Confirmation of Status
Purpose
The Confirmation of Status process allows the student to have an assessment of his/her work by two assessors, normally other than the supervisor(s), to give a clear indication of whether it would be reasonable to consider submission within the course of a further three terms, if work on the thesis continues to develop satisfactorily. 
However, successful confirmation of status should not be seen as being explicitly linked to the final outcome of the examination of the thesis
The Timing of Confirmation of Status
The University Examination Regulations state that all students should normally apply for and achieve confirmation of status within nine terms of their admission as a graduate student. The Law Faculty requires that students achieve confirmation of status no later than three terms after the Qualifying Test. However, we recognise that students in socio-legal studies normally spend a significant amount of time doing fieldwork, which means that it is not realistic for them to be ready for a Confirmation of Status assessment only a year after passing their QT. Therefore Centre students should be guided by the general regulation timeframe of taking their CoS within nine terms from their admission.
Applications for confirmation of status should be made using the form GSO.14 available from http://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/graduate/progression.
How to Apply
Supervisors are asked [in consultation with their student] to suggest names of appropriate assessors and their willingness to act, neither of whom will normally be the student’s supervisor.
The requirements of the Centre are different from those for other students in the Law Faculty. The Centre’s requirements are particularly suitable for students who have collected a substantial amount of empirical data. The materials to be submitted are as follows:
a) An overview of the thesis, of approximately 2,000 words, which summarizes each chapter and states how much of the thesis is complete and how much remains to be done, with an estimate of the probable date of completion.
b) A draft of two chapters of the thesis, one of which could be the introductory chapter.
The complete application for confirmation of status should be submitted to Geraldine Malloy, Graduate Studies Officer at the Law Faculty; email: geraldine.malloy@law.ox.ac.uk.
What Happens Next
Two assessors will be appointed (neither of whom will normally be the student’s supervisor) to read the confirmation assessment and interview the candidate. The assessors will normally be academic members of staff working in the University of Oxford; only in exceptional circumstances will an external assessor be appointed. It is permissible for the same assessor to be used for both transfer and confirmation of status, and this person may also act as the internal examiner for the D.Phil. viva voce examination.
Students should normally expect to be interviewed within six weeks of submitting their application, though this may be longer during the vacation periods due to availability of the assessors. The Confirmation assessment is a formal requirement, but the interview is not an official examination or viva, and sub fusc is not worn. The assessors will write a report and submit recommendations to the Graduate Studies Committee. Following their interview, students should normally expect to hear the outcome of their assessment with six weeks, though this may be longer during the vacation periods.
The joint assessors’ report will usually be one-two pages in length, providing a record of advice given to the student at this stage and indication of the student’s progress. It will normally include a summary of the points raised in the interview, feedback on the written work submitted prior to the interview, comments on the positive aspects of the student’s work, as well as any concerns about the student’s progress and suggestions for the research going forward.
For confirmation of status to be approved, the student will need to be able to show that the research already accomplished shows promise of the ability to produce a satisfactory thesis on the intended topic, the work submitted for assessment is of the standard expected of a D.Phil. thesis in the final exam, the bulk of any fieldwork has been completed and the analysis is well developed, and the research schedule is viable so that the thesis can be completed within three or at most four years from admission.
Students must also show that they are able to present and defend their work in English.
Outcomes of Transfer of Status
The assessors may recommend one of five outcomes, which must be considered and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee (excluding option (ii)).
(i) Successful confirmation – Accompanied by suggestions and advice for future progress.
(ii) Revision of application – The assessors may request further minor clarifications before making a first recommendation. In such cases it should be possible to complete the additional work within the term of assessment.
(iii) Referral for a second attempt at confirmation - This should normally involve the same assessors and take place within one term of the first attempt. If the first attempt is made in the final term permitted, a one-term extension is automatically granted to allow the second attempt. This extension does not affect the total amount of time permitted for registration on the D.Phil., however if the student has already been registered on the D.Phil. for twelve terms, the extension is counted as one of the potential nine terms of extension of time permitted under the general regulations. The assessors should provide clear guidance on what needs to be done to improve the application before the second attempt at confirmation is submitted. This may require additional written work or other evidence, and possibly the appointment of an additional assessor
Referral may simply represent attempts to ensure that the student’s work is enhanced and set on the best possible course, and should not necessarily be seen as a failure. However, a referral may be disappointing to a student and may take some time to come to terms with, especially if the assessors’ comments are highly critical. Most students who do then go on to successfully complete the D.Phil. see the comments in retrospect as helpful, having given them the opportunity and incentive to make substantial improvements to the thesis and to avoid the risk of a far more costly and time-consuming referral of the final thesis. .
(iv) Transfer to M.Litt. - Although the work presented was not suitable for confirmation of D.Phil. status, nonetheless, the assessor(s) felt it was still strong enough for the lower award which is a less demanding and shorter-timescale research degree. In cases where transfer to a lower award is approved, if the student is already in their ninth term or beyond, a formal extension of time will also be needed to allow the student to stay on the graduate register for the lower degree, otherwise their status will lapse, and they will have to subsequently apply for reinstatement to the graduate register
(v) Reject the application – The assessors cannot recommend confirmation of status, or transfer to the lower award. This exceptional outcome should only be used if the quality of the student’s work has regressed to below the standard previously achieved for transfer of status
At the first attempt at confirmation only options (i)-(iii) should normally be chosen. At the second attempt, options (i), (iv) or exceptionally (v) should be considered. The Graduate Studies Committee may also request additional work or other evidence, or appoint an additional assessor to help in making a final decision.
If a student fails to confirm D.Phil. status or to transfer to the status of the applicable lower degree after two attempts, then his/her student status will lapse and his/her name will be removed from the Register of Graduate Students.
Deferral of Confirmation of Status
If a student is unable to apply for confirmation of status within the prescribed number of terms permitted by the Examination Regulations they must apply for a deferral of confirmation of status, otherwise their student status will lapse and their name will be removed from graduate register. It is possible to apply for a deferral of confirmation of status for up to three terms (depending on provisions in Special Regulations), as long as the total number of terms from admission as an PRS student does not exceed twelve.
Any student who is considering applying for a deferral of confirmation of status will be required to attend a formal academic review meeting to review progress to date, and to draw up a clear timetable to ensure that confirmation of status is successfully achieved within the proposed period of deferral. To apply for a deferral of confirmation of status, a student will need to submit the GSO.14B form online via the Student Self Service.