ABD and doctoral credit review
Finish your doctorate without starting over.
The ABD completion pathway reviews doctoral coursework completed elsewhere and dissertation progress. UBIS may award up to 40 credits of advanced standing, then confirms the work, cost and timing that remain.
Up to 40 credits of advanced standing
toward the 60-credit doctorate, after academic review.
Is this for you?
Am I a good fit?
This ABD completion pathway is for people who finished doctoral coursework but never completed the dissertation. The review determines what counts instead of making you start again.
ABD describes a doctorate that stopped short of the dissertation: the coursework is finished, the degree is not. ABD is not a failure and not a separate qualification; it is a stage, and it is exactly the stage this review is built for.
Your transcripts show what you studied and when. We review that work toward advanced standing on the 60-credit doctorate.
Your coursework is reviewed from your transcripts alone. A proposal, chapter, or progress record can add research credit; if you never started one, the dissertation is simply what remains.
The review gives you your advanced standing, remaining work, cost, and timing in writing before you enroll.
Haven't started doctoral study yet? This page isn't for you yet. The MBA completion program is, and it takes transfer credit too.
About 10 minutes, with no commitment until you see your result.
Prior learning assessment
How your doctoral work is reviewed
UBIS looks at the doctoral work you actually completed and awards advanced standing toward the 60-credit doctorate, up to 40 credits. The purpose is simple: you should not pay to repeat work you already did.
Here is what the assessment means in practice, in four steps.
Your transcripts and dissertation evidence show how much doctoral work you completed and where your research stands.
Your completed coursework is compared against the 60-credit doctoral plan.
Relevant completed work counts toward the degree, up to 40 credits. Your exact number is set by the review.
Before you commit, you get the remaining research and dissertation work plus a clear cost.
Bring what you have; the review tells you what it counts for.
Know the degree
How the ABD completion pathway works
A Doctor of Business Administration is the highest professional degree in business practice. It is research-based and ends with a doctoral dissertation and an oral defense. Because your coursework is already done, advanced standing lets that work count; the steps below show what remains.
Your advisor supports your research from the start. Your committee reviews your progress at candidacy and conducts the final defense.
See your standing, remaining work, and cost in writing.
What you'll finish at UBIS
Complete the dissertation stage with a research advisor
Your coursework is already done, and it counts. What you finish at UBIS is the dissertation stage: online, asynchronous, and guided by a research advisor, so you keep working while you complete it.
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
800 series · dissertationCompleted doctoral coursework counts as advanced standing toward the 60-credit doctorate, up to 40 credits. The 800-series dissertation seminars and the dissertation itself are what you finish with us.
How the dissertation stage works
Doctoral research and proposal development, guided by your research advisor and the Doctoral Academic Leader.
Independent research with advisor support, building your dissertation manuscript at your own pace.
Submit your dissertation, then defend it before your committee.
You are guided throughout by a research advisor, with support from the Doctoral Academic Leader. Everything is 100% online and asynchronous, so you keep working while you finish.
The academic team builds your plan after reviewing your record.
Cost and time
One price, and about a year
Your completed doctoral coursework counts as advanced standing, so the price reflects only the work you have left. Here is what finishing costs and how long it typically takes.
Completed doctoral coursework and research count toward the 60 credits you need, up to 40 credits. The more that counts, the less you have left to pay for.
The Academic Merit and Future Leader scholarships reduce tuition by 30% combined. Your review confirms which you qualify for before you commit.
Your exact standing, remaining work, and cost are set by the academic review. You see the number in writing before you enroll.
$7,945 assumes the maximum 40 credits of advanced standing plus the 30% Academic Merit and Future Leader scholarship stack. Your exact number is set by the academic review, and we tell you in writing before you commit. Finish time of about a year is typical after advanced standing; your evaluation confirms what remains.
Start your ABD reviewWhat you'll need
Documents
- Master's transcript or degree evidence.
- Government-issued ID (passport or driver's license).
- All relevant doctoral transcripts.
- Resume or CV.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- Dissertation evidence, if available: an approved proposal, progress record, committee communication, chapter, dissertation draft, or status document.
