Beloit College expects its students to complete all course requirements on schedule. It is assumed that faculty are prudent in establishing course requirements well-promulgated early in the semester. It is also assumed that students, in consultation with their advisors, will undertake responsibilities commensurate with their abilities and commitments.

Incompletes

Incompletes will be granted only in cases of serious illness or injury, family crisis, or some other substantiated unforeseen circumstance beyond the control of the student that would make it impossible to complete all course requirements by the end of the semester. Incompletes are only an option if the student has extenuating circumstances that occur in the last two weeks of a traditional term, or if the student experienced extenuating circumstances earlier in the term and was unable to catch up with the work, despite good faith efforts to do so.

An incomplete is intended for special circumstances where students have a very limited number of remaining assignments due. A student may not receive an incomplete for a course because of failure to complete required assignments on time and/or because of a significant number of absences occurring during the course of the term.

Request an Incomplete

“Request for an Incomplete” form may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office or downloaded from the website: download the Incomplete Contract Form and Guidelines.

The completed form must be submitted to the Registrar by the last final exam day. In case of illness or injury occurring at the end of the semester, notification from the Dean of Students staff to the Registrar will suffice to initiate the process.

An incomplete must be satisfied within eight weeks after the last final exam day of the semester in which it was arranged, unless the instructor stipulates a shorter time period. In exceptional cases, e.g. lengthy illness, the instructor should consult the Registrar to re-establish a reasonable due date. Unless otherwise stipulated, an incomplete unresolved by the end of the eight-week period will convert to a grade of “F.”

Student’s Responsibilities

Ask your instructor for an incomplete in the course.

• Be willing to make available verification or information regarding your extenuating circumstance (or ask staff to verify it on your behalf) upon request.
• Obtain a Request for an Incomplete form from the Registrar’s Office.
• With the instructor, establish the assignments/exams that need to be completed, as well as how and when they will be submitted to the instructor (in detail).
• If a supervised exam is required, establish when, where, and how it will be administered.
• Submit the completed form to the Registrar’s Office no later than the last final exam day.

If the Request for an Incomplete is approved:

• Complete and turn in your assignments and take exams as agreed upon with the instructor.
• If for some reason you are unable to meet the deadlines as agreed upon, contact your instructor AND the Registrar to discuss whether options exist for an extension.

If the Request for an Incomplete is not approved:

• Contact the Dean of Students or Academic Advising Office to discuss options (e.g. late drop, withdrawal).

Instructor’s Responsibilities

• Discuss with the student why s/he needs an incomplete in the course.
• Review the “Incompletes” section of “Grading” in the College Catalog.
• If you do not think it is appropriate for the student to receive an incomplete in your course, inform the student and do not sign the form.
• If the student would earn an “F” grade even with the incomplete assignments, inform the student and do not sign the Request for an Incomplete form.
• Consult with the Registrar or Dean of Students staff when appropriate.

If you agree to support the student’s request for an incomplete:

• Along with the student, determine which assignments still need to be completed, how they will be submitted, and the due date(s) for completing them.
• If a supervised exam is required, establish when, where, and how it will be administered.
• If the student does not complete assigned work by the date stipulated, assign a zero for the missing material and calculate it into the grade.
• No later than two weeks after the final deadline on the form, submit the final grade to the Registrar’s Office.
• If you are unable to fulfill your responsibilities, contact your Department Chair to work out an alternate arrangement.