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Updated September 22, 2025. Effective beginning Fall 2025.
In compliance with federal regulations for financial aid, the University defines a period of time in which a student is expected to complete a graduate program.
Students who do not complete their degree by the end of this time are prevented from registering for additional coursework until an approved Extension of Time to Degree Request Form has been filed with the Office of the Registrar (available on the Registrar’s Form Index webpage). Requests must include a degree completion plan and be approved by both the student’s faculty advisor and department.
An approved leave of absence does not impact a student’s time to degree. For each semester a student is on a leave of absence the time to degree will be extended accordingly.
Master’s Degrees & Professional Doctorates
Maximum allowable time to degree:
Extensions may be granted for a period of up to one year and require the approval of the dean.
Doctoral Degrees
Maximum allowable time to degree:
The first extension may be granted for a period of up to two years. Subsequent extensions may be granted for a period of no more than one year. All extensions require the approval of the dean.
Students who are admitted to a doctoral program after completing a CGU master’s degree are subject to the same regulations on time to degree as students who enter CGU after completing a master’s degree at another institution. Units earned in a CGU master’s program generally count toward the unit requirement for a doctoral degree in the same field. Because coursework requirements differ from field to field, not all CGU master’s units may count toward doctoral degree requirements. Students should consult their faculty advisors.
Note: While an interfield doctoral degree may require more units than a typical doctoral degree program, students enrolled in interfield degrees are still subject to the same time-to-degree limits and extension policies outlined above. Students should work closely with their faculty advisors to plan accordingly and ensure timely progress toward degree completion.
Excessive Extensions
Students who have requested three or more extensions for any degree program are subject to a reevaluation of the student’s degree progress. Students who incur an excessive number of extensions and who do not make satisfactory progress toward their degree are subject to dismissal or other academic action. At the discretion of the department/program, additional coursework and/or degree requirements may be assigned to ensure the relevancy of the degree when it is earned.
Extensions of time to degree have implications for financial aid and may be restricted for international students due to federal immigration requirements. As applicable, students requiring additional time to degree should consult a financial aid representative or the international student coordinator.
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