The following represents an important change made to the Graduate School’s current Continuous Enrollment policy.
Specific Graduate School Handbook Updates
- Sections 3.1, 7.7, 7.18, and 11.2, have eliminated the requirement that post-candidacy doctoral students returning from a leave of absence retroactively enroll in, and pay for, each semester of missed enrollment. Instead, post-candidacy students without an approved leave of absence will be reinstated after being retroactively placed on a leave of absence or withdrawn from their graduate program. Those students who have made progress while not enrolled or who have not enrolled in two years or more will be withdrawn from the program and will be required to complete a new candidacy examination. Also, expanded the eligibility for approved post-candidacy leaves of absence to include international students whose visas may have been canceled by the Federal government but are otherwise in good standing with the Graduate School.
Old language.
- “Continuous Enrollment. All students who successfully complete the doctoral candidacy examination are required to be enrolled in every autumn and spring semester (summer term is excluded) until graduation. These students must be enrolled, at Ohio State, for at least three graduate credits per autumn and spring semester. These registration requirements can include research hours. This policy is effective for all students. Post-candidacy doctoral students are not eligible for academic leaves. They may apply for a leave of absence due to medical or military reasons, or during periods in which the University has declared a University State of Emergency (Section 7.7).”
- “Continuous Enrollment. All students who successfully complete the doctoral candidacy examination will be required to enroll in every autumn and spring semester of their candidacy (summer term excluded) until graduation. Doctoral candidates must be enrolled for at least three credits per semester. While the Graduate School and the individual graduate programs will monitor the enrollment of all doctoral candidates, it ultimately will be the responsibility of each doctoral candidate to ensure that they are meeting the enrollment provisions of this policy.”
- “Dismissal from Candidacy. Doctoral candidates who do not enroll in a required semester (unless on an approved leave of absence) will be dismissed from active candidacy status. A doctoral candidate whose candidacy status has been under dismissal will not be allowed to continue on in the doctoral program until reinstated. A hold will be placed on the doctoral candidate’s university record preventing any further registration or access to university resources. A doctoral candidate wishing to be reinstated to the doctoral program and active candidacy status will need to petition the Graduate Studies Committee in their program. If approved, the Graduate Studies chair of the program will send to the Graduate School a formal request to allow the student to resume studies and register. Upon approval of a doctoral candidacy reinstatement, the doctoral candidate will be retroactively enrolled in every semester of missed enrollment for three credits of 8999 research hours under their advisor. The doctoral candidate will be responsible for paying the past tuition charges as well as the current university per semester late registration penalty. All past due charges will need to be paid before the Graduate School will approve the doctoral candidate for any future enrollment. The doctoral candidate’s five-year candidacy period will not be interrupted in this situation.”
- “Leave of Absence. Doctoral candidates who cannot continue in their doctoral program due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical, military, or University State of Emergency) may request leave of absence from their doctoral studies on a semester-by-semester basis for up to a maximum overall leave period of one year (Section 11.2). While there are many situations upon which a leave can be requested, leave will not be granted for the sole reason of financial hardship. A leave request requires the doctoral candidate to submit a Leave of Absence from Program form in GRADFORMS. Once submitted, the form will be available on GRADFORMS for approval by the doctoral candidate’s home program and advisor before being forwarded to the Graduate School for final review. A request for a leave needs to be submitted before the actual leave period begins. Supporting documentation should be included as an attachment on the petition form. If a leave is granted, the doctoral candidate’s candidacy period will be paused until the doctoral candidate returns to continuous enrollment status. While there are many situations upon which a leave can be requested, leave will not be granted for the sole reason of financial hardship. A leave request requires the doctoral candidate to submit a Leave of Absence from Program form in GRADFORMS. Once submitted, the form will be available on GRADFORMS for approval by the doctoral candidate’s home program and advisor before being forwarded to the Graduate School for final review. A request for a leave needs to be submitted before the actual leave period begins. Supporting documentation should be included as an attachment on the petition form. If a leave is granted, the doctoral candidate’s candidacy period will be paused until the doctoral candidate returns to continuous enrollment status.”
