CAHNRS > Academics > CAHNRS Graduate Center > Preparing to Graduate

Preparing to Graduate

Semester of GraduationApplication for Degree AvailableApplication for Degree Deadline (see below for more info)
Last Date to Conduct Final Exam (Regular Session)
Spring 202610/13/20253/6/20264/24/2026
Summer 20261/1/2065/29/2026 7/31/2026
Fall 20266/8/202610/2/202611/20/2026
Interim Examsscroll down to learn more

  • In addition, review your program’s graduate student handbook for program-specific details on final exams.
    • Crop Science and Plant Pathology programs require a separately scheduled final seminar.
  • Submit your application for degree by the published deadline. If you miss the deadline, a late fee will be applied. If you do not complete your degree during the term for which you applied, the Graduate School will move your application to a later term as long as your original application fee is still valid (the fee is valid for one calendar year.
    • Names in the May commencement program include May degree graduate candidates who meet the May application deadline. Students who plan to complete their degree in the summer but wish to participate in the May commencement may want to apply for a May degree—by the May deadline—if they would like their names included in the May program.
    • Names in this December commencement program include the Summer and December degree graduate candidates who meet the Summer/December application deadlines.
    • The application for degree will signal the Graduate School to audit your Program of Study to ensure all coursework has been completed. Any outstanding requirements will be noted on your to-do list in myWSU. Please ignore the degree audit in myWSU – it is not functional for grad students.
  • Students must also register separately for commencement and order regalia by the given deadlines. Participation in the commencement ceremony is not a guarantee or an indication of degree completion. Doctoral students should coordinate with their hooding faculty member and remind them that they also must register for commencement and secure the appropriate regalia.
  • You must be enrolled in a minimum of 2 credits of 700/702/800 in the term you take your final exam.
  • Once your advisor has given preliminary approval of the thesis or dissertation draft, you may then distribute the draft to your committee members. It is customary to give your committee members at least 2 weeks to review a thesis or dissertation draft before the scheduling form is due.* This means your final draft is due to your committee members at least 1 month in advance of your exam date. Students should consult with each committee member in advance to determine their availability to review the draft at the time the student intends to submit it to them.
    *Approval of the scheduling form by the student’s faculty advisory committee indicates the student has the necessary preparation to successfully pass this examination and the committee also verifies the student’s portfolio, project, thesis, or dissertation has received preliminary approval and is suitable in content and format for their field of study.
  • The regular final exam scheduling form is due at least 10 business days in advance of the selected exam date. Because this timeline includes Smartsheet e-routing and e-approvals, be sure to initiate the form a few days before the deadline. The interim final exam requires a special scheduling form; see the interim final exam section below.
    • Be sure to include Deb Marsh, marshdj@wsu.edu, as the Academic Coordinator on the scheduling form.
    • Be sure to reserve the room in advance where the student will be attending, and include the location, building and room number on the scheduling form.
    • Upon submission, the form routes electronically to you and your committee members for approval. Deb Marsh is notified when routing begins and will track the form through approvals, notifying you once it has been submitted to the Graduate School.
  • A draft of your thesis/dissertation is also due 10 working days in advance of the selected exam date and must be uploaded to ProQuest in order for the Graduate School to proceed with your final exam scheduling.
    • When you submit your draft to ProQuest, you need to click the ‘Submit’ button in order for the Graduate School to review the draft and schedule the exam.
    • When you (the student) create a ProQuest account to submit the draft, you will enter a title into ProQuest. It should match the title on the thesis. When you submit the revised “final” draft into ProQuest after your defense, the title both in ProQuest and on the thesis is the official title the thesis will be accepted with. So, the title does not need to be finalized before the final exam. Again, just please make sure if you change the title on your thesis that you’ve updated ProQuest as well.
    • Near the end of the semester, the Graduate School will start pre-clearance and will assume the draft on file is the most updated/finalize version and then will either hit the ‘Accepted by the Graduate School’ button or send it back for another review before accepting. Students will receive an email when their thesis/dissertation is accepted.
    • Students can change copyright even after the draft is Accepted (the settings are through ProQuest).
    • Horticulture and Entomology departments require a 8.5″ x 11″ hardbound copy of each graduate student thesis or dissertation for their departmental libraries. Hardbound copies can also be ordered via ProQuest at any point, but the Graduate School recommends ordering before the degree term ends AND before they accept the copy on file. ProQuest does have students pay at the time they order the copies. Alternatively, students may use another vendor. Copies are due to the Pullman campus departmental main office within 60 days after final exam.
  • Also, send a PDF of your draft thesis/dissertation (or non-thesis report) to your Academic Coordinator (marshdj@wsu.edu) at the same time you submit your scheduling form (this is in addition to the copy you submit electronically to ProQuest).
  • Zoom arrangements: To accommodate program faculty, staff, and students at our statewide locations all final exams should have ZOOM availability for the event. Please send the Zoom link to Deb Marsh as soon as possible so it can be included in the final exam announcement. 
    • Zoom meeting security and host control:
      Zoom Room devices provide a limited set of host controls, and available options vary by room. If the advisor expects to use full host controls from their own laptop or device, the person who schedules the Zoom meeting must list the advisor as the Alternative Host. By default, the Zoom account that creates the meeting is the host.
  • Those students with graduate assistantships should review the term dates and service requirements of their employment contract. Remember, academic year assistantships and the associated tuition waivers are contingent upon continued full-time enrollment and continuation of appointment for the duration of the semester term: Aug 16-Dec 31 or Jan 1-May 15. The concern is some graduate assistants are conducting their final exams a couple of months ahead of their contract term date. Therefore, please have discussions early with your assistantship supervisor, to reach mutual agreement/approval on the plan to finish out your contract term–particularly if you are planning an early departure. Options include:
    • May use vacation time off, or Leave without Pay (LWOP) after the least day of instruction for the term until the end of the appointment semester term (see WSU Academic Calendar). Approval of your supervisor is required.
    • Continue providing services until the end of the assistantship semester term.
    • Continue to be paid based on an agreement with their supervisor regarding already worked or to be worked project assignments.
    • Otherwise, early resignation from an assistantship contract will require a resignation letter and may result in loss of tuition waivers for the semester term.
  • Summer exams are an extra expense that may or may not be covered by your advisor; do your best to finish during the regular exam deadlines for Spring and Fall academic semesters if/when already receiving a waiver.

