After you submit a PhD thesis in India, the university first checks it for plagiarism and then sends it to at least two external examiners. Once their reports come, and if both externals recommend acceptance, an open viva voce is held. After that the university deposits the final thesis with INFLIBNET and notifies the award. As per clause 11(7) of the UGC PhD Regulations, 2022, the whole evaluation should be over within six months of submission, and this includes the viva result.
We go stage by stage and list papers needed on submission day. You will also see how examiners get chosen, what reports can say and what to do while waiting. Every university has its own small differences. So take this guide as a rough map only, and check the exact details in your university’s ordinance and with the research section. Last reviewed September 2026.
What are the stages from PhD thesis submission to award?
These steps are based on clauses 11 and 17 of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022. We have also put the practical steps most universities add.
Pre-submission seminar
Present your full work in an open seminar before the Research Advisory Committee, then do the corrections it records.
Similarity check and certificates
The university runs the thesis through plagiarism software. You sign an undertaking that there is no plagiarism in it, and your supervisor gives a certificate of originality.
Submission
You hand over the printed copies and soft copies, along with the forms, fees and proofs that your university wants.
Examiners appointed
From a panel, mostly proposed by your supervisor, the university selects at least two external examiners and sends the thesis to them.
Evaluation reports
Every examiner goes through the thesis and sends a report. At the end he writes accept, accept after corrections, revise or reject.
Viva voce
When both the externals recommend acceptance, an open viva is held before your supervisor and at least one external examiner.
Final copy, deposit and award
You give the corrected thesis. The university deposits it with INFLIBNET, and after that the degree is notified.
The pre-submission seminar is the first stage, and there is a separate guide for it, the PhD pre-submission seminar. Here we start from the point where your committee has already recommended submission.
What documents are needed to submit a PhD thesis?
Start collecting these one month before your planned submission date. The research section rarely accept a file which has gaps, and even one missing certificate can delay you by a week.
- Bound copies in the number asked for (mostly three to five), and soft copies as PDF on CD or pen drive or uploaded on a portal. All in your university’s format.
- Your signed undertaking that the thesis has no plagiarism, and your supervisor’s certificate of originality. Clause 11(4) of the UGC 2022 regulations asks for both.
- Similarity report from the university’s own check, signed by the supervisor or by the library.
- Certificates from the supervisor (and co-supervisor), the head of department and in some places the dean, in the exact wording your university gives.
- Coursework completion proof, your RAC progress reports, and the pre-submission seminar minutes with the corrections certified.
- If your university wants proof of papers, keep the papers, acceptance letters and indexing screenshots ready.
- No-dues certificate from the library, hostel, department and the accounts section.
- Receipts for the thesis submission fee and the evaluation fee.
- An abstract or synopsis for the examiners, in case it is separate from the thesis.
Our thesis submission checklist has the same list in a form you can tick off. Take a print and carry it to the research section.
The similarity check
Under clause 11(3), the 2022 regulations require universities to use plagiarism detection software. The limits and the penalty levels come from somewhere else, that is the UGC’s 2018 academic integrity regulations and your university’s own policy. Our plagiarism limits guide has them university-wise. For what the numbers mean, see our guide to reading a Turnitin report. Do your own check much before submission. Then the university’s result will not come as a surprise for you.
Format
Many times the thesis is returned at the counter itself because of format problems. The margins may be wrong, or a certificate or the page numbers may be missing. In some cases the title is one word different from the registered title. Go through the university template line by line. Compare the title page with your registration letter also. If formatting is eating time you don’t have, thesis formatting support is there for exactly this stage.
How are PhD thesis examiners chosen?
How many externals? Clause 11(5) of the 2022 regulations asks for two at the minimum. They have to be experts in the field with a good publication record, and they should not be employed by your institution. Where possible, one of them should be from outside India. Your supervisor evaluates the thesis as well.
In most universities your guide gives a panel of names around the time of submission. Mostly the panel has six to ten people, with their contact details and a line about each one’s expertise. From this panel the vice-chancellor or a nominated authority selects the examiners confidentially. You will not know their names till the viva. In some universities the second external’s name is not told to you even then.
Three things nobody tells scholars on submission day.
- You should not contact possible examiners about your thesis while evaluation is going on. This can be taken as misconduct.
- Examiners decline. Sometimes an examiner refuses, or does not reply at all. Then the university appoints another one from the panel, and each refusal adds weeks.
- Foreign examiners can be slower. Hard copy by courier is slow, and their payment or email gets held up. But nowadays many universities send them soft copies.