- “Condition of Reinstatement. As a condition of reinstatement, a doctoral candidate will be required to follow the continuous enrollment guidelines as a doctoral candidate regardless of when they were admitted to the Graduate School.”
- “Students pursuing an internship opportunity are subject to the continuous enrollment policy and must register and pay fees at Ohio State. Internship opportunities for graduate students should ideally provide funds that allow for payment of stipend, tuition and fees, and/or travel and relocation fees for the graduate student as applicable.”
- “Students may request an academic leave (Section 3.1), for up to one year, by submitting a Pre-Candidacy Leave of Absence form on GRADFORMS. The advisor, program, and Graduate School must approve this form before the leave period begins. If approved, the Graduate School will update university records to reflect the date of return. Students can go on academic leave for up to two years but must seek approval from the Graduate Studies Committee for reenrollment. Post-candidacy students who do not enroll are subject to the continuous enrollment policy. Please refer to Section 7.7 for more information regarding the continuous enrollment policy.”
- “Continuous Enrollment. All students who successfully complete the doctoral candidacy examination will be required to enroll in every autumn and spring semester of their candidacy (summer term excluded) until graduation. Doctoral candidates must be enrolled for at least three credits per semester. While the Graduate School and the individual graduate programs will monitor the enrollment of all doctoral candidates, it ultimately will be the responsibility of each doctoral candidate to ensure that they are meeting the enrollment provisions of this policy.”
New language.
- “Continuous Enrollment. All students who successfully complete the doctoral candidacy examination are required to be enrolled in every autumn and spring semester (summer term is excluded) until graduation. These students must be enrolled, at Ohio State, for at least three graduate credits per autumn and spring semester. These registration requirements can include research hours. This policy is effective for all students. Post-candidacy doctoral students are not eligible for academic leaves. They may apply for a leave of absence due to medical or military reasons, during periods in which the University has declared a University State of Emergency, or international students whose visas have been canceled but are otherwise in good standing with the Graduate School (Section 7.7).”
- No changes
- “Leave of Absence. Doctoral candidates who cannot continue in their doctoral program due to extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical, military, University State of Emergency, or international students whose visas have been canceled but are otherwise in good standing with the Graduate School) may request leave of absence from their doctoral studies on a semester-by-semester basis for up to a maximum overall leave period of one year (Section 11.2). While there are many situations upon which a leave can be requested, leave will not be granted for the sole reason of financial hardship. A leave request requires the doctoral candidate to submit a Leave of Absence from Program form in GRADFORMS. Once submitted, the form will be available on GRADFORMS for approval by the doctoral candidate’s home program and advisor before being forwarded to the Graduate School for final review. A request for a leave needs to be submitted before the actual leave period begins. Supporting documentation should be included as an attachment on the petition form. If a leave is granted, the doctoral candidate’s candidacy period will be paused until the doctoral candidate returns to continuous enrollment status.”
- “Dismissal from Candidacy. Doctoral candidates who do not enroll in a required semester (unless on an approved leave of absence) will be dismissed from active candidacy status. A doctoral candidate whose candidacy status has been dismissed will not be permitted to continue in the doctoral program unless reinstated. A hold will be placed on the doctoral candidate’s university record that prevents further registration and access to university resources. A doctoral candidate wishing to be reinstated to the doctoral program and active candidacy status must petition their Graduate Studies Committee. If approved, the program’s Graduate Studies Committee Chair will send the Graduate School a formal request, including all relevant supporting documentation, to allow the student to register and resume their studies. Requests for reinstatement will be classified in one of two categories: (1) a retroactive Leave of Absence, or (2) a retroactive Withdrawal from Program. The Graduate School will carefully review the petition on its merits and will issue a determination based on the foundational aspects of the continuous enrollment policy. Doctoral candidates who make progress toward degree completion, conduct research related to their dissertation, and/or use university academic resources while not enrolled at this university, or have been out of the program for two or more years, will only be considered for a retroactive Withdrawal from Program. These students must complete a new candidacy examination.”
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