Sonoma State University

What is the CS Department policy on the "Incomplete" grade?

Effective April 2015

It is the policy of the Computer Science Department that a grade of Incomplete (I) shall be assigned only when the instructor concludes that a clearly identifiable portion of course requirements cannot be met within the academic term for serious unforeseen, but fully justified and documented, reasons and that there is still a possibility of earning credit.

An Incomplete shall NOT be assigned when one or more of the following is true:

  • the request is made before the 13th week of instruction
  • it is necessary for the student to attend a major portion of the class when it is next offered (i.e., if a student needs to repeat a class, an Incomplete should not be given)
  • the student is not passing the course with a C- or better at the time of the request
  • the student is unable to keep up with coursework due to other commitments
  • an unreasonable amount of time has passed since the student has participated in the course

The student and instructor must agree on the conditions for removal of the Incomplete and submit a "Request for Incomplete" form to the department office before a grade of "I" can be listed on the grade roster. This form may also specify a default grade that the student should receive if these conditions are not met within the allotted time.

The student must retain the grades for any coursework that was due prior to the documented date of the unforeseen circumstances. It is the student's responsibility to make arrangements to complete the remaining coursework with the instructor or, if the instructor is not available, with the department. The incomplete cannot be removed on the basis of work taken at another institution nor by re-enrolling in the course.

An Incomplete must be made up within one calendar year immediately following the end of the term in which the Incomplete was assigned. This limitation prevails whether or not the student maintains continuous enrollment.

If the student does not complete the remaining work by this deadline, the Incomplete will automatically be converted to another grade:

  • If the instructor specified a default grade on the Request for Incomplete form (see above), the Incomplete will be converted to that grade.
  • For graded courses, the Incomplete will otherwise become an Incomplete Charged (IC), which is the equivalent of an F and will affect the grade point average.
  • For Cr/NC courses, the Incomplete will otherwise become a No Credit (NC).