Submission Pending Period
The submission pending period refers to the time between the end of a student’s tuition fee-paying period of registration (which is between 3-4 years, depending on the research project and amount of additional training required) and their time limit (which is normally 4 years for a full-time PhD). Most funded students will only receive a stipend during their tuition fee-paying period; therefore students are often unfunded during their submission pending period.
During the submission pending period, students no longer pay tuition fees, but are required to pay a smaller fee on a pro rata basis up to the submission of their thesis (the 2022/23 rate is £480 p/a, or £40 p/m).
If you enter your submission pending period, you should have prepared a clear plan towards completion of the thesis. This should be submitted to your supervisors for agreement
Students who enter their submission pending period will continue to be entitled to supervision in line with the expectations of the Code of Practice, i.e. a minimum of one formal supervisory meeting every 4-6 weeks for a full-time student (pro rata for part-time students). This is to ensure that students receive the guidance and support they require during the final stages of completing their thesis and to assist departments in monitoring progress and ensuring that the student is on course to submit before their time limit.
Students will continue to have full access to University IT and library resources throughout the submission pending period.
Students should not normally undertake any active/core research (e.g. lab work, experiments, fieldwork, archival research, primary data collection and analysis) during the submission pending period. If further active/core research is required during this period this should only be permitted on a time-limited basis (see point 5. below).
Students should not normally undertake any further academic modules or formal training for the purposes of completing the Doctoral Development Programme. Any further essential training required must be specifically approved by the supervisor, and directly contribute towards the completion of the thesis.
Where further research and access to research facilities is required during the submission pending period, a case must be put forward by the supervisors for approval by the Head of Department, or their delegate, e.g. the PGR Lead.
If towards the end of the fourth year it becomes apparent that additional time is necessary, you will need to make a formal application to extend your time limit.
More guidance regarding the preparation of your thesis can be found here.