- English evidence, only if you are not otherwise exempt.
Accepted formats: PDF, DOCX, JPG, or PNG. You can attach files straight from your phone camera.
Step by step
How your review works
- You complete the application and attach your documents.
- We review your doctoral work and award advanced standing.
- You receive your remaining research and dissertation work, plus your cost.
- You accept and enroll, then finish the dissertation and defend.
Everything else
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, your review will answer it in writing. The review starts from your actual record, not from assumptions.
What does "all but dissertation" mean, and am I eligible?
It means you completed doctoral coursework but never finished the dissertation. If that describes you, you are the person this program is for. The review confirms how much of your coursework counts toward the doctorate.
Will my completed doctoral coursework count?
UBIS reviews the doctoral work you actually completed and awards advanced standing toward the 60-credit doctorate, up to 40 credits. The exact number depends on your transcripts and how relevant the work is, and it is confirmed in writing before you enroll.
Do I have to redo courses I already completed?
That is the point of the program: no. Completed, relevant doctoral coursework counts as advanced standing instead of being repeated. What you have not done yet, mainly the remaining dissertation work, is what you take on.
What counts as dissertation evidence?
At least one document that shows your progress, such as an approved proposal, a progress record, committee communication, a chapter or full draft, or a status document. Research credit is only awarded with evidence, so bring what you have.
Do I have to attend classes at a set time?
The DBA is 100% online and follows an academic term calendar with weekly work. You do not need to travel or attend lectures on campus.
How long will it take to finish?
That depends on how much remains after advanced standing. With a moderate amount of work left it is about a year, and your exact plan is confirmed before you enroll. These are estimates your review refines, not guarantees.
What does the doctorate cost?
With the maximum 40 credits of advanced standing and the 30% Academic Merit and Future Leader scholarship stack, the remaining tuition is $7,945. Your academic review sets the exact number, in writing, before you enroll.
Can I keep working while I finish the doctorate?
Yes. The DBA is 100% online and follows terms with weekly work. Your academic review shows how much remains so you can plan it around your job.
Is the degree accredited and recognized?
UBIS is licensed by the District of Columbia Higher Education Licensure Commission (HELC). Its business programs hold programmatic accreditation through IACBE, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The doctorate is the same credential our on-site students earn, fully online.
Do credits from a non-US doctoral program count?
Yes, they can be reviewed. Every doctoral record is evaluated individually, wherever it was earned. What decides is the completed coursework and the relevance and evidence of your research, and the review confirms exactly what applies to your situation.
What happens after I apply?
Our academic team reviews your transcripts and dissertation evidence, awards advanced standing, and sends you your remaining research and dissertation work plus your cost. You decide from there, and an application is not a commitment to enroll.
In our doctoral graduates' words.
Doctoral graduates on what their UBIS studies meant to them.
Graduate highlight · DBA
UBIS has been an amazing journey. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge. This doctorate stretched me, but it was worth it and deeply fulfilling.
Graduate story · DBA
My UBIS journey strengthened my leadership vision and refined my data-driven approach.
Graduate story · DBA
My UBIS DBA journey deepened my strategic insight, helping me analyze complex markets through research and strengthen innovation in the financial ecosystem.
Graduate story · DBA
This doctorate deepened my curiosity and challenged me through uncertainty. With every question came more learning, and through perseverance and resilience, I discovered the greatest achievement of all. I am deeply grateful to those who mentored, guided, and encouraged me along the way.
The university
About UBIS
UBIS is an international business university that delivers its programs 100% online.
We are licensed by the DC Higher Education Licensure Commission, IACBE-accredited and CHEA-recognized. Our programs share one philosophy: real completed work should count. We review your prior study and dissertation progress, then put the result in writing: your advanced standing, your remaining work, and your cost. Nothing is decided until you see it.
Apply for an ABD review
About 5 minutes. No commitment until you decide to enroll.
Your doctorate is still within reach.
Submit the application and we will tell you what counts, what is left, and what it costs. You decide after you see it.
Apply for an ABD review