Upgrade guidance - for students
What is the upgrade?
- The upgrade is a review meeting to assess whether you have reached an appropriate standard of work and have in prospect an adequate project of research to justify the upgrade from MPhil to PhD.
- If you are considering submitting your thesis in a format other than a monograph, this should be confirmed at your upgrade review.
- It is important to remember that the upgrade from MPhil to PhD is not an automatic process. In the majority of cases, your panel will indicate that they are satisfied with your progress. In some cases, however, the panel may feel that the work presented does not meet the required standard for doctoral research. In such cases, the panel may permit you to have a second and final attempt.
- Please note that you must have successfully upgraded in order to be eligible to be entered for the PhD examination.
Upgrade deadlines
According to the Research Degree regulations section 6 paragraph 2, you must attempt your upgrade from MPhil to PhD within the following timelines:
If you started before August 2025:
|
|
First attempt at upgrade
|
Second attempt at upgrade (if required)
|
| Full-time |
Within 20 months of study |
Within 24 months of study
|
| Part-time |
Within 40 months of study |
Within 48 months of study
|
If you started after August 2025:
|
|
First attempt at upgrade
|
Second attempt at upgrade (if required)
|
| Full-time |
Within 18 months of study |
Within 24 months of study
|
| Part-time |
Within 36 months of study |
Within 48 months of study
|
Please note the following exception:
- ISG CDT: you must have your first attempt at upgrade within 26 months of study and, if necessary, your second attempt within 30 months.
- NERC transfer-in students: you must complete your upgrade within 18 months from the start of your studies.
The following information should be read in conjunction with the Upgrade guidance - for students and your department's checklist below.
Upgrade process overview
- Ensure that you have reached an appropriate standard of work, made sufficient progress, and have in prospect an adequate project of original research
- Ensure that you are able to complete your project within your regulatory submission deadline
- Ensure that you have completed the requisite research training since the beginning of your studies
- The format of your thesis should be confirmed at upgrade - Research Degree regulations section 14 paragraph 12 table 1 for more information.
- Refer to the regulatory deadlines above to know when you should complete your upgade by.
- In some instances, you and your supervisor / department will feel that you can attempt upgrade before the regulatory deadline. If this is the case:
- Your first attempt cannot take place before 12 months from the start of your studies
and
- it should take place at least 3 months after your first annual review meeting.
Reminders
- The Doctoral School will send you and your supervisory team a reminder within 2 months from your regulatory deadline
- If your first upgrade attempt is unsatisfactory, the Doctoral School will confirm your second and final deadline to attempt upgrade alongside the outcome of your upgrade. We will send you and your supervisory team another reminder within two months from the final deadline.
Organising the meeting
- Once you receive your upgrade deadline reminder, reach out to your supervisor to start organising the upgrade
- If you are due to have an upgrade attempt in the time between annual reviews, you are also expected to have a separate annual review meeting as their objectives are different:
- The objectives of an annual review meeting are to make sure that you have made enough progress and completed enough research training since your last review as well as making sure that you are in track to complete by your submission deadline.
- The objective of the upgrade review is to formally show that your work is of PhD standard.
- For ease, both meetings can be combined into one if they are due to happen at similar ponts in the year, but you will need to complete two separate forms to allow your panel to confirm that the objectives of both reviews have been achieved.
- It must consit of at least 3 members of Royal Holloway staff - one panel member must be a member of your supervisory team and at least one must be completely independent from the team
- The chair of the panel cannot be a member of the supervisory team
You will submit the following documents to your panel (copying in the Doctoral School) at least 2 weeks in advance of the meeting:
If you have any points or concerns that you would like to raise with the panel confidentially prior to the meeting, please get in touch with the chair of the panel.
As part of the upgrade process, you will need to be able to confirm that you have discussed the ethical implications of your research with your supervisor.
Find out more about the University’s ethical approval process
- If you have a disability, specific learning difficulty or impairment and wish to ask for reasonable adjustments to be made to the conduct of the upgrade meeting, you may find it beneficial to speak to the University's Disability and Neurodiversity Services team for further guidance and support with requesting special arrangements. Examples of reasonable adjustments you might found beneficial can be found here.
- Once the arrangements are in place, we will notify your upgrade panel so that the arrangements can be facilitated.
- You need to be registered with D&N to have access arrangements put in place for your upgrade
- If you want the upgrade panel to be made aware of extenuating circumstances that have affected your study, you should submit your statement and supporting evidence to the panel chair alongside the upgrade documentation
- In the case of circumstances relating only to your performance at the upgrade meeting, you should inform the panel members and submit a statement and supporting evidence within seven days of the meeting to the Doctoral School.
- If you are unable to attempt the upgrade within the University deadlines set out above due to extenuating circumstances, please discuss this with your supervisor. If an extension is deemed appropriate, you will need to provide evidence of extenuating circumstances to your supervisor who will submit a suspension of regulations on your behalf
- These are the possible outcomes that the upgrade panel can choose from:
- Upgraded;
- Unsuccessful 1st attempt at upgrade;
- MPhil only.
- If you receive an outcome of 'Unsuccessful 1st attempt at upgrade', you will normally be permitted a second and final attempt to upgrade.
- If you receive an outcome of 'MPhil only', your programme on your student record will be changed to MPhil and your submission deadline amended accordingly. You will be expected to submit your thesis withing 3 years fo full-time study from the start of your studies (6 years of part-time study).
- This might have funding/visa implications - do get in touch with the Doctoral School if you have any queries
- The chair of the upgrade panel will return the completed paperwork (indicating the outcome and agreed goals for the next year) within 2 weeks from the upgrade meeting
- Once we receive the completed paperwork, we will confirm the outcome to you, your supervisor and the upgrade panel
- If you are not happy with the outcome of your upgrade attempt, you might be able to appeal. Remember you cannot appeal against academic judgement, but there might be other grounds you can appeal on. More information on the Appeals process can be found here.
- You’re only able to appeal the outcome once the Doctoral School has officially confirmed this to you. You have 15 working days from the day we confirm this to you to submit your appeal.
- MPhil only – the Doctoral School must process the outcome on your record and confirm your updated deadline to you before you can appeal this. Rest assured that if the outcome of your appeal is upheld, we will revert the changes back accordingly.
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