Exemption and Allowance of terms

Exemption of Terms of Research

Under University regulations, students must complete the minimum number of terms of research relevant for the degree for which they are registered and their mode of study (full-time or part-time).

In limited circumstances, students can apply for an exemption of one or more terms which, if approved, would mean that they could submit their thesis prior to the end of their minimum term of study. The maximum number of terms of research a student may be exempt from is three full-time terms or five part-time terms. This option is not currently available to students on the following programmes: BusD., EngD., MD.

Applications can be made in the following circumstances:

  1. Doctoral students transferring to the University with their supervisor if they have completed at least one term of relevant research for the same or equivalent degree.
  2. PhD (Doctor of Philosophy), EdD (Doctor of Education), MSc (Master of Science), or MLitt (Master of Letters) students who have undertaken relevant postgraduate level research (study or work) at any institution or organisation, provided all of the following conditions are met*:
    1. the prior research is of clear relevance to the student’s research project; and
    2. the prior research will be incorporated into the thesis with its status clearly acknowledged and sufficient additional work at an appropriate level will be included to meet the requirements for award of the degree; and
    3. the terms of exemption requested are proportionate to the contribution the earlier research makes to the current degree; and
    4. the student is able to articulate how their prior research has:
      1. developed specific skills and/or satisfied training needs relevant to the programme of study;
      2. equipped the student with sufficient foundational knowledge to complete a research degree in fewer than expected terms.
  3. Students registered for an MPhil or MRes degree and successfully apply for a change of course to a higher (doctoral) degree can in that application request that the terms already kept be exempted from the requirements of the higher degree. 
  4. Exceptionally on account of illness or other grave cause, limited as follows:
    1. one or two terms of research to a candidate for the Ph.D. Degree who would otherwise be required to complete nine terms of research;
    2. up to three terms of research to a candidate for the Ph.D. Degree who would otherwise be required to complete twelve or fifteen terms of research;
    3. one term of research to a candidate for a degree who would otherwise be required to complete three terms of research;
    4. one or two terms of research to a candidate for a degree who would otherwise be required to complete six or ten or twelve or fifteen terms of research.

*Students are expected to plan a programme of research of an appropriate depth and duration to meet the requirements of the degree that they are registered for. Many students will have conducted research for a prior Master's degree that may be of relevance to their current research project in terms of content or preparatory training. However, research that has already been submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at any university or similar institution cannot be considered again for award of a further qualification. Therefore, completing a previous course of postgraduate study is not normally sufficient grounds for an exemption of terms of research. Exemption will only be considered in exceptional cases, for example where a student conducted relevant research while employed as a Research Assistant or started but did not complete a relevant postgraduate research programme at another institution. 

How to apply

If transferring from another institution with a supervisor taking up a post in the University of Cambridge (option 1 above), you should apply for exemption of terms during the process of applying for the PhD. In this case your prospective Department and the Postgraduate Admissions Office will process the request for exemption. If your application is approved, your End of Registration Date (submission deadline) will be brought forward by the number of terms you have been exempted from.

In all other cases, applications should be made at the time that the need for the exemption becomes apparent. Instructions on how to submit an application can be found on the the 'Applying for a change in your student status' page.  Except where a student is transferring to Cambridge with their supervisor, approval of an exemption of term(s) is considered provisional until the thesis is submitted. Applications will need to be considered at a meeting of the Postgraduate Committee so students should submit their applications well in advance. Students should not submit their thesis early until they have approval from the Postgraduate Committee.

Allowance of Terms of Residence

Full-time postgraduate students are expected to live and study in Cambridge for the duration of their degree, except for approved periods away from Cambridge (for the purposes of research, fieldwork or internship) or holiday.  

In restricted circumstances it is possible for a student to be granted an allowance of terms of residence.  This option is not currently available to students on the following programmes:  BusD, EdD, MD.

These circumstances are:

  1. Doctoral students transferring to the University with their supervisors where an agreed substantial period of research outside of Cambridge prevents the residence requirement from being met, may be granted an allowance of up to three terms of residence as part of the admissions process.
  2. MPhil by Thesis, MPhil by Advanced Study, and MRes students who are granted periods to work away which are integral to or necessary for their course but which would mean that students would not meet the residence requirement may be granted an allowance of up to one term of residence. This will be considered as part of the review of the application to work away.
  3. Students whose adjusted submission deadline following a period of intermission means that they would not meet the residence requirement may be granted an allowance of one term of residence as part of the review of the application to intermit. 
  4. Very exceptionally, the Postgraduate Committee will consider an allowance of up to three terms of residence on the grounds of illness or other grave cause where the Committee is of the view that neither intermission nor residing outside the University precincts is appropriate.   

Students who wish to apply for an allowance of terms of residence on the grounds of 4) above should provide details of the reason for their application here: student-registry-help.admin.cam.ac.uk. Allowances made on the grounds of 1-3 above will automatically be added to the student’s record.