All degree-seeking students, enrolled and unenrolled, are subject to degree requirements and policies and procedures put forth by their department or program and by the Graduate School through this website and Rights, Rules, Responsibilities. Enrolled Statuses Enrolled students are active full time in their program within the defined program length or, for eligible Ph.D. students, within an additional two-year period of enrollment to complete the dissertation. Qualified students in certain final, professional master’s degree programs that allow for part-time enrollment must be currently active part time in their defined program length. Enrolled student statuses include the following. Regular Enrollment A student within the defined program length who is pursuing degree-related work, completing requirements, and making sufficient academic and/or research progress as specified by the department or program and the Graduate School. Regular enrollment is in effect when a student completes semester sign-in and is in residence–that is, regularly present on campus and using University resources to fulfill degree requirements and objectives a majority of days per week for the academic term or year. Financial Support & Student Benefits Ordinarily enrolled students receive all benefits reserved for regular degree-seeking students. For Ph.D. students, this includes tuition and stipend support. The standard tuition rate that includes the student health plan is charged. Regular Enrollment In Absentia A registered full-time student still within the defined program length who is pursuing degree-related work, but is NOT in residence for greater than half the term. Students may apply for in absentia status if they need to use educational resources not available in Princeton. If approved, in absentia status is granted for one academic term or year at a time, up to two years, only to Ph.D. students who have successfully completed the general examination. Students enrolled in absentia are considered fully enrolled graduate students. As such, they are required to complete semester sign-in and participate in the annual reenrollment process. In absentia enrollment is recorded on the transcript. Financial Support & Student Benefits A marginal tuition rate that includes the student health plan is charged for a student enrolled in absentia. More information about in absentia tuition and fees can be found in our University Rates section. Students enrolled in absentia are still considered enrolled students and most University benefits, including remote access to certain Princeton University resources and facilities and to the student health plan, are continued. They may continue to hold University housing contracts if they will be in absentia status for only one semester and the student will be in regular enrollment, in residence, for the other semester within an academic year. Enrollment Guidelines Enrolled students who need to use educational resources outside of Princeton University and who will not be in residence for more than half the semester should apply for in absentia status. In absentia status can be granted for up to two years for a student who has completed the general examination requirement and is making satisfactory progress toward their degree. In extraordinary cases where dissertation research requires more than two years outside of Princeton, exceptions to the two-year cap may be possible. A semester spent in absentia is calculated as part of a student's total allowed enrollment. To be considered for in absentia status, the following conditions must be met: Demonstrated need to use educational resources that cannot be obtained at Princeton University; The work away from Princeton will directly contribute to the student's progress to the degree; and The student is unable to live in Princeton or the vicinity and maintain a regular presence on campus. In Absentia Status Change Procedure Discuss in absentia eligibility and plans with your adviser and/or DGS. Submit an in absentia request via the online status system accessed through TigerHub. Register your travel plans, whether domestic or international, in Enroll My Trip. The Princeton International website also provides valuable information and links to other travel resources that will be useful to you. For more information, please review the information on travel registration. Dissertation Completion Enrollment (DCE) A Ph.D. student who has exhausted the defined program length, but is still making progress toward degree completion and retains an enrolled status. Enrolled Ph.D. students who have not completed their degree within their department's normal program period (either four or five years, as specified by the department and the Graduate School) may have the opportunity to be enrolled for up to two additional years in Dissertation Completion Enrollment (DCE) status. This status was instituted specifically for the purpose of helping a student complete the dissertation. Students in DCE status are not eligible to take courses. Financial Support & Student Benefits Prior to applying for DCE status, review our page outlining Financial Support for DCE Students, which outlines both tuition and fees, as well as support programs. Specific fellowships are available to support qualifying students with this status. A DCE student is enrolled and eligible for most benefits reserved for enrolled students, but ordinarily may not enroll in courses. A marginal tuition rate that includes the student health plan is charged for a student enrolled in DCE status. DCE status is recorded on the transcript. Enrollment Guidelines DCE status must be taken immediately after the regular enrollment period has ended and may be granted for a maximum of four consecutive semesters. Through the annual reenrollment process, a student must apply to move into or retain this status and have the approval of both the department and the Graduate School. Terminating DCE Status DCE status ends: When a student completes and successfully defends the dissertation; When a student chooses not to reapply for reenrollment; When the two-year limit of DCE eligibility has expired; When a student does not maintain continuous enrollment or does not make degree progress. DCE Status Change Procedure For more information about the policies, requirements, and status change procedure, related to DCE status, please see the DCE Handbook 2023-2024 DCE In Absentia A DCE student who is pursuing degree-related work, but is not in residence for greater than half the term. Unenrolled Statuses Unenrolled students may still qualify for the degree but be unenrolled because of an approved leave of absence or because the allowed enrollment period has ended but degree candidacy continues. Unenrolled statuses include the following. Leave of Absence The regular defined program length has been interrupted because the student is not pursing degree-related work due to personal, medical, or professional circumstances. A leave may be granted for personal, medical, or professional reasons, and requires the approval of both the department and the Graduate School. On the recommendation of a student’s director of graduate studies and other departmental adviser(s), the Graduate School may grant a leave for a term or for a year to a student