Hello all,

I'm full time and having a nightmare now that I know my expiration for phD completion is approaching - Jan 2009. It leaves me with just over a year to go. That in mind I was wandering as anyone here got to their expiration date and had trouble to extend it? How do you go about extension as I was under the impression it is only given under mitigating circumstances?

I ask because I have had a lot of trouble with supervisors in the past, I've changed them but I feel I'm still being delayed. Four years into the course I don't feel I want to change uni now..with only one year to go. I really want to complete it!

Maybe i'm just having a panic attack but its starting to stress me out. I'd appreciate any advice :-) What precautions should I take? Well I'll definately be aiming to finish in time but my university is full of office politics and i've some bad experiences thats making me panic..donut X

some questions:-

Are you in the UK?

is the Jan 2009 deadline the end of a 3 year registration period?

Or is it end of 4 years? (I note you say "four years into the course" but on what basis was this? have you always been full time? Are you on a 1+3 ESRC thing? Or straightforward PhD registration)

A little more background would be useful

Hiya Kron,

Yea I am in UK, London. The Jan 09 deadline is at end of five years I think I started 2003 always been on full time phD direct. X donut

Hi there, sorry for the delay - been in a meeting.

What are the standard regulations for your uni? Sorry if I am being abit slow on the uptake, but you say your jan 2009 deadline is end of 5 years? That is unusually long for a UK PhD registration period if you're full time. Maybe others can confirm here, but at my place it was 3 years + 1 writing up year if needed, anything after that 4th year had to be specifically negotiated within the rules and regs for extensions. Are you allowed up to 5 years then?

I know that some institutions allow as much as 8 years full time

Yea I think mine is 5 and part time is 8/9? I was wandering if anyone here has had a similar experience at the end of the registration, on what terms can you get an extension if any?

Hi, well at my university the university says you HAVE to finish within 4 years. However, I also know that it's possible to extend beyond this (a) for a couple of weeks without any hassle, (b) for longer - but then it goes down as a fail on the university and funding body records - though you can still get awarded the PhD. That's why the university comes down hard on finishing to time. But I know quite a few people in my university who've had the rules stretched and taken longer: 5+ years. What you'd need to find out is how you persuade someone in the university to let you if you didn't have the support of your supervisors. But I'd set yourself a definate goal to finish before your deadline - its easy to slip otherwise (I know I'm like this). It will be good enough, you don't need as much time as you think, you just need to stay focussed. Good luck.

oops sorry - just read that it's office politics that's delaying you, which must be very frustrating. Give yourself a large contingency time then, and make it clear you have to be done by the end of the 5 years. Can you submit despite the office politics if you're done writing?

Hi Seabird, thanks for the advice - your right it is to do with office politics which is why i'm having this panic about the finish time. It's been an ongoing problem. Yea, Ive made it clear that I want to finish before the deadline time, but I always have this sneaky feeling that I'll be delayed even more now that I'm putting all my effort in. Its been numerous times Ive quit a job to put in 100 percent to be then let down by my supervisors. Ive even changed them and its the same. It all boils down to the university.. I'm going to find out the answer to extension without supervisor support!! Xx Donut

hi
usually your university will have a booklet which tells you what you can do and cant do. for instance at my uni, i know that i can apply for a year's write up after three years. from there on if i have not finished i can still carry on (after year six no more stories i think!) though my fees will rocket up and my funding will have run out anyway. I suggest you ask your reasearch office, they will definitely have some guiding system.

Thanks tsipat :)