Kansas State University

Incomplete grade policy: Extensions impact advisors and instructors

Submitted by Office of the Registrar

The Incomplete grade policy was recently modified to be effective for courses taken fall 2018 and later. In general, an incomplete grade earned in fall 2018 will convert to a grade of F during spring 2019 grade posting unless a grade change has occurred prior to that time. Some exceptions to this may include graduate research, theses, study abroad and some internship courses.

Occasionally, circumstances arise that necessitate students requesting a grade of incomplete be extended beyond the single semester after the incomplete was granted. Recent modifications to the Incomplete Grade Policy (University Handbook, F83) include changes to how such an extension of an incomplete grade is initiated and processed. 

• For incomplete grades earned fall 2018 or later, the responsibility for initiating the request for an extension will be placed on the student using a form available on the Office of the Registrar website.

• A student must first secure a signature from his or her advisor. The advisor's signature indicates an awareness of the student's desire to extend the incomplete. If the advisor is unavailable or the student has no assigned advisor, the student's dean's office must sign in lieu of the advisor. 

• The student will then discuss the extension request with the instructor and if approved, secure the instructor's signature. 

• The instructor will then submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar for processing. The instructor should not submit the form without all required signatures. 

• The deadline for submission of this form will be the Tuesday of final exam week. 

A targeted email communication to students with incomplete grades in fall 2018 was sent on March 21, describing the new process with the student as initiator of such. 

Note: The process for extending incomplete grades for courses completed prior to fall 2018 has not changed. Instructors will continue to receive a report from the Office of the Registrar to initiate this process.