Incomplete Grade Information

Owned by Sara Cook
Last updated: Jun 12, 2024 by Francesca Palermino
3 min read

The grade Incomplete (I) may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality (as defined in Divisional Regulation 20 and 35), but is incomplete. An I grade may be placed on a student's record only if the completed "Incomplete Grade" request form, with the necessary processing fee paid, is on file in the Office of the Registrar, signed by the instructor, and indicating the reason for assigning the I grade, the student's grade to that point, the nature of the course work to be completed, the percentage of the final grade to be based on that work, and the deadline, if any, for submitting the work. 

The student must initiate the request using the Incomplete Grade request form (DocuSign form). This form will automatically route to the instructor for decision and then to the Office of the Registrar. The deadline for a student to submit an Incomplete Grade request form is the last day of the quarter. Retroactive requests may be considered at the instructor's discretion.

  • To approve the request form, sign and click "Finish."

  • To deny the request form, decline to sign the document. In DocuSign, in the upper-right hand corner of the screen, click "other actions." Then choose "Decline to Sign." 

 

A student is entitled to have the grade of Incomplete replaced by a passing grade as determined by the instructor concerned, and to receive unit credit and appropriate grade points upon satisfactory completion of the work of the course by the end of the next academic quarter following the quarter in which the I grade was reported, whether or not the student is registered or the course is offered.

  • For an I grade in a Fall quarter course, the deadline for work completion will be the end of the Winter quarter.

  • For an I grade in a Winter quarter course, the deadline for work completion will be the end of the Spring quarter.

  • For an I grade in a Spring quarter course, the deadline for work completion will be the end of the Fall quarter.

  • For an I grade in a Summer quarter course, the deadline for work completion will be the end of the Fall quarter.

 

Unless the work is completed and a grade reported to the Registrar; by the deadline, the I shall be changed automatically to an F, NP, or U as appropriate. If the instructor is unavailable, the chairperson of the department in which the course was offered is authorized to supervise the completion of the work and to make the appropriate grade change.

In the calculation of an undergraduate student's grade-point average, the grade Incomplete (I) is disregarded, except as provided in Senate Regulation 634.

An I grade on the student's record at the time of graduation in a course not necessary for the fulfillment of degree requirements may be removed only up to the end of the fifth week of the quarter following the quarter of graduation. If not removed, it will not be changed to an F, NP, or U, but will remain an I permanently. At the time of graduation, an I grade in a course taken for a letter grade must be utilized in the computation of the grade-point average, in accordance with Senate Regulation 634.

INCOMPLETE GRADE EXTENSION

The instructor or chairperson of the department in which the course was offered has authority to extend the deadline for completion in the event of unusual circumstances that would clearly impose an unfair hardship on the student if the original deadline were maintained. 

To request an extension for an I grade, the instructor or authorized department representative must submit an "Incomplete Grade Extension" petition using DocuSign (search for "REGT-Incomplete Grade Extension" in All Campus Templates) or by emailing RegRecords@sa.ucsb.edu to request the petition.

The Incomplete Grade Extension petition may not be submitted by the student.

INCOMPLETE GRADE RERVERSAL/CANCELLATION

It is not possible to cancel or reverse an incomplete grade prior to the grading deadline for the quarter. If an incomplete petition has been approved, and the grading period for the quarter has begun, and a student completes the course, the instructor will need to wait until after the grading deadline has passed to input the grade via the yellow ‘Change Grade’ button.