After you submit a PhD thesis in India, the university checks it for plagiarism, sends it to at least two external examiners, collects their reports, holds an open viva voce if both externals recommend acceptance, and then deposits the final thesis with INFLIBNET and notifies the award. Under clause 11(7) of the UGC PhD Regulations, 2022, the whole evaluation, including the viva result, should be completed within six months of submission.
This guide walks through each stage, what documents you need at submission, how examiners are chosen, what the reports can say, and what to do while you wait. Detailed procedures differ between universities, so use this as a map and check the specifics against your university’s ordinance and research section. Last reviewed September 2026.
What are the stages from PhD thesis submission to award?
The sequence below follows the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations, 2022, clauses 11 and 17, with the practical steps most universities add.
Pre-submission seminar
Present the complete work to your Research Advisory Committee in an open seminar, then make the corrections it records.
Similarity check and certificates
The university checks the thesis with plagiarism software; you sign a no-plagiarism undertaking and your supervisor certifies originality.
Submission
You submit the printed and soft copies with the forms, fees and proofs your university asks for.
Examiners appointed
The university picks at least two external examiners from a panel, usually proposed by your supervisor, and sends them the thesis.
Evaluation reports
Each examiner reads the thesis and sends a report recommending acceptance, corrections, revision or rejection.
Viva voce
If both externals recommend acceptance, an open viva is held before your supervisor and at least one external examiner.
Final copy, deposit and award
You submit the corrected thesis, the university deposits it with INFLIBNET, and the degree is notified.
The first stage, the pre-submission seminar, has its own guide: the PhD pre-submission seminar. This page picks up from the point where the committee has recommended submission.
What documents are needed to submit a PhD thesis?
Collect these a month before you plan to submit. Research sections rarely accept an incomplete file, and one missing certificate can cost a week.
- The required number of bound copies (often three to five) and soft copies (PDF on CD, pen drive or uploaded to a portal), in your university’s format.
- Your signed undertaking that the thesis contains no plagiarism, and your supervisor’s certificate of originality, as required by clause 11(4) of the UGC 2022 regulations.
- The similarity report from the university’s own check, signed by the supervisor or the library.
- Certificates from the supervisor (and co-supervisor), the head of department and sometimes the dean, in the wording your university prescribes.
- Proof of coursework completion, RAC progress reports and the minutes of the pre-submission seminar with corrections certified.
- Publication proof if your university requires it: the papers, acceptance letters and indexing screenshots.
- A no-dues certificate from the library, hostel, department and accounts section.
- The thesis submission fee and evaluation fee receipts.
- An abstract or synopsis for the examiners, if separate from the thesis.
The similarity check
The 2022 regulations require universities to use plagiarism detection software (clause 11(3)). The limits and penalty levels come from the UGC’s 2018 academic integrity regulations and your university’s policy; our plagiarism limits guide sets them out and our guide to reading a Turnitin report explains what the numbers mean. Run your own check well before submission so you already know what the university’s check will show.
Format
Many theses are returned at the counter for format problems: wrong margins, missing certificates, page numbering, or a title that differs from the registered one by a word. Check the university template line by line, and compare the title page with your registration letter. If formatting is taking time you do not have, thesis formatting support exists for exactly this stage.
How are PhD thesis examiners chosen?
Clause 11(5) of the 2022 regulations requires at least two external examiners who are experts in the field, are not employed by your institution, and have a good record of publications. Wherever possible, one should be from outside India. Your supervisor also evaluates the thesis.
At most universities the supervisor proposes a panel of names, often six to ten, with contact details and a note on each person’s expertise, around the time of submission. The vice-chancellor or a nominated authority then picks the examiners from the panel, confidentially. You are not told who they are until the viva, and at some universities not even then for the second external.
A few things are worth knowing:
- You should not contact possible examiners about your thesis during evaluation. It can be treated as misconduct.
- Examiners decline. If an examiner refuses or does not respond, the university appoints another from the panel. Each refusal adds weeks.
