Administrative Incomplete
The Chief Academic Officer may, in exceptional circumstances, approve an administrative incomplete (“I”) if students have carried a subject with a passing grade until near the end of the semester but are unable, because of unusual and substantial cause beyond their control, to take the final examination or to complete some limited work. Students must complete an application form and have it signed by the instructor, department chair or college dean, and the Chief Academic Officer. The completed form will be sent to SAS, and the student will receive a grade of “I.” This form can be obtained in SAS or on the Portal.
Failure to appear for a final examination or to complete term work in the time allowed is not automatic justification for an incomplete. Unless proper justification is shown, the test or other work will be graded as “F” and averaged into students’ work for the semester or term.
If students fail to submit the incomplete work or take the final examination within 60 days after the official ending date of the semester in which the incomplete was incurred the grade will default to an “F.”
If students require an extended time to remove incompletes, they must get a recommendation from the instructor who issued the grade and approval by the department chair or college dean, and the Chief Academic Officer. Only one extension (not to exceed 60 days) will be granted, and it must be arranged before the normal 60-day limit expires. It is a student's responsibility, in consultation with the instructor, to arrange for removing incomplete grades.
Incomplete for Research Projects in Progress
Students may undertake research projects for one or more semesters for a predetermined number of credit hours. Grading will follow normal procedures unless the project extends beyond the stipulated completion time.
- One-semester projects – An incomplete may be granted if student progress is satisfactory and the faculty supervisor agrees that an extension is warranted. Students must obtain an extension form from SAS or the Portal and return it with all required signatures by the start of final exam week. If an extension of 120 days or greater is approved, a grade of “I” will be issued and converted to a letter grade when the project is complete.
- Multiple-semester projects – The same procedures apply to multiple-semester research projects, with separate registration and grades each semester. If an “F” grade is assigned at the end of any semester, the project will be terminated and a grade of “F” recorded for all semesters that the project is scheduled. If the same faculty supervisor is not available for the entire project, another faculty member will be designated to supervise and grade the project.
Medical Incomplete
Purpose
The Medical Incomplete Policy is designed for students who are unable to complete their course work and/or take the final exam due to medical or psychological illness that occurs after the last “Withdrawal with Notation” date, as designated in the Academic Calendar. A Medical Incomplete grants an extension in which a student can complete work missed due to medical or psychological illness. Consideration for a medical incomplete is on a course-by-course-basis. The instructor will determine how the student makes up missed work in the class and the deadline for completion of the work. The deadlines are set by the faculty but may not exceed a six month time frame. The faculty may indicate that insufficient work has been completed in the course to warrant a Medical Incomplete (extension) and may require the student to withdraw from the class. In this case the class must be repeated. A Medical Incomplete taken for multiple courses in the same semester is not recommended.
Petition Process
To receive a grade of Medical Incomplete (“IM”), a student must complete the appropriate petition, available in the Lang Center for Health, Wellness, Counseling and Disability Services. The student must obtain written documentation of medical necessity from the treating physician, psychologist or counselor. The medical documentation for all petitions must be presented to the director of the Lang Center or her designee. All petitions must be processed and all appropriate signatures obtained prior to the last day of final examinations for that course(s).
Before the Medical Incomplete petition is presented to the Chief Academic Officer, the following signatures must be present on the petition: a) Director of Health and Counseling, b) course instructor, c) academic advisor and d) Student Administrative Services (SAS). The instructor will write out a plan of work required to complete the course, and will attach the plan to the petition. Financial aid implications will be addressed by SAS. With the Chief Academic Officer’s approval, the petition is entered in the registration system. SAS will notify the instructor, advisor and the Lang Center that the process has been completed and the grade has been recorded.
Grades
If the student does not complete the course requirements within six months after the official end of the semester in which a Medical Incomplete was granted, the default grade will be an “F.” Students may petition the instructor for a passing grade (“P”) if enough work has been completed to warrant such a grade and the course is eligible for this option.
Extension for Medical Incomplete
Students can receive one extension of six months on a medical incomplete with a recommendation from the instructor and the advisor. Only one extension (not to exceed six months) will be granted, and the extension must be arranged before the regular six months extension expires. The extension portion of the original incomplete petition (available in the Lang Center) must be approved by the following: a) Director of Health and Counseling, b) course instructor, c) academic advisor and d) SAS. If the work is not completed by the end of the extension, the grade will become the recorded default grade. The student is responsible for initiating the request for an extension and submitting the petition. With the chief academic officer’s approval, the petition is entered in the registration system.
Responsibility
The student is ultimately responsible for the petition process. When a student is medically disabled and unable to complete the application process, Lang Center will intervene and assist with initiating the process until the student is able to continue on their own. The Medical Incomplete process is not finalized until the student has a letter grade in the course. The student is responsible for completing the work and earning the grade for the class. When the course work is completed, the instructor will submit the change of grade to SAS. Any exception to this policy must be submitted to the Chief Academic Officer in writing for consideration.
Changing an Incomplete to Withdrawal
Consideration will be on a case-by-case basis by the Chief Academic Officer. Any request must be made prior to the expiration of the Medical Incomplete or Medical Incomplete Extension.