Viva Regulations

University regulations for the viva are similar around the UK, but not identical. They differ on things like the submission process, the number and type of examiners, how long is given for minor corrections, and other points. Candidates often ask me, “Well, what about my university? What do they do?”

So here’s a page with links to (nearly) every university in the UK’s thesis examination regulations. Find your university in the list, click and know exactly what your institution expects for your viva. If an institution doesn’t have a link that’s because I’ve not found the regulations yet, but I’m working on it!

Disclaimer: This resource is provided to help PGRs in the UK. While I’ve made every effort to track down regulations or advice for every institution listed here, and while I think that every link is accurate at the time of writing (September 2018), policies and regulations do change over time. Newer updated versions of pages and pdfs might exist, so if the page you are looking at seems like it was written some time ago, do make your own checks. If you find a broken link, let me know and I’ll take a look. Similarly, if you see an updated version of regulations tell me and I’ll update the link here.

…you made it all the way down here to the end of the list? Are you at one of these universities at the end of the alphabet, or do you just like scrolling? 😉

Remember: regulations change from time to time, so check that whatever you find for your institution is the most up to date. Also, regulations are broad, they have to cover every kind of researcher in every discipline at your institution. Talk with people from your school or department about their experiences to see how examiners interpret the regulations and deliver vivas they think are appropriate. After your viva, tell your colleagues who are finishing their thesis what it was like. Help set their expectations with your experience.