in good standing. The length of a leave, including all extensions, may not exceed four consecutive semesters. A leave of absence is recorded on the transcript. Student Benefits View the Benefits by Enrollment Status grid for details. Restrictions Leaves are not normally granted to students who: Have completed less than one full term of enrollment in residence; Are scheduled to take their general examination in the term for which the leave is being requested; Will be working essentially full time on their Princeton degree requirements, away from Princeton (in absentia is the correct status for such students); Are about to enter or are currently in DCE status, which requires continuous enrollment and was instituted specifically to help Ph.D. students who have exhausted the period of regular enrollment to finish up their degrees. The full Leave of Absence Policy should be consulted. Leave of Absence Status Procedure Discuss the terms of a leave of absence, including any academic conditions that may need to be met, with your adviser and/or DGS as well as a member of the academic affairs staff at the Graduate School; Discuss visa support and terms with the Davis International Center (international students only); Consult the timeline for Status Changes and End of Student Benefits for planning purposes, and speak with a staff member at the Graduate School about any exceptional needs related to changes in benefits; Submit a leave of absence request via the online status system in TigerHub; For students in the natural sciences, engineering, or social science, confirm completion of the department's RCR requirements or CITI training; Complete the checkout process via TigerHub (students should submit the leave of absence request before submitting the checkout form). Extensions of Leave A student may request an extension of a leave, which would require the support of both the department and the Graduate School. The duration of a leave, including any extensions, may not exceed four consecutive semesters. If a student fails to return from leave without requesting an extension or does not return after four consecutive semesters of leave, degree candidacy is terminated. Students on leave are urged to keep in touch with the Graduate School and their department about their plans. Returning from Leave Approval to return from leave of absence is given by Academic Affairs in the Graduate School, and is contingent upon completing any personal, medical, or academic conditions placed when the leave commenced. Returns from leave coincide with the start of terms: for the fall term reenrollment is effective August 1; for the spring term, reenrollment is effective January 1. Summer returns may be considered in consultation with the department when a student must conduct laboratory research or needs to fulfill degree requirements on campus. Summer returns require a separate health plan fee. Approval to return from leave of absence is given when the following conditions are met: Confirmation by the department of the student’s continued professional suitability; Submission of a request to return from leave of absence submitted via the online status system accessed through TigerHub Completion by the student of requirements, if any, stipulated by the department and/or the Graduate School as conditions for reenrollment. Enrollment Terminated, Degree Candidacy Continues (ET/DCC) A discontinued status that indicates that enrollment has ended but eligibility for qualifying for the degree continues. It is normally assigned to a Ph.D. student who has passed the general examination, but who has not completed the degree in the defined program length or while in DCE status. (The student may have exhausted DCE status or chosen not to enter it.) Students who are continuing to make satisfactory progress toward completing their degree may enter Enrollment Terminated/Degree Candidacy Continues (ET/DCC) status if they are beyond the defined program length; have exhausted DCE status, chosen not to enter it, or must leave it to pursue other opportunities; and have not graduated. Student Benefits View the Benefits by Enrollment Status grid for details. ET/DCC Status Procedure With the approval of their department, Ph.D. students who have successfully completed the general examination may also enter ET/DCC status before the end of the defined program length if they will be pursuing opportunities that are incompatible with full-time enrollment, but will still be making progress towards completion of the degree. ET/DCC status is recorded on the transcript. Once a student enters ET/DCC status he or she may not return to an enrolled status (including DCE status). ET/DCC students are still eligible to receive a degree after successfully completing all degree requirements. A student in ET/DCC status may present a dissertation for consideration by the department without special approval from the department or the Graduate School for up to five years following the successful completion of the general examination. ET/DCC Termination ET/DCC students may have their degree candidacy terminated for any of the following reasons: The student has not submitted work or has not been in regular contact with the adviser, committee, or academic department or program; The department no longer assesses the student’s work to be of sufficient quality or relevance for the discipline; More than five years have passed since the student has successfully completed the general examination; The student has lost degree eligibility for disciplinary reasons. The termination is recorded on the transcript. If a former ET/DCC student does eventually submit a dissertation, and that former student’s department or program votes to consider it and to form an examining committee, the former ET/DCC student may request to be moved back to ET/DCC status in order to schedule the final public oral examination (FPO) and, if the FPO is successful, receive a degree. The department or program is not obligated to review dissertations from former ET/DCC students or consider requests to return such students to ET/DCC status. Requests to return former ET/DCC students to ET/DCC status always require the approval of the Graduate School. ET/DCC End of Enrollment Process Ph.D. students who continue to make satisfactory progress towards the degree and are at the end of their enrollment eligibility because they have completed two years of DCE status are moved automatically to ET/DCC status at the completion of their final DCE year; they need do nothing to initiate this move to ET/DCC status. All other students who wish to enter ET/DCC status, especially at points in time that do not coincide with the end of a second DCE year, should: Discuss the timeline for dissertation/thesis completion with your adviser and/or DGS; Submit an end of enrollment request through the online status system accessed via TigerHub; Submit a checkout form via TigerHub (students must submit the end of enrollment form before submitting the checkout form). Suspended A discontinued status for a student who has been penalized with temporary removal from University membership because of a disciplinary matter. The student may return to enrollment and/or degree candidacy if conditions are met. A suspension is recorded on the transcript.