Incomplete Coursework

University Policy

School of Public Health Policy

An instructor may assign a grade of incomplete if the following conditions are met:

• The student has completed at least 75% of coursework in the course.
• The student cannot complete course requirements on time due to serious extenuating circumstances for which the student is not responsible.
  • Examples of such extenuating circumstances include serious illness of the student, military service, extended jury duty, or death of a family member. A student may be required to provide documentation of the circumstances.
• The “Drop without a W” and “Drop with a W” deadlines have passed for the course in question.
• An incomplete contract is completed, signed by both student and faculty, and submitted to the SPH Registrar’s Office.
  • The incomplete contract needs to include the reason for the I grade, the nature of the work to be completed, the deadline for completion, and the grade to be assigned if the work is not completed.

An incomplete grade cannot be granted as an alternative to submitting a poor or failing grade. The incomplete is granted on the condition that the student will complete the coursework on their own. A student cannot graduate with an incomplete in an SPH course on their record. It is strongly encouraged that students resolve incomplete grades prior to taking on additional academic work.

Incomplete grades must be resolved by the deadline specified on the incomplete contract or the final day of the next term (whichever comes first)—incompletes in fall terms must be resolved by the final day of the following spring term, incompletes in spring terms must be resolved by the final day of the following summer term, and incompletes in summer must be resolved by the final day of the following fall term. To resolve an incomplete, the faculty must submit a grade change form to the SPH Registrar’s Office by the final day of the next term. If a grade change is not submitted, the grade will convert to the grade listed on the contract or “F” if no grade is indicated or no contract is received.

If a student has extenuating circumstances and wants to extend beyond the one-term time limit, they can submit a written petition—along with supporting documentation—to the SPH Registrar’s Office. The SPH Registrar’s Office must receive this petition prior to the one-term deadline. Petitions are unlikely to be successful if 1) no incomplete contract was submitted and/or 2) the student has taken on additional academic work after receiving the incomplete grade. The maximum extension possible is a year beyond the original incomplete grade, after which the incomplete grade is permanently changed to the grade on the contract or “F” if no grade is indicated.

For 0-unit courses with continuous registration, please see the Grades and Course Units page for an explanation of J vs I grades.