Frequently Asked Questions

A. Students should list the last month of the term in which they graduate. Please reference the academic calendar. This also applies to students who are completing degree requirements early (for example in September of the fall term); however, they will still not graduate until the last day of their respective term, which for fall, will be December.

A.  The Graduate Division Dean's Office reviews every ETD (through ProQuest) for formatting consistency and preparation according to the guidelines outlined in these pages. You are required to submit your manuscript for an initial format review prior to the deadlines for the semester you intend to graduate. You must gain format approval before you will receive permission to make your final submission to the university. Please note that a majority of students need more than one format review to gain approval.

Generally, you will want to submit your PDF in a final, or near-final, form, although you do not have to have a signed title page for your initial submission. You may use placeholders for any missing content, but the content submitted should be formatted correctly. You must submit to ProQuest for an initial format review before the posted review deadline for the semester you intend to graduate. Submitting late will require you to register in the following term, thereby delaying your graduation an entire term. This is not only costly, but may delay prior agreements with outside lab research or employment. Deadline extensions are never granted.

As most ETDs require more than one review, you will likely need to resubmit for another review after the initial review. We suggest resubmitting for review no later than one week prior to the final submission deadline in your final term. Depending on the changes, formatting reviews can take anywhere from one day to weeks, depending on the types of revisions required. The key is to submit as early as possible in order to get the formatting review started. 

A.  The deadline for submitting the FULLY FORMATTED manuscript is listed on the ETD homepage. Please refer to the Dissertation and Thesis Guidelines for this date. Most students require formatting changes, which is the reason we also have an initial submission deadline date. In most cases, revisions will be necessary before you can finalize the submission. If the final thesis/dissertation, and associated documents, are not submitted by the deadline, you must either register or go on filing fee status for the subsequent quarter. In order to be on the degree list, you must either be registered or on filing fee status for the quarter. (Read more about filing fee status.)

A.  All manuscripts (drafts and final versions) must be submitted online through ProQuest. Note that the options you choose when submitting your document to ProQuest (e.g. publishing options, copyright services, etc.) will affect costs. UCSF covers the cost of the traditional publishing option for all students. If you choose to have ProQuest apply for a copyright on your behalf or if you desire any other service (e.g. binding or printing), then you are responsible for additional fees. See the ProQuest website for more information on pricing and the various options available. Title pages completed through DocuSign are automatically sent to the Graduate Division once the entire committee has signed. (See Steps to Completing instructions.)

NOTE: As of June 2019, all theses and dissertations are now automatically transferred from ProQuest to eScholarship, the University of California's open access publishing platform. Students should no longer select the ProQuest open access publishing option since eScholarship offers the same benefits without charge.

A. Only committee members listed on your title page should be input in ProQuest. At UCSF, we do not separately list advisors, unless your advisor happens to also serve on your dissertation committee. Please follow the image below for guidance.

A.  The Table of Contents (ToC), List of Figures (LoF), and List of Tables (LoT) should all be formatted to look the same - same width, same double-spacing, etc. All page numbers must be right-aligned and the chapter/page titles should be left-aligned (barring any intentional indentations). While there are many ways to create your ToC/LoF/LoT, there are some "best practices" students will want to follow when initially setting up the document. Following these guidelines in the forefront will make creating the ToC much simpler! Please reference the following for formatting tips: Creating a Table of Contents (Microsoft Tutorial), Creating a Table of Contents (Microsoft Video), Creating a List of Figures (YouTube)

A. This tutorial will guide you how to add PDF pages to a PDF file. You should NOT copy/paste the DocuSign file into your MS Word file, nor should you resize the DocuSign PDFs in any way. You should convert the manuscript to PDF first, then open it in Adobe Acrobat and add the DocuSign files to it.

• Title Page Info
• UCSF Library Release Info

A. ProQuest gives the author the option of separately uploading supplemental files, such as Excel spreadsheets, audio/video files, and other data tables. These files should be referenced in the Table of Contents as "Supplemental Files" according to file name.

A. After your manuscript is sent to ProQuest, the Graduate Division no longer has access your manuscript. You will need to contact ProQuest support for any questions regarding printing, publishing, billing, and invoicing at [email protected] or call at 800.521.0600.

A. The Office of the Registrar can provide a letter certifying your expected graduation term in the interim between when you have completed your program’s requirements (had your dissertation accepted) and the actual posting of the degree by the Registrar’s office. Current students can request such a letter via their student portal under the "Study List & Grades" tab.

Once the degree has been posted by the Registrar (after the end of your graduating term), your degree verification must be handled through the National Student Clearinghouse. 

The University of California, San Francisco has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse to act as our agent for all verifications of earned degrees and student enrollment. Please visit the Clearinghouse online at studentclearinghouse.org or contact them by phone at 703.742.4200. 

If additional information is required, the student's program can provide further documentation on letterhead. The Graduate Division Dean's Office cannot provide such a letter. The only proof of completion the Graduate Division Dean's office provides is an email indicating the dissertation has been successfully accepted.

A. Diplomas and certificates are available eight to twelve weeks after the end of the academic term. You can pick up your diploma or certificate in person, or the Registrar's Office can mail it to you. The university cannot guarantee availability of diplomas or certificates that have not been claimed within five years.  Please see the Registrar's web site for more details.

A. Many times, students may complete degree requirements before the academic term has officially ended. Although you may have completed degree requirements, your degree will not be officially conferred until the end of your graduating academic term.

The next step is for the Graduate Division Dean's Office to check your student record for any “I” (incomplete), “U” (Unsatisfactory), or “NR” (not reported) grades. If there are any of these on your transcript, they will need to be addressed before your name can be submitted to the Registrar’s office for degree conferral. Please check your Student Portal and take the necessary steps to ensure that these are addressed as soon as possible. The Registrar’s office will not be able to post your degree with any outstanding issues regarding your UCSF transcript.

Once we confirm that your student record is complete, your name will be submitted for inclusion on the degree list as of the final day of the quarter in which you have submitted your dissertation. Please check the academic calendar for details on when this will occur.

Your degree is conferred on the last day of the quarter in which your dissertation is submitted and accepted; however, the degree (with conferral date) will not be posted on your official transcript until approximately four weeks after the term has ended.

Please see the Verification request above if you require degree verification before your degree is officially conferred.

A. Many students are eager to begin using "PhD" in their email signatures soon after the completion and approval of the dissertation. However, students should not begin using their title until the time at which the degree has been conferred.  Including this title at any time prior to degree conferral is incorrect and should be avoided. Please see "When will my degree be conferred" above.