All graduating doctoral students, including MD/PhDs returning to the MD Phase, should follow this checklist to ensure that all requirements are completed prior to departing from the program. Failure to complete the steps detailed below will result in a delay of your degree conferral. Prior to departure, please sign and return the WCGS PhD Student Exit Checklist form via email to Denise Jenkins, WCGS Coordinator at djenkins@med.cornell.edu or in-person to A-131.
Approximately two months before your expected thesis defense, you should collaborate with your committee to set a date for your defense. Once you and your committee members have agreed on a date, please notify the coordinator of your program, who will then provide you with instructions on how to process the necessary forms in Slate.
All international students must meet with the Senior Coordinator for Student Success at least 90 days prior to their scheduled defense date.
Approximately one month before your defense, begin collecting your committee members’ signatures for the Approval of Thesis for Defense form, which must be submitted to Denise Jenkins a minimum of two weeks before the defense.
The Major Sponsor must communicate to the student and to the Manager of Grants & Finance the date on which stipend funding will terminate. All students must terminate within 60 DAYS of the defense date. Once you submit the Application for Final Examination Form for the PhD Degree the Finance and Grants Administrator Dikaury Hernandez-Guner will contact you, your PI, Department administrator, regarding your termination and will confirm your termination date with you. Your termination date is the last day that you are officially a graduate student.
Institutional Grants Appointment Clearance: Students on T32 training grants or individual fellowships must contact the Grants Administrator Dikaury Hernandez-Guner at least ONE MONTH before the termination date. Follow the termination guidelines of the specific funding agency: a Termination Notice must be filed through NIH eRA commons for NIH awardees; science and financial reports are required for most fellowships.
Any outstanding balances to the Graduate School, WCMC, or MSKCC Housing must be paid.
Weill Cornell Medicine charges and invoices students by each term in their program. Billing notifications from WCM will always come from the Student Accounting Office (student-accounting@med.cornell.edu) via email to the student’s Weill Cornell Medicine issued email address. Billing invoices are issued as needed starting one month before the payment due date. It is each student’s responsibility to make payment arrangements to cover tuition and fees for each term by the payment due date provided. If you have debts, you will receive bills from Student Accounting. Personnel in Student Accounting, 1300 York Ave, Room C-114 (del2015@med.cornell.edu) can affirm if your debts have been cleared.
Student health insurance coverage will end on the last day of the month in which your stipend terminates. If you are enrolled in the Student Health Plan (SHP), you will need to make arrangement for coverage after your termination date. Graduating students are eligible to extend SHP health insurance coverage for up to three (3) additional months at an out-of-pocket cost. Please note: if your stipend termination date changes after you submit your PhD Exit Checklist, your insurance coverage will still end on the last day of the month of your original stipend termination date. For complete details, please refer to the Student Accounting Graduating PhD FAQ page. If you are enrolled in WCM’s dental and/or vision insurance plans, your plan with terminate on 6/30.
Your stipend termination date marks your deadline for vacating housing. After this date, your rent can no longer be deducted from payroll, and you must move out of your apartment. Please make sure to email the Housing Office (housing@med.cornell.edu) of your vacate date at least TWO WEEKS prior to moving out.
Please understand that any health, dental, and/or vision insurance coverage will end on the last day of the month of your stipend termination date. If you are enrolled in the SHP Health Insurance Plan, Dental Plan and/or Vision Plan you will need to make arrangements for coverage. Graduating students are eligible to extend their health insurance coverage for 3 months for an out-of-pocket cost. Please see the Student Accounting Graduating PhD FAQ page for complete details.
The SED survey results are used by the government to make decisions about graduate education funding, developing and supporting programs. Register for the survey online here. Upon registering, you will receive an email with your PIN and password as well as a link to the survey. Once the survey has been completed, an email confirmation will be sent to you and the Registrar's Office.
You will be instructed by the Registrar’s Office to complete a Graduation Registration form in LEARN and provide an address for diploma shipping. All diplomas are sent via postal mail, first-class for domestic (US) mailing, and airmail for international mailings. Please allow 30 days from the mailing date to receive your diploma.
Instructions about cap and gown orders will be announced at a later date.
Submit the Alumni Information Form online. This form allows us to better understand where our alumni are going after they graduate and what they are working on. We want to ensure that you are updated on WCGS news, events, and professional opportunities.
If your phone, computer, tablet or any other electronic devices are tagged for use at WCMC, please make sure to bring them to the IT SmartDesk located in the WCMC Library to have them untagged. Also, return all additional library resources to the WCMC Library.
Submit a signed PhD Student Exit Checklist Form and SED confirmation to the Senior Coordinator for Student Success in person or via email.
The Office of the Registrar is charged with maintaining the permanent record of the student, including archived data and documents, and providing credentialing information, including licensing, verification of medical education, diplomas, and transcripts or dean’s letters.
For PhD students seeking confirmation of degree completion, click here. For more information, visit the Office of the Registrar website.