When can a thesis get rejected or asked for a major revision?
This very much depends on which system you are in. I can answer from the point of view of the UK system.

It is very unlikely your thesis will be outright rejected.

It is very likely you will be asked to make some corrections.

Yes, you will have to make the corrections and send the thesis again.

Requirements for a thesis are generally set out by the university. They normally specify you must have made a &quot;novel contribution to the field&quot; and the work is, in principle, of publication quality.  Or something similar.

Yes, a good examiner will read the thesis line by line.


There are five possible outcomes from the examination of a thesis.

Accepted without corrections
Minor corrections - generally textual changes only - 3 month time limit
Major corrections - might involve some reanalysis, but no new experiments - 6 month time limit.
Resubmit - this thesis does not pass, but contains sufficient material to convince the examiners you are capable of passing. You are giving leave to rewrite and resubmit the thesis. May involve new experiments - often 1 year time limit.
Fail (either with or without a Master of Philosophy degree).

Almost all students are given minor or major corrections - I'd say 90% fall into these categories. Slightly more in minor corrections probably. Maybe 8% get no corrections, and perhaps 1.5% are asked to resubmit. Very, very few fail outright.