PhD student needing urgent advice!

[SpeedyGonzalez]

Just trying to help my lovely brother. Today is the final deadline for the end of his PhD but he needs two more weeks. Can anyone advise him - is it possible that they'd turn him down? Do you know of people who've gone over the alloted period? What usually happens? He has very supportive admin staff but the decision isn't up to them.

TIA

depends what you mean by the 'final deadline'.

he should have access to a copy o the handbook which will state the procedure at various stages.
Can't really comment without more info.

It depends on the subject, the funding and exactly what you mean by 'deadline'. Almost everyone I know went over the official deadline - but you have to discuss it with your supervisor first - not just fail to turn it in. After that, there will be an immovable deadline.

So it's impossible to tell from the little information you have given. But he must talk to his supervisor.

If it is the end of 4 year deadline (for a full-time studentship), some universities refuse to accept theses submitted after this deadline (without a prior agreed extension). He needs to get onto his departments student support team and his supervisor asap and find out what they can do for him.

Other universities will still accept the thesis, but depending on how the PhD has been funded, the supervisor may get penalised by the funding body.

If the deadline is more of an abritary deadline agreed between his supervisor and himself, it should be possible to move it.

As I say,he needs to get onto his department's student support team and his supervisor asap in order to establish what can be done. As he thinks there is only 2 weeks of work to be done in order to finish it, though, I would guess he is simply just crossing t's and dotting i's (anything more involved will inevitably take longer). If that is the case, it may be better to submit knowing that there are still errors and be prepared to correct them after the viva. Not ideal, but cosmetic changes will not make or break a thesis (although may invite a harder viva).

Thanks for trying to help, all. I really don't know any more than I've said, however I think he's managing to sort himself out and at least has a supportive department. Think we'll be drinking lots of celebratory champagne over Xmas!