Oral examination and outcomes
Last reviewed 18 September 2026
After you submit, your examiners read the thesis and report on it. Most candidates then defend it at an oral examination. The same outcomes apply to written-only examinations.
Does it apply to you?
If you started your PhD in Term 1 2023 or later, you defend your thesis at an oral examination as well as the written examination. What counts is when the PhD itself started: if you came through the MPDBS, your MPDBS year does not count.
If your PhD started earlier, your examination is written only, unless your examiners disagree about the outcome. An oral is then held, no sooner than a week after you receive their reports.
It is not a public defence. The only people present are you, your two examiners and the panel chair.
You see the questions in advance
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Within six weeks of receiving your thesis | Your examiners report, and write the questions they want covered at the oral |
| At least one week before the oral | The panel chair sends you and your primary supervisor the reports and the questions |
| About eight weeks after your thesis went to the examiners | The oral |
The examiners' reports set what is discussed. Before the oral the panel chair asks the examiners and your supervisors to clarify the issues the reports raise, and agrees with the panel how it will run. You are asked about the reports and the questions you have already seen, though the examiners can follow up on anything you do not answer fully.
Read the reports with your supervisors, work out an answer to each question, and practise both the presentation and the questions. Your supervisors are responsible for making sure you are prepared. The Graduate Research School runs a workshop on oral examinations; see the UNSW HDR Hub (UNSW login required).
If you are ill, or need an adjustment to your examination, contact the panel chair immediately. The chair decides what adjustment is made.
On the day
The oral takes one to two hours. It is usually held online, because your examiners are from outside UNSW and typically not in Sydney; in person and hybrid are both possible. The panel chair introduces you and explains how it will run. You present your research question, methods and findings, and explain what the thesis adds to existing work in the field. The examiners then work through their reports and questions, and settle what revisions you need to make. You leave while the panel drafts its report, then come back to hear a provisional recommendation.
Outcomes
The Dean of Graduate Research confirms the panel's recommendation or, after discussing it with the panel chair, decides a different outcome.
| Recommendation | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Award | The degree is awarded once your final thesis is deposited in the Library. |
| Minor corrections | Two weeks to make the corrections and complete the Response to Examiners form, to the satisfaction of your supervisor and the panel chair. |
| Further work | Six weeks to revise part or parts of the thesis. The panel chair, and then the Faculty Higher Degree Committee, review your corrections. |
| Revise and re-examine | You re-enrol, normally for at least two terms full time and up to a year, revise your thesis and are examined again, including a second oral. This is permitted once only. |
| Non-award | The thesis does not merit the degree, and is not considered to warrant resubmission. For a doctorate, the examiners must have considered whether a Master by Research could be awarded instead. You can appeal only on the grounds that the process was not carried out fairly. |
If you are required to make corrections, you answer the examiners' reports on the Response to Examiners form. Your degree is awarded once the Dean of Graduate Research is satisfied with the corrections and your final thesis is deposited in the Library.
For the full rules, see the UNSW HDR Examination Instruction and the Higher Degree Research Policy.