Thesis and Dissertation Deadlines
All deadlines are firm and apply to all written theses and dissertations for all colleges. Colleges, schools, and departments may have earlier and/or additional deadlines. Students need to confirm with their department/college that they have fulfilled all other graduation requirements.
All students must be registered for a minimum of 0.5 credit hour in the current term to receive services.
Students are encouraged to obtain a Pre-Defense Format Review and are required to meet the Post-Defense Format Review Deadline by emailing the content-final, advisor-approved document in Word format to tad@ohio.edu. Students working in LaTeX may submit a PDF.
If you would like a Microsoft Word format copy of any of the deadline charts on this webpage, please email Nathan Blackburn at blackburnn@ohio.edu
2026-2027 Deadlines
| Semester | Year | Graduation Application Deadline | Oral Defense Deadline1 | Post-defense Format Review Deadline1 | Final Clearance Deadline: TAD Process Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Dissertation | 2026 | Mon, September 28, 2026 | Fri, October 23, 2026 | Fri, October 30, 2026 at 3 P.M. | Fri, November 13, 2026 at 3 P.M. |
| Fall Thesis | 2026 | Fri, November 13, 2026 | Fri, November 20, 2026 at 3 P.M. | Fri, December 4, 2026 at 3 P.M. | |
| Early for Spring | 2027 |
Mon, February 15, 2027 | Fri, December 18, 2026 | Fri, January 1, 2027 at 3 p.m. | Fri, January 8, 2027 at 3 P.M. |
| Spring Dissertation | 2027 | Fri, March 12, 2027 | Fri, March 19, 2027 at 3 P.M. | Fri, April 2, 2027 at 3 P.M. | |
| Spring Thesis | 2027 | Fri, April 2, 2027 | Fri, April 9, 2027 at 3 P.M. | Fri, April 23, 2027 at 3 P.M. | |
| Early for Summer | 2027 | Mon, July 13, 2027 | Fri, April 23, 2027 | Fri, April 30 2027 at 3 P.M. | Fri, May 7, 2027 at 3 P.M. |
| Summer | 2027 | Fri, July 23, 2027 | Fri, July 30, 2027 at 3 P.M. | Fri, August 13, 2027 at 3 P.M. | |
| Early for Fall | 2027 | Mon, September 27, 2027* | Fri, July 30, 2027 | Fri, August 6, 2027 at 3 P.M. | Fri, August 20, 2027 at 3 P.M. |
| All deadlines are firm. Exceptions cannot be granted by TAD Services. | These deadlines are set by the registrar’s office. | If you defend after this deadline, you will not graduate in your intended term. | The document’s content must be final. Only formatting changes allowed after this date. | Students must meet the “Format Review Deadline” to qualify for this deadline. All steps in the TAD Process must be complete by this deadline. | |
1Early Filing and Completion: Deadlines cannot be moved. If you miss any deadline for your intended semester of graduation, you may avoid paying tuition and fees in the following semester if you meet the following requirements:
- You have no visa restriction requiring you to be registered in the semester you graduate. (You can call International Student and Scholar Services at 740-593-4330 to confirm your eligibility.)
- You have no obligations to your home college (all coursework complete, all requirements met).
- You meet all posted “Early” deadlines.
*To be determined.
** If the deadlines fall during spring break and/or holidays, please plan accordingly.