Register for Candidacy

In order to graduate, you must declare candidacy for the semester in which you intend to graduate by the designated deadline (you can find the deadline calendar on the Grad School website). You declare candidacy by using the scheduling assistant within myPurdue and registering for either CAND 991, 992, or 993.

CAND 991: This is the candidacy to register for if you are currently taking any courses and/or research; most students will register using this candidate registration type.  Thesis-option master’s and doctoral students must register for research in proportion to their efforts during each session, and must be registered for at least one credit of research in this semester. Research registration should be commensurate with actual research and writing efforts. All funded students still need to register full-time, even in their last semester. Non-funded international students registering for candidacy and less than full-time, need to request approval for a reduced course load from ISS.

Special candidate registration may be allowed for those students needing to only deposit (CAND 992) or defend/deposit (CAND 993). If allowed, please note:

  1. Early deadlines apply (you can find the deadline calendar on the Grad School website).
  2. Students cannot be registered for any credits in this semester (research or coursework).
  3. Students MUST be registered in research the semester prior to enrolling in one of these candidate types (including summer if research was performed, which includes writing/formatting thesis).
  4. Students may still hold an RA appointment (and TA appointment, if remaining for the full semester despite defending and/or depositing early).
  5. Candidates who register for this special registration and who do not meet the early deadline, will be switched by the Grad School to CAND 991 and required to register for credits.  If you’re funded you need to make sure you are registered full-time as soon as you know you will not meet the early deadline, so check your schedule if you miss the early deadline and notify the biology graduate office immediately to assist you with modifying the number of registered credits.

CAND 992 (Degree-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to deposit their thesis. Please note that there is a fee to register in CAND 992.

CAND 993 (Exam-Only Candidacy): Candidacy for those that ONLY need to defend AND deposit their thesis. Please note that there is a fee to register in CAND 993.

Being registered as a candidate does not automatically register you for the commencement ceremony itself. If you plan to participate in commencement, you must respond by using the Commencement tab on myPurdue. It will be added to your myPurdue account after a specified date in the semester you have registered as a candidate.

If you are declaring candidacy for multiple degrees within the same semester, please register for candidacy for one degree, and then please contact the biology graduate office, to let them know information on the second degree.  This also applies to candidacy for certificate completion. Candidacy will only show on your schedule for one degree, but we’ll work with the registrar’s office to make sure expectation for both degrees is recorded in their system.

Please note:  The third time you register for candidacy for the same degree type, there is a $200 fee that will be assessed by the Grad School.

For specific semester graduation deadlines, see the deadline calendar on the Grad School website.