paper airplanes flying toward a stage at a graduation ceremony

Graduation - Candidate Process

Looking to graduate? Then it’s time for you to declare candidacy! This applies to all graduate students (PhD, MS thesis, and MS non-thesis) intending to graduate.

In the semester in which you plan to meet all of your degree requirements to graduate, you must “declare candidacy” which simply means registering for some form of CAND in the semester in which you intend to graduate, and by the designated deadline (which you can find on the Office of the Vice Provosts for Graduate Students Calendar). Announcements will also be made to the AAE graduate student mailing list ahead of the deadlines each term. You can declare candidacy by registering for either CAND 991, 992, or 993 in the Scheduling Assistant, or by emailing aaegradoffice@purdue.edu. The Scheduling Assistant will prompt you to submit the request for approvals. Be sure to watch your registration to ensure that the request is processed and CAND appears. 

Explaining different types of CAND:

CAND 991 (applies to most students): The majority of graduate students will register for CAND 991 if they intend to graduate. This is the only candidacy registration which allows you to be registered for any courses and/or research credits.

Note for thesis students: Even if you have completed your minimum research credits, you still need to be registered for at least one credit hour of research in your final semester, and at least 3 credit hours if on an assistantship. The only exception is if considering one of the special candidate types below. Research registration should be commensurate with actual research and writing efforts. International students need to be aware of additional minimum registration requirements in their last term and may need to consider a reduced course load with ISS, if applicable.

CAND 992 (Degree-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to deposit their thesis because they already held their defense in a previous term. An earlier, mid-semester deposit deadline applies. Cannot be registered for any other research and/or coursework. (Not applicable to non-thesis master's candidates.)

If this deadline is missed, the student's registration will be revised to research credit(s), and will instead need to meet the defense and deposit deadlines outlined for CAND 99100 registrants to qualify for degree.

CAND 993 (Exam-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to defend AND deposit their thesis and can meet an earlier, mid-semester defense/deposit deadline. Cannot be registered for any other research and/or coursework. (Not applicable to non-thesis master's candidates.)

If this deadline is missed, the student's registration will be revised to research credit(s), and will instead need to meet the defense and deposit deadlines outlined for CAND 99100 registrants to qualify for degree.

Commencement Ceremony: Being registered as a candidate does not automatically register you for the commencement ceremony itself. If you plan to participate in commencement, you must respond by using the Commencement tab on myPurdue. It will be added to your myPurdue account after a specified date in the semester you have registered as a candidate. The tasks and deadlines can be found each term on the Registrar’s website.

Process for Thesis Students:

For detailed deposit process and timelines please visit the Thesis/Dissertation Office’s website.

  • Declare Candidacy at the end of the semester previous to your semester in which you intend to graduate
  • Identify your exact defense and deposit deadlines based on your candidacy type (see above) in the Office of the Vice Provosts for Graduate Students Calendar.
  • Organize the details of your defense with your examining committee and submit those details in the required Form 8 (available in myPurdue, where you find your plan of study) no later than 2 weeks before your defense date.
  • Before deposit, complete the “Graduate School Exit Survey” (MS and PhD) and the “Survey of Earned Doctorates” (PhD only)
  • No earlier than the day of your defense, submit the Electronic Thesis Acceptance Form (ETAF, previously known as Form 9) online in myPurdue, same place you find your plan of study. This form will need to have all departmental signatures before you can deposit your thesis. Within this ETAF you can indicate if your thesis should be confidential, should have a delay of publication, and your faculty advisor will have to confirm your thesis has been run through iThenticate.
    • Controlled Thesis Submission Process: Controlled theses/dissertations will have a separate iThenticate process and will NOT be deposited in HammerRR. See the process for controlled thesis deposits.
  • Once the ETAF has received all department-level signatures (all the way up to Thesis Form Head), you should receive an email containing instructions on how to proceed with uploading your finalized version of your dissertation/thesis to HammerRR, except for in the case of a controlled thesis (see above). This whole process needs to be completed by 24 hours ahead of the Deposit Deadline. After you upload the finalized version of your thesis/dissertation, the Thesis Office will review for any formatting errors and will communicate with you regarding any necessary corrections. When approved, you will receive an emailed receipt.
  • Follow the Purdue University Graduate School's requirements for formatting tips.

Other Candidate Notes:  

Check your Plan of Study: Make sure your plan of study is current, degree type is accurate, all completed course grades are displayed and meet program/academic requirements, and advisory committee members are accurate. Submit a change to your plan of study if updates are needed. We will run an audit to capture any needed updates but it won’t be until mid-semester and so it is always better to check your plan of study before your final term begins to avoid any late fees or confusion about your course requirements.

Missing any of these deadlines:  If you don’t register for candidacy by the deadline, there is a possibility we can get you added for the semester with an extension request to the Grad School, but if approved there will also be a $200 late fee charged.  If you need to request an extension, please reach out to aaegradoffice@purdue.edu for instructions. The third time you register for candidacy for the same degree type, there is a $200 fee that will be assessed by the Grad School.

Hypersonic Certificate completion: If you intend to complete certificate requirements then please email aaegradoffice@purdue.edu