- Foreign examiners can be slower because of courier, payment and communication delays, though many universities now send soft copies.
What can the examiners’ reports say?
Each examiner reads the thesis and returns a report with a recommendation on the university’s form. The wording varies, but most forms offer something like the four options below.
| Examiner’s recommendation | What it usually means | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Accept as it is | No changes needed | Proceeds to viva once the other report is in |
| Accept with minor corrections | Small changes, often typographical, clarifications or a few references | Corrections made before or after the viva, as your university decides; viva proceeds |
| Revise and resubmit | Substantial changes: missing analysis, weak chapters, unclear contribution | You revise within a set period, often with a fee; the thesis usually goes back to the same examiner |
| Reject | The examiner finds the thesis not of PhD standard | Under clause 11(6), the thesis goes to an alternate examiner; viva only if that examiner recommends acceptance |
The regulations are clear on one point: under clause 11(6), the viva is held only if both external examiners recommend acceptance, after any corrections they suggest. If one recommends rejection, the thesis goes to an alternate examiner from the approved panel. If that examiner also does not recommend acceptance, the thesis is rejected and the scholar is declared ineligible for the award.
Whether you see the reports before the viva depends on your university. Many share them, sometimes with the examiner’s name removed, so that you can make corrections and prepare answers. If yours does, read them with your supervisor and prepare a short written response to each point.
What happens at the viva and after it?
The viva board is made up of your supervisor plus one or both of the external examiners. It may be held online and it is open to members of the RAC, faculty, research scholars and students (clause 11(5)). How it runs, and the questions examiners ask most often, are covered in our guide to common PhD viva questions.
After a successful viva:
- Final corrections. Make any changes the board asks for and submit the final copy, usually as a PDF and sometimes bound copies too.
- Deposit. Clause 17 makes the university send INFLIBNET an electronic copy for Shodhganga, and it must do so before the award is announced. Our Shodhganga guide explains what you need to prepare for this.
- Notification. The university’s syndicate, academic council or equivalent approves the award, and a notification is issued.
- Provisional certificate and convocation. Most universities issue a provisional certificate soon after notification. The degree certificate follows at the next convocation, or by post if you apply in absentia.
How long does PhD thesis evaluation take?
The regulation says six months from submission to the viva result (clause 11(7)). Treat that as the upper limit, not the expected time. Some universities complete evaluation in three or four months; others regularly take longer than six, usually because an examiner is slow or declines and a replacement must be found.
What you can do to keep it moving:
- Find out the real turnaround for theses from your department over the last year or two; the research section keeps the dates. That is the most reliable estimate available.
- Make sure the panel is strong: examiners who are genuinely expert in your area, active, and likely to respond. Your supervisor chooses, but you can suggest names from the papers you cite most.
- Follow up politely through your supervisor or the research section once the expected period has passed. You should not chase examiners yourself.
- Use the waiting time. Prepare the viva presentation, write up remaining papers, and apply for postdoctoral positions or jobs; many accept “thesis submitted” status.
Sources
FAQ
Questions scholars ask
Can I find out who my external examiners are?
Not during evaluation. Examiner appointments are confidential at almost every university. You will meet at least one external at the viva. Trying to find out, or contacting people on the panel, can be treated as misconduct.
What if an examiner asks for major revisions?
You revise the thesis within the period your university allows, usually with your supervisor’s help and sometimes a fee, and resubmit. The revised thesis generally goes back to the same examiner. Answer every point in a short covering note, as you would for a journal.
Can I get a job or postdoc before the degree is awarded?
Many employers and postdoctoral programmes accept a “thesis submitted” or “viva completed” letter from the university, with the degree to follow. Ask the research section for a letter stating your status and the date of submission.
Is it normal for evaluation to take longer than six months?
It happens, even though the regulations set six months as the limit. The usual cause is a slow or replaced examiner. Ask your supervisor to raise it with the research section once the period passes.
Can I change the thesis after submission?
Not on your own. Changes are made only in response to examiner reports or the viva board, and only in the way your university’s procedure allows.
