Faculty members may assign an “Incomplete” grade when a student has completed a substantial portion of the expected coursework (typically 80%-90% of the work) but fails to complete a final assignment or examination just prior to the end of the course. Incomplete grades should only be given when there is a reasonable cause for why the student was unable to complete the work.  Selective Admissions programs have their own standards that must be upheld in respect to incomplete grades.

Please note the following steps:

  1. The “Incomplete” status request will be initiated by the student by the date of the last class session through the Incomplete Grade Request Form on the portal. Through the Incomplete Grade Request Form, the student will provide information on the amount of time needed, describe why the Incomplete is necessary, and list all the work that will be completed by the specified date. Please note that the student must complete unfinished work as soon as practicable.
  2. After receiving the Incomplete request, the instructor may approve or amend the student’s proposed plan and deadline.
  3. On the form, the faculty must provide a provisional grade that represents what the student will earn as a final grade if the work is not completed (zeros for incomplete work) by the stated deadline. 
  4. If an emergency circumstance prevents the student from responding or communicating at the end of the semester, the instructor may choose to initiate the incomplete process, but the student must provide a written request as soon as they are able. In such a circumstance, the instructor should contact the Registrar, and notify the student in writing with a list of all the work that must be completed in order to obtain a final grade in the course.
  5. *After receiving the remaining work from the student (by the stated deadline specified on the Incomplete Grade Request Form), the instructor will calculate a new grade. To change the grade from an “I” (incomplete), the instructor should initiate a grade change through the Grade Change Form.
  6. Grades of “I” (Incomplete) will be reviewed three times each year by the Registrar: April 1stth for fall and winter “I” grades; September 1st for spring “I” grades; and November 1st for summer “I”.  On these dates, the Registrar will update remaining “I” grades to the provisional grade provided by the instructor on the form (Step 3).

*After a student obtains an “Incomplete” status from an instructor, the student should continue to have access to the LMS course materials, and if not, the instructor must provide any course materials that are required to complete the grade.

Original: January 2006

Revised: July 2019

Updated: August 2021; August 2023