Annual progress reviews
Last reviewed 17 September 2026
After your confirmation review, you have an annual progress review (APR) every year. Each APR must be held within 12 months of your previous review, whether that was your confirmation review or an earlier APR. UNSW's policy calls these reviews Research Progress Reviews.
You can hold it earlier than that, and sometimes should: for example, to give your talk while a visitor whose feedback you want is in the School. Unlike the confirmation review, your APR presentation is given at one of the School's internal seminar series.
Before the review
- At least two months before your preferred date, talk to your supervisors and the Postgraduate Research Coordinator (PGRC) about the best timing. Pick tentative dates that your supervisors and panel members can attend.
- Contact the School of Economics (SOE) seminar coordinator to book a slot for your presentation. The seminar schedule is usually busy, so plan ahead.
- If your supervisors think the panel should change (for example, because of a new staff member or a change in your research topic), talk to the academics you would like on the panel, check their availability, and ask them for feedback on your work. The PGRC must approve any change.
- Once the date is fixed, tell the PGRC at least one month in advance, so that the SOE office has time to organise the review. Give the date and time, your title and abstract, and a draft of your paper if one is available.
- Complete the review form in the Graduate Research Information System (GRIS) and send the documents listed below.
Panel members cannot be anyone who has been on your supervisory team, academics supervised by your supervisors, or your supervisors' active research collaborators.
Documents and deadlines
| Document | Where | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Review form, with your progress against the milestones set at your previous review | GRIS | At least one month before |
| Presentation slides | GRIS | At least one month before |
| Evidence of any required UNSW training | GRIS | At least one month before |
| Milestones for the next 12 months, agreed with your supervisors, and a timeline for completing your thesis | GRIS | At least one month before |
| PhD Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) assessment form, signed by your supervisor (a Business School requirement) | GRIS | At least one month before |
| Draft of the paper you are presenting | Email to all panel members; ideally also attached in GRIS | At least two weeks before |
| Presentation material | Email to your supervisors and panel members | At least two days before |
If you miss the review or don't complete the GRIS form, you will receive a show cause request.
At the review
- You present your work at one of the School's internal seminar series for at least 45–50 minutes. This is slightly less than the typical academic talk in Australia (60 minutes).
- The panel has 10 minutes to ask questions about your presentation and your research, and asks for an update on your progress towards your degree.
- You leave the room while the panel discusses your progress with your supervisors. You may also meet the panel without your supervisors present.
- Once the panel reaches a decision, you come back to hear its feedback. The panel reviews your milestones for the next APR.
Outcomes
- The outcome of an APR is Satisfactory, Marginal, Unsatisfactory, or Unsatisfactory with a request to show cause.
- After a Marginal or Unsatisfactory outcome, an additional review is held three months later (for full-time candidates).
Minimum requirements
Coursework
An average of at least 75 in your courses.
PhD seminar series
Two presentations over the academic year, discussant duty, and at least 80% attendance. See the seminar requirements.
Research progress
- You must have met all the milestones set at your previous reviews.
- By the end of your second year, you must have the first chapter of your dissertation ready for submission to an academic journal, and a draft of your second chapter.
- By the end of your third year, you must have your second chapter ready for submission to a journal, and a draft of your third chapter.
- We recommend starting work on the job market and on your thesis submission early in your fourth year.
Presentations outside the School
- By the end of your second year, you must have presented at least once at a conference, or at a seminar other than the School's internal seminars.
- By the end of your third year, you must have presented at least once at a domestic or international conference.
Business School and Graduate Research School (GRS)
Any required inductions and training.
Teaching
If you are tutoring or lecturing, at UNSW or at another institution, you must report it at your APR. The panel may advise you to change your teaching load.
For the full rules, see the UNSW Higher Degree Research Policy and its HDR Progression Instruction.