Program Deadline and Program Hold

The APUS doctoral program has a deadline to complete a student's program requirements. The student's official program start is Week 2 of their first course. This date is called the initial enrollment date. If a student does not have their program conferred before the program deadline, the University can issue a letter of program completion; however, students will not earn the degree or certificate.

Each program has an established program length:

• Doctorate Degree:  7 years

If students are less than 6 months away from their program deadline, they will be blocked from registration until they have met with their Department Chair to discuss a program completion plan.

Program Deadline Extensions

If a student is unable to complete their program in 7 years, they may request an extension of their program deadline; there is no guarantee the request will be granted. While the University assess every extension request under consideration, whether to grant or deny an extension is solely at the University’s discretion. 

Steps to obtain an end of program extension:

1. When a student is approaching 7 months away from their program deadline and do not already have a conferral date planned, they should meet with their dissertation chair to discuss a realistic timeline for completion.  
2. Formulate a completion plan with the best estimate as to when the student can complete their dissertation.  
3. Submit the request in writing to the program chair, copying the student's dissertation chair, at least 7 months prior to reaching the program deadline to avoid disrupting the student's ability to register for courses.

Students may only be granted an extension of up to 25% of their initial program length.

Students with questions pertaining to program deadline extensions should contact the Office of the Registrar at [email protected].

If a student finds that they need more than a 25% extension, contact [email protected] to request a program extension appeal.  

Program Hold

Students who need to stop out from their doctoral program may request a Program Hold by communicating with the Doctoral Admissions Representative and completing the Program Hold Request form. Students may request one or more Program Holds during the program, but must still complete the program within the approved timeframe of 7 years. Students may return from a Program Hold by contacting the Doctoral Admission Representative to initiate the return process.

A student's program deadline is not extended if they are on an approved Program Hold; students will have the same program deadline when they return from a Program Hold and may need to work with the Doctoral Admissions Representative if their program deadline is nearing or expired upon return.

Disenrollment

Students who exhaust their program hold time and/or exhaust their program deadline will be automatically disenrolled from the university.

Voluntary Disenrollment

If a student is an active doctoral student and no longer wants to pursue their education with the university, they should contact the Doctoral Admissions Representative at [email protected] to commence the process.

Uncertain on Withdrawing

Before a student takes steps to withdraw, their Doctoral Admissions Representative will discuss options for requesting course extension(s) or Program Holds. Because we serve students who are busy professionals, we understand that there may be times when circumstances make it challenging to complete coursework within the prescribed timeframe. If this happens, the student should contact their course instructor, Chair, or Doctoral Admissions Representative to discuss their situation.