Summer Graduation Timeline

The Spring and Fall Timeline above should be followed with the exception of the information in this section specific to summer.

Note that in every case, you should check deadlines at both UNC and Duke, and comply with the earlier deadline, regardless of your academic home:

  1. A student who wishes to graduate during the summer should expect to retain the administrative home (s)he has had during the preceding year. Changing academic homes for summer enrollment will be extremely rare, and can only be done because of a change in, or loss of, funding.
  2. A student must enroll at both schools during the summer term in which (s)he hopes to graduate, just as (s)he would do during the fall or spring term. Most often, this would include “continuation” enrollment at Duke, as well as 3 credit hours of GERM 994 at UNC (in one of the two sessions).
  3. Defending between terms (i.e., after the Duke spring term defense deadline and before the first day of summer term classes, or after the end of the summer term but before the first day of fall term classes) complicates matters. Please speak with your advisor and CDG program staff as early as possible about your individual circumstances if you think a defense in these time periods is likely, as it will have financial implications for you and the program.
  4. Please note that UNC degrees are awarded in early August, while Duke degrees are awarded in September. The Duke Registrar’s Office has responsibility for ordering CDG diplomas, so please expect summer graduation diplomas and transcripts to be ordered and accurate by mid-fall.

Timeline for  Summer Graduation (For UNC-Based Students)

  1. A student must apply for graduation separately to each graduate school by the Duke deadline, generally in mid-June, for a summer degree.
  2. You must be registered in GERM 994 and pay summer term tuition for one UNC summer session, generally (though not required to be) the one in which you defend. You also have to be registered for the Duke summer term as usual, but you will not be charged Duke tuition if you are homed at UNC.

If you miss the spring term deadlines, but want to avoid paying summer tuition, there is a contingency plan to keep in mind. Assuming you defend any time before the last day BEFORE the first day of the first summer session and were enrolled in the spring, you can graduate in August without enrolling and paying UNC summer tuition. Enrollment and tuition at UNC in this case is not required for the summer. Assuming the student is homed at UNC, Duke tuition would not apply for the summer term although the student must be enrolled.

If you defend on or after the first day of summer term classes, you will need to pay tuition for either ONE of the two UNC summer sessions.
It is also possible for a student who is enrolled for either UNC summer session to defend by the last day before fall classes begin, and then graduate in December, following fall deadlines for graduation activities at both campuses. Enrollment and tuition at UNC in this case is not required for the fall. Assuming the student is homed at UNC, Duke tuition would not apply for the fall term although the student must be enrolled at Duke.

  1. Cost: During the summer term, you must register for 3 hours of GERM 994 (in one of the two sessions). The UNC summer tuition and fee rates are calculated by credit hour and differ for NC residents and non-NC residents.

UNC summer student fees include student health insurance for one summer session. Should you need/want to use Student Health during the other summer session, you can pay the separate student health fee for that extra session.

  1. The deadline to submit your approved dissertation to the UNC Graduate School for a summer degree is generally in mid-July.

Remember that the requirement remains that you have your committee approved at Duke 30 days before your defense and that you provide the names for reporting to UNC at the same time.

  1. Please see the note at the end of the description of the Spring and Fall Timeline for additional CDG program expectations regarding the milestone form and getting the dissertation to your advisor and committee members prior to the defense.

Timeline for Summer Graduation (For Duke-based Students)

  1. A student must apply for graduation separately to each graduate school by the Duke deadline, generally in mid-June, for a summer degree.
  2. You must be registered for the term in which you defend and graduate (normally, but not necessarily, the same term). You also have to be registered for the UNC summer term as usual (in one of the two sessions), but you will not be charged UNC tuition if you are homed at Duke.

If you defend after the spring term deadline in early April, you will need to apply to graduate in summer at Duke, and Duke tuition and fees will be owed for the summer term. You may schedule the defense during either the spring term or the summer term, or in some cases, in between. You can defend between terms if you are registered for both the preceding and following terms (for example, you can defend between spring and summer terms if you are registered for both).

The date for the defense can be any time before the last date to defend in the summer, generally in late July. Please compare this deadline to the UNC dissertation submission deadline in item #4 below, which may be earlier and must be met.

Typically the earliest defense date for a summer degree is just after the last defense date for a spring graduation. The defense can occur between spring and summer terms if the student is registered for both.

A dissertation defense occurring between terms may affect your UNC enrollment requirements so please check with CDG program staff to confirm.

  1. Cost: During summer you will have normal “continuation” enrollment, tuition and health fees.

If you are on a Duke fellowship, you will need to follow these guidelines, and Duke summer tuition will be charged (and paid by your fellowship).

  1. The deadline to submit your approved dissertation to the UNC Graduate School for a summer degree is generally in mid-July.

Remember that the requirement remains that you have your committee approved at Duke 30 days before your defense and that you provide the names for reporting to UNC at the same time.

  1. Please see the note at the end of the description of the Spring and Fall Timeline for additional CDG program expectations regarding the milestone form and getting the dissertation to your advisor and committee members prior to the defense.