UTUGradu

The examiners have four weeks to examine your thesis. June, July, August and December make an exception and the faculties decide on the time limit for these months. In any case, the examination period starts from the day the supervisor forwards your Turnitin-checked thesis to the examiners through the UTUGradu system.

You will receive an email from the UTUGradu system when the examiners have given their evaluation statements.

• According to the Rector's decision, the electronic thesis process includes a possibility for the student to make an appeal before the Head of Department/Dean makes a final decision on the grade. You can make the appeal on the evaluation statement and grade given by the examiner(s) within seven days of receiving the email that the final examiner has given their statement.
• If the work is a collaborative thesis and evaluated in a joint process, the students will get to see the statements at the same time and give their appeal/seal of approval individually. Only after both students have confirmed the information on the form  the information is sent to the Head of Department/Dean for approval (more information below).

1. Click the link in the email so that the UTUGradu thesis form opens up in the browser.

2. Read the examiners’ statements and if you so wish, make an appeal against the evaluation by writing you comments in the “Do you want to make an appeal against the evaluation of the thesis?” field of the thesis form. If you are satisfied with the grade and do not wish to make an appeal, you still have to open the form and select “no”. 

• You have seven days to make the appeal in the UTUGradu system. Any comments made after the seven days will not be taken into account even if you can add them to the thesis form. 
• The appeal must contain information on which issue you are appealing against and on what grounds. For example,  you must tell in the appeal which grade you find more justified instead of the grade the examiners have suggested. You must also give reasons for your claim, refer to the assessment statement and specify which parts of the assessment you disagree with. Evaluation categories and grade descriptions may help you to write the appeal.
• After you have made the appeal to the thesis form it will go forward to Head of Department/Dean to decide what the final grade will be.
• After this, you have a chance to make an official appeal against the decision within 14 days, if you are not happy with how your thesis has been graded. Instructions are included in the email. You can make official appeal even though you have not made appeal in the UTUGradu form. You find instructions for official appeal from the email you have received.

NB! The process will not proceed before you send the UTUGradu thesis form forward!

3. Click “Save and proceed to confirm”, after which you can still the check the information you have added and go back by clicking “Edit”. When you are satisfied, click “Confirm and verify”.

Your responsibilities in the UTUGradu process end here.

► The thesis is approved and graded by the decision of the Head of Department or Dean. You will receive an email once the thesis has been approved and graded. After this, you still have a chance to make an official appeal if you are not happy with how your thesis has been graded. Instructions are included in the email.

► The grade is entered to the study register by the student administration of the Faculty. This might take a few days or even a few weeks during peak periods.

►The system will send the approved thesis automatically to the Library that publishes and archives it. After the transfer, your thesis will be available in the University’s electronic UTUPub repository if you selected open publication on the thesis form. Your abstract will be published in the UTUPub regardless. If you selected restricted access publication, your work will be available in an electronic form only on the Library’s work stations. Your thesis will be given a permanent identifier that you can use e.g. as part of your CV. Ask for more information on the publication archive from julkaisut@utu.fi.