All doctoral candidates need to re-enrol for study in each calendar year, (the thesis only calendar year is 1 January to 31 December). Re-enrolment in a calendar year needs to be completed by close of business (usually the 22nd of December) of the previous year in order to avoid incurring a late fee.
Re-enrolment Process
Questions about re-enrolling? We have put together a detailed guide (see below) to help candidates through the process.
All doctoral candidates need to re-enrol for study in each calendar year, (the thesis only calendar year is 1 January to 31 December). Re-enrolment in a calendar year needs to be completed by close of business (usually the 22nd of December) of the previous year in order to avoid incurring a late fee.
If candidates have any queries regarding the information below, they should contact the friendly staff at phd@otago.ac.nz or via AskOtago.
Re-enrolment for the next calendar year will usually open in August of the current year via the e:Vision system. Candidates will need their student username and password.
Candidates will be presented with the full year version of the paper they were enrolled in for the previous year for them to confirm, so in most cases they should not need to email phd@otago.ac.nz to find their paper code.
Candidates should read the instructions carefully. Note: If they hold a scholarship it is particularly important for them to complete enrolment and declaration before the last day the University is open in December, otherwise this may disrupt their scholarship payments.
Candidates should receive an eVision portal alert advising them that course enrolment is now available. Then they should:
- Log in to eVision
- Complete information required for the next year (an example is given below).
- Select Complete this step on the Paper selection row.
- Select View papers.
- The paper selection page should display with the full year version of the paper they were last enrolled in for the previous year. The page should also display any approved deferrals they hold.
Note: If their deferral time span means that a staff member will need to make an assessment about which periods to enrol them in, or they were not enrolled in the previous year, no paper will display. In this instance candidates should contact phd@otago.ac.nz as per the instructions on this page. - Select yellow Continue button.
- If a Distance learning candidate, a page will display with distance questions. These are not strictly relevant for thesis candidates, as they do not have an examination centre in the same way as undergraduate students. Candidates should only complete the mandatory question indicating if they are willing to share their details with other students. Sharing of contact details is helpful to allow the Distance representative on the Graduate Research Student Liaison Committee to seek feedback periodically from distance candidates.
- Candidates should also complete the Programme specific questions, indicating if they are a finalist.
- Candidates should select Submit at the bottom of the page (note that if they select Save and Exit staff won't be able to course approve them for the year).
- If candidates have any problems with the re-enrolment process in eVision, they should contact AskOtago and one of their team will be able to assist them through the process.
After this process, staff will course approve their Doctoral programme and they will then receive an eVision alert about completing the declaration. Note the declaration must be completed by the due date to complete enrolment to avoid incurring a late declaration fee.
Fees
Tuition fees and the Student Services Fee are charged for each calendar year at the start of that year, or for second semester enrolments at the start of second semester. Dates by which payments are required are available elsewhere on this website. Please realise that payment due dates apply to all candidates who will be enrolled for part of the relevant enrolment period, including those who are deferred for part of the period – if in doubt about yourthe correct payment amount, candidates should please contact the Revenue Management Office in plenty of time to sort this out in order to avoid later payment charges.
Candidates on a University of Otago scholarship should be aware that sundry fees are not usually covered by the scholarship, and that these and other costs (such as insurance for international students) must be paid by the candidate.
International Students
International candidates need to complete the Insurance and Visa requirements for study to be able to access their declaration and complete the re-enrolment process.
Scholarship Recipients
If a candidate is a scholarship recipient, they need to have re-enrolled and be course approved by the last working day (usually around the 22nd of December) to ensure that their stipend payment for January can be made. If they have any specific questions about their scholarship they should email scholarships@otago.ac.nz.
First Semester Only Re-enrolment
Candidates should enrol in the first semester only if they intend to submit their thesis for examination prior to 30 June. If they choose to enrol in the first semester they will not be able to re-enrol via eVision for study in the second semester. If they need to enrol for study in the second semester once they are course approved for the year, they need to email phd@otago.ac.nz with this request. This change needs to be completed prior to 15 June.
Deferring Doctoral Study
If you have a deferral, or are planning to defer for some part of a calendar year, you will still need to complete re-enrolment before 22 December. This also applies if you only need a second semester enrolment. An approved deferral from 1 January to 31 December on your record means you do not need to re-enrol for study in the re-enrolment year.
A period of deferral does not count as progress on your thesis – for University purposes it effectively 'stops the clock' on enrolment and thesis submission deadlines will be adjusted accordingly. Students receiving or eligible for StudyLink entitlements, including student loans, should be aware that these may be affected by deferral.
Submission
The candidate must email phd@otago.ac.nz mid-month of the month they intend to submit for examination to seek approval and instructions to submit. We will check the candidate’s record and advise of anything needed to meet the requirements for submission or issue approval. This approval will include a deadline (date and time) by which they must submit for that month. They can submit anytime after approval is given and before the deadline. Note that approval is only given for the month concerned and if the deadline is missed they must follow the above process for the month they then wish to submit.
Candidates who wish to have a December submission, including those who wish to submit on the first working day back in January by 12 noon, must email phd@otago.ac.nz in the first week of December to request approval and instructions to submit. This approval will include the deadline for a December submission in that year. If a candidate feels it is possible that they will not make this date, then they should complete the 3-step re-enrolment process prior to the last working day in December.
Additional Papers during Doctoral Study
In exceptional circumstances, additional papers may be taken concurrently with doctoral thesis study. These must be approved by the Graduate Research Committee, via request on the Change of Research Details form submitted for approval no earlier than 1 December for a paper in Semester 1 the following year, and no earlier than 1 June for a paper in Semester 2 of the current year. If approved, Student Administration will contact you confirming approval and with instructions to enrol in the paper. Questions about the process can be emailed to phd@otago.ac.nz