Graduate Degree Late Fee

What is the Graduate Degree Late Fee?
Who is eligible?
When do students graduate?
How to pay the fee?
Frequently asked questions

What is the Graduate Degree Late Fee

The Graduate Degree Late Fee is an option in lieu of registration for a given quarter for eligible students who did not: 1) file a timely Master's Degree Request during the current quarter or, 2) submit the thesis or dissertation that was successfully defended  by the end of the previous quarter, i.e. only formatting the thesis to Graduate School requirements remains to be completed . This fee was established by The Graduate School and approved by the Provost Office beginning Autumn Quarter 2004. The money collected from the fee is applied to the UW General Fund.  Please note: This option may have an effect on the grace period for student loans becoming due; students should check with their lenders before deciding not to register.

 Who is Eligible?

Master's students who file the Master's Degree Request within the late period of current quarter*

• Students must be currently registered and,
• a Master's Degree Request must be submitted by the 9th Sunday of Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters or the 7th Sunday of Summer quarter and,
• students must pay the fee in addition to tuition by the last day of the degree request quarter.

*Master's Degree Request schedule:
    AutumnWinter/Spring Quarters: 
        Weeks 1-7 are considered as filing the Request on time
        Weeks 8-9 are considered as filing the Request late, and the graduate degree late fee is imposed
        Weeks 10-11 the Request system is closed and no Requests are accepted - must apply for following quarter.
    Summer Quarter:
        Weeks 1-6 are considered as filing the Request on time
        Week 7 is considered as filing the Request late, and the graduate degree late fee  is imposed
        Weeks 8-9 the Request system is closed and no Requests are accepted - must apply for following quarter.

 Master's Non-Thesis Students filing Master's Degree Request after completing degree requirements in previous quarter

• Students were registered the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
• students completed all course requirements, and Graduate School and department degree  requirements the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
• students filed a Master's degree request by the 4th Sunday of the quarter they pay the fee and,
• students paid the fee prior to the 4th Friday of the degree request quarter.

Master's Thesis Students filing Master's Degree Request after completing all degree requirements in the previous quarter (with the exception of thesis submission)

• Students were registered the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
• students successfully defended the thesis, completed all course requirements, and Graduate School and department degree requirements (with the exception of the thesis submission) the quarter immediately prior to  paying the fee and,
• thesis was submitted and accepted by the Graduate School no later than  the 4th Friday of the quarter they paid the fee and,
• students filed a Master's degree request by the 4th Sunday of the quarter they pay the fee and,
• students paid the fee prior to the 4th Friday of the degree request quarter.

Doctoral Students

• Students were registered the quarter immediately prior to paying the fee and,
• students successfully defended the dissertation, completed all course requirements, and Graduate School and department degree  requirements (with the exception of the dissertation submission) the quarter prior to paying the fee and,
• dissertation was submitted and accepted by the Graduate School before the end of the 60 day dissertation submission deadline and no later than  the 4th Friday of the quarter they are paying the fee and,
• students paid the fee prior to the 4th Friday of the quarter they submitted their dissertation.

 Eligibility Requirements by Petition to the Dean of the Graduate School (Petition submission available on-line)

• Students who have met the applicable eligibility requirements listed above but are waiting for an incomplete grade to be removed because all work was completed the quarter prior to paying the fee and faculty input was not required other than  grading of the submitted work or,
• Students who have met the applicable eligibility requirements listed above but must meet a departmental contingency that does not require registration in a course.
   

When do fee paying students graduate?

Students graduate the quarter that they pay the fee if they have met the applicable fee eligibility requirements, their departments recommend graduation to the Graduate School, and the Graduate School approves graduation.
 

How to pay the fee?

Students may make payments as follows:
Telephone: (206) 543-4694 or Email: sfshelp@u.washington.edu
- Request that the $250 Graduate Degree Late Fee be added to their account;
- Student pays online by credit card ($40 convenience fee) or webcheck;
- Student prints a tuition statement from MyUW showing payment of this fee. This serves as a receipt and is submitted to the Graduate School as proof-of-payment.

US Mail: UW – SFS, PO Box 3981,Seattle, WA 98124-3981:
- Student mails in the payment along with a note identifying
payment for Graduate Degree Late Fee;
- Student prints a tuition statement from MyUW showing payment of
this fee. This serves as a receipt and is submitted to the
Graduate School as proof-of-payment.

In-Person: (Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.)
- Student will pay the Graduate Degree Late Fee at the SFS Office
129 Schmitz Hall);
- Student prints a tuition statement from MyUW showing payment of
this fee. This serves as a receipt and is submitted to the
Graduate School as proof-of-payment.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What if I don’t file the Request for Master’s Degree by the end of the late period?  Is there any way to graduate during the current quarter?

No, you must then wait to apply to graduate during the following quarter and pay The Graduate Degree Late Fee.

• Is the deadline for submitting a thesis or dissertation still 5pm on the last day of a given quarter?  What if I miss this deadline because I am stuck in traffic?

Yes, this deadline remains the same.  If you miss this deadline then you must apply to graduate during the following quarter and are eligible to pay The Graduate Degree Late Fee if all other degree requirements were met.

•  What if I pay The Graduate Degree Late Fee to submit my thesis or dissertation, but then don’t make the 4 week deadline for submitting the document?

Then you must register for thesis or dissertation credits and The Graduate Degree Late Fee will either be refunded to you, or credited toward your tuition.

•  Must I be registered for tuition credits the quarter in which I take my final examination?

Yes, you must be registered; The Graduate Degree Late Fee does not apply.

• What if I am missing a faculty signature for my thesis or dissertation, or I have encountered a technical difficulty in printing a few pages of my document?  Must I pay The Graduate Degree Late Fee and graduate in the subsequent quarter?

If you encounter these types of situations, contact Graduate Student Services (206-685-2630 gsstusrv@u.washington.edu)  as early as possible and no later than the last day of the quarter.

•  What if I neglected to pay The Graduate Degree Late Fee by the 4 week deadline? What do I do?

 You must now register for credits and The Graduate Degree Late Fee will either be refunded to you, or credited toward your tuition

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