📅 Submission Deadlines
Planning to graduate? Make sure your ETD is submitted by the deadline for your term:
- Summer 2026: July 31, 2026 @ 5:00 PM
- Fall 2026: December 4, 2026 @ 5:00 PM
- Spring 2027: April 30, 2027 @ 5:00 PM
Deadlines are strictly enforced by the Office of Graduate Education and Life. Failure to submit your ETD by the deadline may delay your graduation and require you to complete an appeals process.
If you have questions about graduation requirements or are unable to meet the submission deadline, please contact your department or OGEL. The library strictly handles approving ETDs for publication into the Research Repository only.
Research Repository - Login & Submission
- Go to the Research Repository @ WVU.
- Choose "Submit Research" in the left panel
- Select "Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports"
- Click "Log in with your WVU ID"
- Please complete all sections online, paying attention to "Document Type," which will dictate your web distribution as outlined below, as well as "Embargo" options.
- Please contact us if you have questions regarding the submission process. Contact your department for questions regarding graduation requirements or if you are unable to meet the deadline.
After completing the ETD approval process and having your graduation verified by the Office of the University Registrar, your thesis, dissertation, or problem/project report is deposited into the Research Repository @ WVU. When submitting your ETD paperwork, you choose how you would like your ETD to be made available.
To learn more about access and distribution options, please review the official West Virginia University ETD Access Policy.
Open Access
WVU encourages students to make their ETDs freely available worldwide through open access. As a land-grant institution, the University is committed to sharing scholarly work with researchers, students, and the public. Students are encouraged to consider the benefits of open access and select immediate public release of their research.
During the ETD submission process, open-access options will be listed under 'Document Type.' Available selections include:
- Thesis
- Dissertation
- Problem/Project Report
- MFA Creative Writing Thesis
In the past, some publishers viewed the public availability of a thesis or dissertation as prior publication, which could create concerns about future publication opportunities. Today, however, the vast majority of publishers permit theses and dissertations to be archived in open-access institutional repositories, including the WVU ETD collection.
Campus Access
The campus-access option limits access to your ETD to the WVU community through the Research Repository @ WVU login. External users may request access through Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Campus-only access may not be used as a substitute for obtaining necessary copyright permissions. Theses and dissertations are intended to serve as public records of examination, and students are responsible for securing any required permissions for copyrighted materials.
During submission, campus-access options are listed under Document Type:
- Thesis (Campus Access)
- Dissertation (Campus Access)
- Problem/Project Report (Campus Access)
- MFA Creative Writing Thesis (Campus Access)
Students selecting a campus-access option must also upload a completed Campus-Only Access Form, signed by their faculty advisor, in the Required Additional Files section of the submission form.
Learn more about campus access, timelines, and publishing considerations (click to view)
Campus-only access may be selected for up to two years following approval. After this period, the ETD will automatically become open access unless an extension is granted.
Only MFA Creative Writing students may designate their ETD as permanently campus-only.
If you require additional time, you may request a one-time extension of up to two years by contacting ask@westvirginia.libanswers.com. Requests should be submitted at least three months before the current access period expires.
Limiting distribution to campus-only access is generally considered equivalent to maintaining a print copy on a library shelf.
If you plan to publish your work, you are encouraged to review publisher policies. Most publishers provide guidance on their websites, or you may contact editors directly.
Research indicates that the majority of publishers accept theses and dissertations that are available in institutional repositories, and many do not consider them prior publications.
Additional resources:
No Access
Embargoes are used only in limited circumstances to protect sensitive research and will restrict access even within the WVU community. They are reserved only for these specific situations - patent filings, funder confidentiality agreements, or export control requirements. Embargoed status cannot be used as a substitute for copyright permissions as ETDs are intended as public records of examination.
There are two types of embargoes available:
Patent or Funder Confidentiality (1-Year Embargo)
- Under 'Document Type,' you may select the campus-access option, which will be the status of your ETD once the embargo ends. Otherwise it will be made open access and accessible to the public.
- Under 'Embargo Length,' choose the reason for having a 1 Year Embargo.
- Upload the Patents or Funder Confidentiality Form signed by your advisor to the 'Required Additional Files' section.
Export Control Regulations (Permanent Embargo)
- Select your document type (Thesis, Dissertation, etc.).
- Under 'Embargo Length,' select Permanent Embargo: Sensitive Export Control.
- Upload the signed Export Control Permanent Embargo Form. In addition to your advisor, this form needs to be signed by an export control officer.
Important Notice About Embargo Forms
Only current forms linked above will be accepted.
Outdated forms will not be processed.
Additional Files
Students may submit supplementary materials associated with their thesis or dissertation, including but not limited to datasets, audio or video files, and other supplemental media. These materials are optional. Supplementary files, along with any required forms, must be uploaded through the “Upload Supplemental Content” screen after ETD submission.
After You Submit
Once your ETD submission is complete, you will receive an automated submission confirmation email. Our team will then review your submission, typically within five business days. If revisions are required, you will receive an email outlining the necessary changes. You must return these revisions as soon as possible. Most ETDs that require revisions do so because they do not comply with the formatting requirements outlined on the ETD Prepare page.
When your submission is approved, you will receive a second confirmation email. This approval email will be forwarded to your committee chair(s) and your college graduate coordinator.
Publication Timeline: Your ETD will be added to the Research Repository @ WVU after your graduation is officially confirmed by the Registrar and final administrative processing is completed by the library. This process may take several weeks after the ETD due date.
A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) will be assigned to your ETD as part of scheduled processing.
ProQuest: Once your ETD is published in the Research Repository @ WVU, it will be indexed in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT) database. WVU does not control the timing of this process, and appearance in ProQuest may take several months. Questions regarding your ETD in ProQuest should be directed to ProQuest.
ETDs with campus-access or embargo restrictions are not included in PQDT until access restrictions are lifted.
Visibility: Even if your ETD is access-controlled or embargoed, the title, abstract, and citation will remain visible in the Research Repository @ WVU and may appear in search results. Only the full-text PDF is restricted until access conditions end.
Printing a Physical Copy of Your Thesis or Dissertation
There are two main options for obtaining a printed copy of your thesis or dissertation.