select the term during which you will complete the oral portion of your exam.
The exam must be scheduled within that term.
Step 6: Select the examination type:
- First Attempt
- Second Attempt (if re-taking the exam)
- Supplemental Exam (required if initial candidacy status has expired)
Step 7: Enter the exam dates:
- Written Exam Start and End Dates
- Oral Exam Date, Time (exams can begin between 7:30 am–3:30 pm; time of exam cannot exceed two hours), and Location (building and room)
- If there is a virtual component to the exam (Zoom, Teams), check the box to indicate so. If the exam will be entirely virtual, a physical location does not need to be listed.
Step 8: Enter your Committee Members.
- Use the dropdown to search by last name for each member.
- You must include your Advisor, and at least three additional members of the Graduate Faculty.
- If you have a Co-Advisor, include them as well.
- For External Members, enter their name and email, click ‘Add’, and ‘Save.’
- After submitting the Application for Candidacy Exam, you should submit a Committee and Examination Petition via GradForms explaining the external member’s relevance. Note: External members do not count toward the minimum Graduate Faculty requirement.
Step 9: At this point, you may either:
- Click ‘Save’ to review or edit later, or
- Click ‘Submit’ to initiate the approval workflow.
Approval Workflow:
- Initial Review: The form is routed to your Advisor and Graduate Program Coordinator for approval.
- Grad School Review: Once approved by your program, the form is sent to the Graduate School for final review.
- If approved, the status will change to Approved, and your exam is officially scheduled.
- The Report on Candidacy form will be generated and routed to your committee to complete after the oral exam.
After Submission:
- You can track the form status on the Home page under Active Forms or using Search > Forms.
- Use the History tab to view the form’s approval timeline.
- Check the Comments tab for messages or updates from approvers.
- If an external member is involved, ensure your petition is approved before the form can be finalized.
- If you need to adjust the committee, exam time, or cancel the form after submission, contact your graduate program coordinator. They may need to initiate a new application or submit a revision request to the Graduate School.
GRADFORMS Support
GRADFORMS Help Page
Alternatively, you can reach out to:
The Ohio State University Graduate School
250 University Hall, 230 N Oval Mall, Columbus OH 43210
Phone: 614-292-6031 | Fax: 614-292-3656
Graduation Services Email: Grad-SchoolGraduationServices@osu.edu
Registration Services Email: Grad-SchoolRegistrationServices@osu.edu