Before you are able to have your study reviewed  by the IRB, you must first have the appropriate school approvals. To ensure that these approvals are in place, the IRB relies on the IRB eligibility letter provided to learners to ensure that they are ready for IRB review.

For most schools and programs, the IRB eligibility letter will come from the Dissertation Support Center. For some professional doctorate programs, this email may come from the school directly. In all cases, the IRB eligibility letter will clearly state that you are ready for IRB review.

If you are not yet eligible for IRB review and submit your study to the IRB, you'll be notified that your study isn't eligible for review, your application will be returned to you, and you will need to resubmit your study once eligible.

For PhD learners only:

• In Q3 2012, the University announced a series of enhancements to the dissertation process that has lead to changes in milestones. This includes eligibility for IRB review. If you are eligible for IRB review, you would have received an email stating that you may proceed with IRB review from the university. Provide a copy of that email to the IRB as proof of eligibility.