Incomplete Grades

From the Graduate Catalog:

An incomplete is a mark that an instructor may award to a student whose work in a course has been qualitatively satisfactory, but who is unable to complete some portion of the work required because of illness or other circumstance beyond the student's control. In awarding the mark of "I" for graduate courses other than 799 and 899, instructors must fill out an "Incomplete Contract for Graduate Students." The contract will specify the work remaining to be completed. It must be signed by the instructor and the student and maintained by the department offering the course. The student is responsible for providing a copy of the contract to the director of graduate studies in his or her program.

The mark of incomplete in 500-, 600-, 700-, and 800-level courses will not automatically roll-over to letter grades. Normally, students are expected to complete courses in which they have received an "I" by a date no more than twelve months from the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken. The mark of incomplete in 400-level courses will be governed by the rules for awarding incompletes to undergraduate students, including the provision of automatically converting an "I" to a letter grade.

Advisors should stay current with their students in urging completion of incomplete grades, and programs should review the status of incompletes in their annual reviews of students' progress toward their degrees. Students will remain in good standing despite marks of incomplete if the courses are not required for their degrees. For courses required for graduation, students will be considered to be making satisfactory progress only if they fulfill the conditions of any outstanding incomplete contracts in a timely manner. An "I" can remain in place on a student's transcript for a maximum of one year.

Departments and programs may specify the maximum number of incomplete credits students may carry, exclusive of credits in 799 and 899.

Students are strongly encouraged to obtain the Graduate School’s Incomplete Contract for Graduate Students Form and to initiate the paperwork process with the instructor.  Students should ensure that the Terms of the Incomplete Contract (work to be completed and completion date) are clear and specific. Students are responsible for providing a copy of the contract to the Program Office.  Graduate School forms can be found on the Graduate School’s website.