Registration and re-registration

Students may register to start on either 1 October or 1 February each year. Students (all those who are not on a Research Degree by Distance Learning qualification) must come on to campus to register, to complete the relevant paperwork and to provide original proof of identity and original copies of qualifications for verification. Self-funded students will need to pay their fees prior to registration – information on the different ways you can pay will be included with your offer letter. Table 1 shows the range of periods of registration:

Upon registration, all students will be given a ‘maximum registration date’ by which they must submit their thesis for examination. A student who fails to submit their thesis by this date will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. The maximum registration date will be adjusted to take into account any periods of suspended registration or changes to mode of study. Minimum periods of study can be found in section 7 (for MPhil/PhD) and section 6 (for MPhil/PhD by distance learning) of the Research Degree Regulations. 

A student may not be registered for any other degree or qualification at any other institution, during their registration as an OU student (this applies also to multiple registrations at the OU). 

Upgrade and continued registration

All students start off registered for the degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and must pass an ‘upgrade’ assessment to be eligible for continued registration.

For those students whose aim is to obtain an MPhil, confirmation of continued registration must be completed within the following time frames: 

1. 7 months for a full-time student
2. 14 months for a part-time student 

For students intending to read for a PhD, this will follow the upgrade process.

Where a student successfully completes upgrade or has confirmed continuation of registration, registration will continue until submission of the final thesis or until the maximum registration date as set out in the offer letter (or any subsequent correspondence from the Graduate School).