Incompletes

Students should request Incompletes rarely, if at all. It is far better to plan ahead and use advising and academic support resources to ensure finishing the coursework on time. If the work for a course is incomplete as a result of the student's unexplained failure to hand in assigned work or to take the final examination at the regularly scheduled time, the instructor will issue a grade of F for the course.

The decision to grant an Incomplete or not is solely that of the instructor teaching the course. If an instructor chooses to grant an Incomplete, he or she may grant a short Incomplete or a long Incomplete. If an Incomplete is not made up by the deadline below, it will become an F.

Deadlines for Short and Long Incompletes

  • A short Incomplete (I) must be made up by the end of the fourth full week of the next term.
  • A long Incomplete (II) must be made up by the end of the next regular term in which the student is enrolled (summer sessions excluded). *

*Starting Summer 2022, a Long Incomplete (II) is no longer available as a grading option.

Risks of Incompletes

    Multiple incompletes - mandatory leave

    • Students with two or more Incompletes will be eligible for a Mandatory Leave of Absence.
    • Incompletes affect the number of credits earned in the short term and can have an impact on financial aid, athletic eligibility, visa status for international students, or academic honors.
    • Students often find that incomplete coursework from previous terms is very difficult to finish while carrying a full schedule in the current term.
    • A student may not graduate with an "I" or "II" on the transcript.

    Repeating an Incomplete Course

    The Incomplete designation may not be used to allow a student to repeat the course in a subsequent semester. If a student must repeat a course in order to complete the work for it, the instructor will assign a grade of F for the initial semester and the student must re-register for the course for credit in a subsequent semester. In some cases, the Committee on Undergraduate Academic Standing may permit a student to withdraw retroactively from the course by petition.

    Resolving an Incomplete Grade

    The Incomplete is made up only when the official grade is received by the College Office. If a grade is converted to an F, the instructor may choose to change it up to two full semesters (excluding summer) after the term in which the course was taken.

    Support for Finishing Incomplete Work

    • Weingarten Center: Learning Consultations at the Weingarten Center are available for students who have Incompletes to help develop and work through manageable plans for finishing the work. The Center offers individual appointments as well as group workshops on completing your Incompletes.
    • Incomplete Course Support Plan: Students who are working on multiple Incompletes should fill out an Incomplete Course Support Plan. Dr. Chris Donovan, Academic Standing Coordinator, will receive a copy. The completed Plan should detail what work remains for each Incomplete course and include a timetable for finishing the work by the Multiple-Incomplete deadline. Students should use the Incomplete Course Support Plan to frame a conversation with each instructor about how the coursework will be resolved within the Multiple-Incomplete deadline.
    • Communication with Instructors: Students should keep in contact with the instructors whose courses they are working toward completing. Students should clarify with instructors what work remains and when it needs to be submitted to comply with the College’s Multiple-Incomplete deadline, as well as with any stipulations made by individual instructors about their own availability to review work. All work should be submitted to allow instructors ample time to review students’ work before the College deadline.