What can the examiners’ reports say?
Every examiner reads the thesis and returns a report on the university’s form along with a recommendation. The exact wording is different in each university. Most forms have something close to the four options given below.
| Examiner’s recommendation | What it usually means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Accept as it is | No changes needed | Goes to viva once the other report also comes in |
| Accept with minor corrections | Small changes only, mostly typing errors, some clarifications or a few references | Corrections are done before or after the viva, as your university decides. The viva goes ahead |
| Revise and resubmit | Big changes, like missing analysis, weak chapters or a contribution that is not clear | You revise within a fixed period, many times with a fee. Usually the thesis goes back to the same examiner |
| Reject | The examiner feels the thesis is not of PhD standard | As per clause 11(6), the thesis is sent to an alternate examiner. Viva happens only if that examiner recommends acceptance |
On one point the regulations leave no doubt. Under clause 11(6) there is no viva till both externals say accept, after doing their corrections. Suppose one says reject. Then the thesis goes to an alternate examiner from the approved panel. And if that examiner also does not recommend acceptance, the thesis is rejected and the scholar is declared ineligible for the award.
Will you get to see the reports before your viva? It depends on the university. Many universities share them, sometimes after removing the examiner’s name, so that you can do the corrections and prepare your answers. If your university shares them, sit with your supervisor and discuss about each point. After that write a short reply for every point.
What happens at the viva and after it?
On the viva board there will be your supervisor and one or both of the external examiners. The viva can be held online also. It is open, so members of the RAC, faculty, research scholars and students can attend (clause 11(5)). For how the viva runs and which questions examiners mostly ask, see our guide to common PhD viva questions.
Once the viva goes well, these steps follow.
- Final corrections. If the board has asked for any changes, you do them and only then the final copy goes in. Usually this is a PDF, and in some places bound copies also.
- Deposit. Under clause 17, the university has to send an electronic copy to INFLIBNET for Shodhganga, and this must happen before the award is announced. What you need to prepare for it is given in our Shodhganga guide.
- Notification. The award is approved by the syndicate, academic council or a similar body of the university. After that a notification comes out.
- Provisional certificate and convocation. Soon after the notification, most universities give a provisional certificate. You get the degree certificate at the next convocation, or by post if you have applied in absentia.
How long does PhD thesis evaluation take?
Clause 11(7) gives six months from submission till the viva result. Take this as the maximum limit, and don’t expect it as the normal time. A few universities complete evaluation in three or four months, and others regularly cross six months. Mostly the delay comes from an examiner who is slow, or one who declines so that a new examiner has to be found.
Some things you can do to keep the file moving.
- Find out the real turnaround for theses from your department in the last one or two years. Research section has the dates. Ask them how long the last few theses took, that is better than what seniors guess.
- Make sure the panel is strong. Put active people from your area who will reply to mail. Names are finalised by your supervisor only, still you can give him two three authors you cited a lot.
- Follow up politely when your department’s usual time has crossed, through your supervisor or research section only. Don’t chase the examiners yourself.
- Use the waiting time. Get your viva talk ready, write up the pending papers, and apply for postdoc positions or jobs. Many of them accept “thesis submitted” status.
Want a specialist to help with this in your own work? Thesis Formatting to University Guidelines: a free first consultation, then a written scope and fixed quote.
Sources
FAQ
Questions scholars ask
Can I find out who my external examiners are?
No, not while evaluation is on. At almost every university the examiner appointments are kept confidential. You will meet at least one external examiner at the viva. If you try to find out the names, or contact people on the panel, it can be treated as misconduct.
What if an examiner asks for major revisions?
Then you revise the thesis within the time your university allows and submit it again. Mostly your supervisor helps, and sometimes there is a fee. Generally the revised thesis goes back to the same examiner. Attach a small note replying to every point of the examiner, like for journal revision.
Can I get a job or postdoc before the degree is awarded?
Yes, mostly. Many employers and postdoctoral programmes take a “thesis submitted” or “viva completed” letter from the university, and the degree comes later. You can request the research section for a letter which states your status and the date of submission.
Is it normal for evaluation to take longer than six months?
Yes, in many places it goes past six months even though the regulations fix that limit. Usually the reason is an examiner who is slow or who had to be replaced. When the period is over, ask your supervisor to take it up with the research section.
Can I change the thesis after submission?
Not by yourself. Changes are allowed only in response to the examiner reports or the viva board, and only in the way your university’s procedure permits.
