OWNER: Office of the Registrar
Email: registrar@nevadastate.edu
Phone: 702-992-2110
CATEGORY: Admissions and Enrollment, Academic Affairs/Faculty
POLICY ID#: AE 2.1
EFFECTIVE DATE: 04/24/2023
VIEWING/DOWNLOADING OPTIONS:
Web – Formatted (this page)
Download Policy
POLICY STATEMENT
This policy clarifies eligibility for Incomplete grades, how both Incomplete and Not Recorded grades are posted to a student’s record, and the procedures for changing both grades.
DEFINITIONS
Incomplete (I): A neutral grade assigned to indicate a student has not completed a course. Grades of “I” are excluded from grade-point average (GPA) calculations.
Not Recorded (NR): A neutral mark that indicates an instructor has not submitted a final course grade.
PROCEDURES
I. Incomplete (I) Grades
A. Faculty Discretion: The decision to issue an Incomplete grade to a student who meets the minimum requirements is at the discretion of the individual instructor. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee that an “I” grade will be assigned.
B. Minimum Requirements: To be eligible for a grade of “I” in a course, a student must meet the eligibility criteria established by the academic school that offers the course. Incomplete grades are intended for situations in which uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances (e.g., medical or family emergency) prevent a student from completing the course requirements during the instructional period; a student must provide the individual instructor with evidence of a verifiable reason that the remaining work cannot be completed by the end of the course. Individual schools have set the following eligibility criteria for Incompletes:
- Courses within the School of Liberal Arts, Sciences, & Business (LASB) and School of Education: The Student must be passing the course with a grade of 70% or higher based on work completed (not counting remaining work). Students in LASB should use the Student Absences Notification System through the Academic Success Center to provide verification of their reason for needing an Incomplete.
- Courses within the School of Nursing: To receive an Incomplete in a course offered by the School of Nursing, the student must be passing the course with a grade of 75% or higher based on work completed and must have completed a sufficient portion of the course such that the remaining coursework (e.g., a final paper, final exam) can be completed before the beginning of the next term. A student with an Incomplete grade in a required nursing course cannot progress in the BSN program until the Incomplete is resolved; in some cases, students may be unable to register for the subsequent semester until the Incomplete has been resolved. A student cannot re-enroll in a course in which an Incomplete grade remains on record.
C. Ineligible Circumstances: Nonattendance, poor performance, a failing grade, or requests to repeat the course for reasons unrelated to the verified unforeseen and uncontrollable circumstances are unacceptable reasons for assigning an “I” grade.
D. Requesting an Incomplete: Students must request an Incomplete grade by following the process within the School where the course is housed:
- Courses within the School of Liberal Arts & Sciences and School of Nursing: Students must email their instructor directly no later than the last official class day for the term, as published in the academic calendar, to request an Incomplete grade.
- Courses within the School of Education: Students must complete the School of Education Incomplete Grade Request Form and submit to their instructor before final grades for the course are due. The instructor and the student must come to an agreement on the timeline and the activities needed to meet course agreements.
E. Procedures for Assigning an Incomplete:
- School of Liberal Arts, Sciences, & Business and School of Nursing: If an instructor approves a student’s request for an Incomplete, the instructor will fill out the Request to Assign an Incomplete Grade form, found in the NS portal by the date grades are due for the term. The instructor must indicate all remaining work that is necessary to complete the course.
- School of Education: Instructors submit the SOE Incomplete Grade Request form to SOE Administrative Support personnel; the support person submits the Request to Assign an Incomplete Grade form as required. This will include a copy of the SOE form attached for verification.
F. Deadlines for Finishing Incomplete Work: The instructor or academic unit may set specific deadlines for the student to complete the remaining work as long as all deadlines and expectations are conveyed via email to the student upon assigning an “I” grade and stated in the Request to Assign an Incomplete Grade form. If no earlier deadline is set by the instructor or school, students have until the end of the next full fall or spring semester to complete the work in the class. Grades of Incomplete are automatically changed to an “F” (or, in the School of Education, to the grade listed on the School of Education Incomplete Grade Request Form) if the student has not completed all coursework and the instructor has not submitted a Grade Change Form by the last day of the next fall or spring semester; specific dates are published in the academic calendar. If the student failed to meet earlier deadlines set by an instructor or academic unit, the instructor may submit a Grade Change Form to assign the appropriate grade at that time, or may do nothing and allow the system to automatically assign a grade of F at the end of the semester.
