I submitted my thesis with minor revisions a week ago after an incredibly turbulent process post-viva (see my old threads for the long and tedious story!)

I feel relieved that I've got through the gruelling task of making the final revisions and have submitted for the very last time. However, due to the bad experiences I've had with my PhD so far, I know the possibility of an all out fail could be on the horizon.

My thesis in its final submission is 163,000 words long and, due to my major correction period followed by my minor revision period, I feel like the actual thread of my thesis has become lost thanks to the examiners' pushing and pulling of my research topic. I feel hard done by as I've had to see friends and colleagues graduate with their PhD's over the past couple of years whilst I've been made to slog on with mine and write double what some of my peers have had to write.

All in all, the PhD system in the UK is unjust, biased and illogical on many levels. I hope to seek change within it after my ordeal is over.

For now, I was wondering how long other PhD'ers have had to wait to hear back after submitting with minors? Bearing in mind, my minor revisions were not fixing a few spelling errors - they were a 12,000 word addition to the thesis of further points my external wanted addressed. The examiner should be able to read through it in a couple of hours but last time took 4 months to get back to me with an incomplete report.

I know that other people have been reading my threads over the years (and will continue to) so I'm desperately hoping I can post a happy ending here soon. It's been one hell of a bumpy ride to get to this point.

Firstly, congratulations! :)

Secondly, it really depends on the examiner. My examiner signed mine off within 24 hours but they were mostly lots of little corrections and a few paragraphs to add here and there.

Bear in mind it's conference season and holiday season. I would say give it 3 weeks and then chase it up via the examination office (rather than direct with the examiner). In the mean time, just enjoy some rest and/or get on with whatever the next step is.

Well done!

Hi Anz, I wish there was something useful I could say to you. I'd imagine that you will find very varied answers to your question as the examination process doesn't seem to really be governed by any standardised process. My examiners got back to me within a week and it was the week leading up to Christmas but my case was rather peculiar. You may recall I got very angry about unwarranted major corrections, extern ended up admitting to making a mistake and couldn't overturn their own decision, carried out their silly major corrections within 5 weeks and basically put it up to everyone that I wanted it sorted before Christmas so I could move on with my life. My original thesis before corrections has since been published as a book by a major academic publisher. I also quickly got a great steady non-academic job. Life's worked out just fine. I now view the awful result as a blessing in disguise - it made me so determined to get my version published as a book and it changed my whole outlook on life. I no longer take things so seriously and I have a much better social life. *** I don't mean to make the thread about me. Rather, I hope that my story might provide hope and inspiration. Please don't ever feel that your work was bad or deserved the result it got. Believe in yourself. *** I wish that they get back to you and pass your PhD completely so that you can just move on with your life and do it your way. You have the patience of a saint. I think what you have been through is nothing short of cruelty. And to be honest it's disgusting behaviour like that that turned me off working in a university. I wish you every success for the future and look forward to you posting a happy story here about how it's all worked out for you.

Hi Anz
I submitted my corrections (well Rn R actually) in late April and had been told last month that I would be getting the results last week. I have been waiting and been checking my e-mails and there is no reply from my first supervisor. I am consoling myself that it is now summer holidays in the UK (where I am right now, we don't have summer hols) so the examiners may be taking some time to compose their reports. I have a teaching job right now based on my M.A, and it would be nice to get a salary upgrade if I finally get a PhD ! Oh well. I guess I will just have to wait then, perhaps until September for the full report.

I think I remember your previous threads and the upsetting experience you've been through.

I would say that it's incredibly rare for someone to fail after getting minor revisions (though I appreciate there's huge variation in what counts as 'minor'), but I can understand you being worried after all the difficulties so far. Hoping you have some news soon. It's difficult to predict how long it would take as I've heard of people waiting anything from days to months. If you can I would try to put it out of your mind and focus on something else for now (easier said than done I know).

I'm doing major corrections myself at the moment and I know that feeling of seeing others graduate and move on, and feeling like you'll never get your PhD. Also know the feeling that the whole process seems unfair and inconsistent. Good luck. You're not alone.

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and support. Unfortunately I am still waiting...it's been over 3 weeks now. I have a feeling I'll still be waiting come September.

I've been going for a lot of job interviews recently (for lectureships) so officially having my PhD would have helped me out but at least I am able to say that I've submitted.

Half of me thinks that, because it's the summer, my external is likely to be on leave and that's the reason for the long wait. However, the other half of my fears a fail because she's taking so long to read what essentially would take her 2 hours to get through. I'll keep you all updated...

For anyone who might read this post in years to come: it's been over two months now and I still have no news. I feel very stressed as I've just started a new lecturing job and my colleagues have already put Dr next to my name...I've told them it's not official yet but I can hardly downplay it as they don't know the full extent of the issues I've had during my PhD. This long wait is making me very anxious and, after what has happened before, I'm now terrified I will fail. Will keep you updated.

11 weeks since I submitted and still no word. I contacted my supervisor to get an update and he said that my external was 'proving elusive' and not replying to anyone's emails. However, a few days later I was told that she had been off sick and was now reading the thesis. That was a week ago and still nothing. My supervisor thinks I 'should' hear this week...but he's said that before to no avail. I have now resorted back into frantic mode where I'm checking my university email account at least 10 times a day. I'm incredibly anxious and feel quite run down with it all. I just want my result now...it's been nearly 2 years since my viva and I'm still waiting due to the incompetent and unprofessional attitude of both my examiners and the administration system. So fed up.

13 weeks and I'm still waiting. After being told I should hear two weeks ago, I was losing sleep and came down with a bad cold from the stress of it all. I was checking my emails about 20 times a day and all for nothing. I'm starting to get very anxious now - it shouldn't take someone over 3 months to read what essentially would take a couple of hours to look through (my revisions were about 12,000 words extra). I received an email today that was circulated to everyone in the school congratulating yet another PhD student on their successful viva and secured PhD. I must have read about 20 of these over the past couple of years whilst I've had to move mountains to get mine...that's if I've even got it.

I am sorry you're still waiting, anz. It does seem quite incredible that it's taking so long, after all you've already been through. Keeping my fingers crossed that you get positive news soon.

Thank you Chickpea, I appreciate it. Will keep you all posted.

15 weeks and I'm still waiting...I wrote to the PGR office a couple of weeks ago to chase it up but they just said that my examiner had been ill which had delayed things and that they were still waiting to hear. It's 12,000 words of extra revisions...it should take a professor a couple of hours to read through that and, fair enough, a couple of hours paperwork too perhaps. But 3 and a half months and still nothing...it's just not acceptable.

Hello, I am sorry you are still waiting. I know its a very difficult situation and I hope that they can sort this out ASAP.
All the best, I think you will get your PhD after the minor revision that you already did. May be your examiner is really sick and may be was admitted to the hospital ,thats why it was taking a very long time.

Hi BKA, thank you for your supportive message. Yes I can only assume my examiner was seriously ill and would obviously understand if this was the case. However, I was told she was back to work as of 6 weeks ago and was reading the thesis but yet I'm still waiting. If this goes into November I don't know what I'm going to do...I feel anxious about the result every day. Will keep you updated!

I know this doesn't help but if your examiner was off sick for so long it is very likely they have a huge list of higher priority things to sort out before your thesis makes the top of their pile. I imagine that is probably what is causing the delay. It may well only be a few hours work to check your thesis but that only matters once your thesis has surfaced at the top of their in tray.
Under these circumstances, some kind of communication to you from the examiner would probably help reassure you that you haven't just been forgotten.