We endeavour to process received forms within the timelines established below. Please note that processing times will vary depending on the time of year. During peak periods, forms may take longer to process but the below target timelines are our offices best practices. If you have not received confirmation of processing in the time outlined below, please feel free to reach out to our office at grad-office@unbc.ca. In order to manage workload and streamline communication from our office, we ask that you wait the allotted time before making inquiries.

When a form is submitted to the office, we perform the necessary student record audit and then it goes to the Dean's office for review and signing. Processing time is impacted both by workload in our office and the time it may take the Deans to review the form. Once returned to us, we finalize processing to the student record and send communication.

We do not return copies of signed forms. Instead, you will receive a confirmation of approval/processing email from us. Please retain all copies of forms you submit to our office.

In general, you can expect to receive confirmation of processing to your record for these forms within 2-3 weeks of submission:

• Program approval and revision
• Supervisory committee approval and revision
• Progress reports
• Time extensions
• Leaves
• Withdrawals
• Program transfers

Request to Schedule a Defence

The deadline to request a defence is set early to allow the necessary work to be done. You will not immediately hear back with confirmation of the defence. It can take 2-3 weeks to process (completing the graduation check, confirming the Chair, contacting the external etc.).

Western Deans and CUGTA Requests

Western Deans and CUGTA request forms must be received by our office no later than 7 weeks prior to the start of the course. We will confirm that the form has been submitted to the host institution 6 weeks prior to the start of class but the processing times at host institutions vary greatly. You may not hear back that your enrolment in the requested course has been confirmed for some time. It is not unusual for this confirmation to be received close to the start of coursework.