- An Incomplete mark may be extended for one semester at the request of the student and the approval of the instructor and the academic dean. The instructor must submit the Incomplete Grade Extension Form by the date grades are due for the semester in which the approved “I” mark expires; this form is available from the Office of the Registrar.
- In the School of Nursing, students must complete all work before the beginning of the next term so the student may move on to the next course sequence as scheduled.
G. Changing an Incomplete Grade: The student must contact the instructor directly for instructions on completing any outstanding coursework. If the student needs access to materials housed in Canvas, the instructor should contact the Office of Information and Technology Services for assistance providing access after the end of the course. Once the student has completed and submitted all remaining work to the instructor, the instructor is responsible for grading the work, calculating the final course grade, and submitting a Grade Change Form. If the instructor is unavailable or does not respond to communications regarding completing the course, the department chair or academic dean is responsible for developing an appropriate plan for the student to complete remaining work, for having the work graded and the final course grade calculated, and for submitting the Grade Change Form. See Forms/Instructions below for a summary of responsibilities.
H. Medical Withdrawals after an Incomplete: In the event of unforeseen medical circumstances, a student may petition for a medical withdrawal while they still have an Incomplete in a course. If a Medical Withdrawal is approved, the Incomplete grade will revert to a grade of Withdrawn (W). Refer to AE 12: Medical Withdrawal Policy for full details.
I. Graduation: Students cannot graduate with an outstanding Incomplete grade.
II. Not Recorded (NR) Grades
A. Assigning an NR: A grade of “NR” is assigned by the Office of the Registrar when an instructor fails to submit a final grade for a student. Faculty cannot assign a grade of NR on the grade rosters; it is for administrative office use only.
B. Deadline to Remove an NR: The Office of the Registrar will contact instructors about NR grades once grades are posted at the end of each term. Faculty must correct the omission immediately. If the instructor is unresponsive to outreach from the Office of the Registrar and/or the instructor’s academic unit regarding resolving the NR grade, the department chair or academic dean is responsible for determining the student’s final course grade and resolving the NR, including submitting a grade change.
C. Changing an NR Grade: The instructor will submit a Grade Change Form to submit a final grade for the student.
D. Graduation: Students may not graduate with grades of “NR” on their record.
FORMS/INSTRUCTIONS
- Grade Change Form (in the NS portal)
- Assign an Incomplete Grade Form (in the NS portal)
- School of Education Incomplete Grade Request Form (available from SOE instructor)
- Incomplete Grade Extension Form (available from the Office of the Registrar)
Summary of Steps and Responsibilities for Incomplete Grades
| Responsible Party | Action |
| Student | · Meet all eligibility criteria established by the academic school that offers the course
· Request Incomplete grade by process described in I.D.1 and I.D.2 above |
| Instructor | · LAS & SON: Complete Request to Assign an Incomplete Grade form and submit to Registrar
· SOE: Complete School of Education Incomplete Grade Request Form and submit to Administrative Assistant · All: State deadline for completing work |
| Administrative Assistant (School of Education only) | · Submit School of Education Incomplete Grade Request Form along with Request to Assign an Incomplete Grade form to Registrar |
| Student | · Contact instructor for instructions on completing work |
| Instructor | · Contact Office of Information and Technology Services to give student access to Canvas, if needed |
| Student | · Complete and submit all remaining work by established deadline |
| Instructor | · Grade submitted work and calculate final course grade
· Submit Grade Change Form |
| Registrar’s Office | · Update grades listed in Grade Change Form or by running automated update batch process at end of term |
| Student (optional) | · Request Incomplete grade extension |
| Instructor (optional) | · Approve extension
· Submit Incomplete Grade Extension Form |
| Registrar’s Office | · Extend Incomplete Grade for one semester |
RELATED INFORMATION
- AE 12 Medical Withdrawal Policy
- Academic catalog Grades and Examinations section
- Academic catalog Final Grades section
- Student Absence Notification System (SANS)
HISTORY
Replaces AE 2: Incomplete Grades Policy.
APPROVALS
Recommended by Samantha Jewell, Faculty Senate Chair, March 3, 2023.
Approved by Dr. Vickie Shields, Provost, March 8, 2023.
Approved by Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President, April 24, 2023.