Ó£»¨Ó°ÊÓ

The deadlines below are the latest you can submit your thesis to complete on time and avoid paying next term’s fees.

You can also contact the graduate program coordinator to set custom deadlines—for example, to qualify for the Completion Postponement Fee Adjustment (CPFA).

Deadlines set by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) are final and can’t be extended. Since there’s little room for delays, we recommend submitting early if possible.

• Summer: complete during the summer term for November convocation
• Fall: complete during the fall term for June convocation
• Spring: complete during the spring term for June convocation

Submission steps

Review

Review the LLM thesis submission deadlines below with your supervisory committee.

Complete the external examiner form

After discussing examiner guidelines with your supervisory committee, complete the LLM external examiner nomination form with 3 names and your planned submission date. All committee members must approve it. Submit the form to the graduate program coordinator at least 4 weeks before submitting your exam-ready thesis, and by no later than the dates indicated below for that term’s completion.

Note: do not contact nominees yourself—the graduate program will do this.

• Fall 2025: August 28, noon PT
• Spring 2026: January 12, noon PT
• Summer 2026: May 15, noon PT

Submit an application to graduate

Apply to graduate by logging into My Page, going to the 'Graduation' tab and submitting the online form. Late applications will be charged a $10 fee. Also, create a .

• July 15 (for November convocation)
• November 15 (for June convocation and those completing in December)
• February 15 (for June convocation and those completing in April)

Share your final draft for review

Share your final draft—including title page, committee page and a 150-word abstract—to your supervisory committee for review. Committees often want to review the full draft twice, so plan ahead and confirm timelines with them.

Email your approved thesis

Email your approved thesis and your committee’s confirmation (a forwarded email is fine) to the graduate program coordinator, allowing 6 weeks for the external examiner to review. Include the thesis/dissertation withholding form or note if it’s not needed. 

• Fall 2025: September 26, noon PT
• Spring 2026: February 9, noon PT
• Summer 2026: June 12, noon PT

Submit a withholding form thesis/dissertation

If you plan to publish all or part of your thesis, submit the withholding form to Graduate Ó£»¨Ó°ÊÓ and Records at least 1 month before your final thesis submission date.

Evaluation from external examiner

The external examiner will submit comments/approval by the following dates:

• Fall 2025: November 14
• Spring 2026: March 24
• Summer 2026: July 27

Get final approval

If the thesis has been approved, or approved with edits, discuss recommendations made by external examiner with supervisory committee, and complete as required, allowing 4 weeks from receipt of evaluation to complete final version and get final approval.

The following resources will be helpful to you when you are ready to submit your thesis (especially the checklist):

• Structure and formatting information on the UVic website
• Thesis and Dissertation format checklist and sample pages

Activate your UVicSpace account

Once your committee has approved your thesis, forward the approval email to the graduate program coordinator. This triggers UVicSpace access, where you’ll upload your thesis.

GARO will only check the information on the title page. It is your responsibility (with support from supervisor) to ensure document is formatted correctly before uploading. Once your thesis has been accepted by UVicSpace, it cannot be altered or resubmitted.

Submit your final approved thesis

Upload your full and final thesis as a PDF to UVicSpace by the following dates in order to complete that term:

• Fall 2025: December 15, noon PT
• Spring 2026: April 30, noon PT
• Summer 2026: August 21, noon PT

Grad coordinator submits completion documents to GARO

The graduate program coordinator will send the signed thesis approval form and recommendation letter to the Graduate Ó£»¨Ó°ÊÓ and Records Office.

• Fall 2025: December 19, noon PT
• Spring 2026: April 30, noon PT
• Summer 2026: August 28, noon PT

Related links

• guidelines for nominating LLM thesis external examiners

• thesis and dissertation guidelines
• UVic thesis template
• thesis approval form