Post-Comprehensive Enrollment

Overview

After completing the oral comprehensive exam, doctoral students are required to be continuously enrolled each Fall and Spring semester until completion of their degree. Continuous enrollment for the post-comprehensive student is defined below. To properly understand this policy, please review each bullet-point carefully. 

  • Post-comp doctoral students must initially enroll in a minimum of 6 hours each Fall and Spring semester.
  • Post-comp enrollment in the Fall and Spring must include within the 6 required hours at least one dissertation or dissertation-equivalent hour every term, with the exception of the semester in which the comp exam is taken. (The Office of Graduate Studies maintains a list of pre-approved dissertation equivalents.  Students should speak with their advisors to discern if their department has any approved equivalents, and, if so, which is the appropriate course to enroll in).
  • The post-comp enrollment requirement REMAINS IN EFFECT AS DESCRIBED UNTIL THE STUDENT HAS COMPLETED 18 POST-COMP HOURS, OR UNTIL THEY GRADUATE, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST.
  • Summer enrollment for post-comp doctoral students is optional, with some exceptions:
    • Students meeting the July Summer graduation deadline must be enrolled in at least 1 dissertation hour or approved equivalent to be approved for graduation
    • Students holding a GTA/GRA/GA appointment in the summer are not required to enroll; however, students who enroll "full-time" as defined in the University's definition of full-time enrollment are not assessed federal taxes (medicare, social security, etc.). Students who enroll in less than full-time, or not at all, are eligible for federal deductions and may see a drop in their paycheck.
    • Students who hold an outside fellowship or scholarship that requires enrollment
    • Students who hold a student hourly appointment in the summer may be required to enroll. See the Student Employee Eligibility Requirements policy for more information.
  • Students who do enroll in the summer may count those hours towards the required 18 post-comp hours. A dissertation hour is not required for those hours to count.
  • Hours completed during the semester in which the student takes their comprehensive exam do count toward the required 18 hours, as long as the student was enrolled in at least 6 hours. Enrollment the semester the comp exam is taken does not have to include a dissertation or dissertation-equivalent hour. Comprehensive exams for doctoral students must meet the following deadlines in order for the student’s credit hours during that term to count toward their post-comprehensive enrollment:
    • Fall - December 31st
    • Spring - May 31st
    • Summer - July 31st
  • A student may, under advisement of the department, enroll in more than 6 hours each semester to achieve the 18 hours more quickly (such as 9 hours in the Fall/Spring semesters).
  • During the semester in which the student is due to complete the 18 hours of post-comp enrollment, they drop down to whatever number of hours is required to complete the 18 (e.g., if the student started the semester with 15 hours of post-comp enrollment completed, only 3 hours are required).
  • After meeting 18 hours, the student must then continue to enroll in at least 1 dissertation or approved dissertation-equivalent hour each fall or spring semester until they graduate. The student's level of enrollment must, however, accurately reflect demands on faculty time and University facilities. It is imperative that the student consult with their department about enrollment needs before reducing hours.
  • Please note that dissertation hours and other enrollment completed in semesters prior to taking the comprehensive exam cannot count toward the post-comp enrollment requirement.

Post-Comprehensive Enrollment and "Full-Time" Enrollment

  • Post-comp doctoral students who are enrolled as outlined above meet the University's definition of full-time enrollment. This means post-comp doctoral students, including those enrolled in only 1 dissertation hour each term, continue to be considered "full-time" for the purposes of federal financial aid, fellowships or scholarships, and for legal status enrollment obligations for international students.

  • There is one exception: the Student Wellness Fee is only required (and automatically charged to the student account) for students enrolled in 3 hours or more. The Wellness Fee provides access to: Watkins Health Services, CAPS, and Student Recreation Services (e.g. Ambler Rec Center).  The Wellness Fee is optional for students enrolled in 1 or 2 hours; those students may either opt in to the fee via the Wellness Fee Opt-In form or be charged for office visits. Students should call the Watkins Business Office at 785-864-9520, or visit the Watkins Business Office web page for further information. 

     

GTA/GRA/GA Post-Comprehensive Enrollment

  • All of the regulations above also apply to students with GTA/GRA/GA appointments, except:
  • GTA/GRA/GA (3G) students must be certified to reduce below 6 hours to meet the terms of their employment. This process is completed by departments on the student's behalf through the Progress to Degree (PTD) system. Students who are certified to reduce hours continue to meet the University's definition of full-time enrollment, as well as the enrollment requirements of their employment contract.
  • Additionally, according to federal requirements, 3Gs who are enrolled full-time are not assessed FICA taxes. The primary purpose of the PTD form is to notify KU Payroll and HR that the student is still full-time despite being enrolled in fewer than 6 hours. 3Gs who reduce enrollment without the certification form will be charged FICA taxes. 

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