Interim final exams:

  • An Interim Final Exam may be scheduled in extenuating circumstances.  The interim exam provides a few extra days after the regular final exam deadline for the term to conduct a final exam without requiring enrollment/tuition in the following semester, however the degree is not awarded until the end of the following term.   The currently known interim exam windows are:
    • Fall 2025 (Nov 24-26 and Dec 1-12, 2025; Jan 5-9, 2026) – degree awarded with Spring class at end of term (May degree)
    • Spring 2026 (Apr 27-May 15, 2026) – degree awarded with Summer class at end of summer session (Summer degree)
    • Summer 2026 (Aug 3-21, 2026) – degree awarded with December class at tend of term (December degree)
  • To schedule an interim exam, you must use the interim exam scheduling form, but otherwise review in advance and follow the same general instructions as noted above for regular exams.  The review of your thesis/dissertation draft which you load to ProQuest will likely not be checked near the end of the following semester – so important to stay in touch with your WSU email.
  • The student must be enrolled for a minimum of 2 credits of 700/702/800 in the term immediately preceding the proposed interim examination.  
  • The student must have an Application for Degree on record. Most students planning an interim exam have already applied for the degree and since the application for degree fee is good for one calendar year, the Graduate School will automatically update your application to your examination/degree term (so long as the fee is still valid).
  • International students concerned about their status or I-20 with an interim exam should consult with a WSU International Programs advisor.
  • Students may still register and walk in Fall/Spring term commencement but their name will appear in the commencement program according to their application for degree term.  Diplomas can be expected 8-10 weeks after the end of the following term.
  • If necessary, after successful examination, an official letter of candidacy for employment purposes can be requested from the Graduate School indicating the student has completed all their degree requirements.

International Students:

  • Reduced Credit Load (RCL) status allows an international student to enroll part time (if not on assistantship) for the purpose of defense, i.e. less than 10 credits in the Fall or Spring, or less than 3 credits in the Summer. Contact the WSU International Programs office in you have questions. To apply, go to myPassport. All coursework must be finished to be eligible for RCL (unless your final defense seminar is for credit). International students will still be required to pay health insurance. Because students in RCL do not intend to enroll in the following term, students in RCL status are limited to part-time on campus employment (up to 20 hrs/week).
  • F-1 international students interested in Optional Practical Training (OPT) should visit with a WSU International Programs Student Advisor at least 4 months in advance of their exam date to strategize their OPT application. If you plan to use post-completion OPT, you can start the application process up to 90 days before finishing your degree requirements, but not earlier. On average, it takes 90-100 days to get approval from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Your OPT application must be received by USCIS within 60 days of your program end date, or you will no longer be eligible to apply for OPT for that degree.
  • J-1 students interested in post Academic Training should also apply early. You must receive academic training authorization before the completion date noted on part 3 of your DS-2019 or before completion of your academic program, whichever is earlier. You need a firm offer of employment to apply.
  • International Student Services advising will occur by appointment only, and students will be able to schedule an appointment to meet with an advisor in-person or over Teams by booking through this link. Please note there is no option for same day appointments, and walk ins cannot be accommodated.

After the Exam:

Please refer to: Final Exam Exit Requirements.