Understand viva outcomes

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award and no further corrections are required. You will need to submit your final eThesis to the University within one month of the viva date.

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award of the degree but is found to contain minor editorial and presentational errors (trivial errors, typographical errors, simple mistakes of fact, minor clarifications to figures and diagrams, the insertion of headings or signposting for the sake of clarity or minor changes to referencing which do not change the substance of the work). Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within four weeks from the viva.

For PGRs submitting their thesis before 1 September 2026
Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within four weeks from the viva.

For PGRs submitting their thesis from 1 September 2026

Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within six weeks from the viva.

From 1 September 2026 this recommendation will be renamed ‘Pass (subject to the correction of minor amendments).

Where your thesis satisfies the requirements for the award of the degree but is found to contain minor deficiencies (rewriting of sections for clarity, correcting calculations, clarifying or expanding arguments, additional reference to the literature which requires amending an argument or explanation, textual rewrites or multiple minor changes if they do not alter the core arguments of the thesis, small amounts of additional data collection or experimentation and further analysis of existing data).

For PGRs submitting their thesis before 1 September 2026

Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within 12 weeks from the viva.

For PGRs submitting their thesis from 01 September 2026

Your corrections must be completed and returned to your internal examiner for approval within six months from the viva.

If your thesis is considered to be close to the required standard for the award, but does not yet fully meet the criteria, the examiners may decide to refer it for resubmission.

A recommendation for referral for resubmission can be made if the examiners’ assessment from the thesis and the oral examination is that:

• The thesis does not currently meet the required standard for the award.
• Substantial work is needed to achieve that standard
• There is evidence of potential for a successful submission (eg for Doctoral theses: originality, independence, scope and significance of research).
• The PGR is capable of completing the work needed.

A referral may also be made if, during your viva (or any additional tests the examiners request), you are not able to fully demonstrate that the degree should be awarded at this stage.

If you are referred, you will be asked to revise your thesis and complete any further work the examiners specify. This may include additional research or other activities. You will then resubmit your thesis for re-examination.

PGRs are normally referred for resubmission for the same degree they originally submitted for (for example, a Doctor of Medicine resubmitted for the Doctor of Medicine). However, candidates who submitted for a PhD may instead be referred for resubmission for the degree of MPhil.

After you resubmit your thesis for re-examination, the examiners will determine whether a second viva is needed. Examiners cannot recommend a lower award or a fail without holding a second viva.

Following re-examination, the examiners may recommend one of the following outcomes:

• pass
• pass with editorial and presentational corrections
• pass with minor deficiencies
• fail.

For PhD candidates, the examiners may also recommend the award of an MPhil, with or without corrections. A second referral is not permitted.

See Resubmit your research degree after a referral.

If the examiners recommend that your thesis be failed there is no further opportunity to revise and resubmit the work.

For candidates submitting for PhD only, the examiners may recommend the award of MPhil (with or without minor corrections) in cases where the thesis fails to achieve the standard for the award of a PhD but does satisfy the criteria for the award of the degree of MPhil.