The Grainger College of Engineering
Undergraduate Academic Advising

Incomplete Grades

Incomplete (I) Grade Request for Engineering Students – Undergraduates 

What is an Incomplete (I) grade? 

If a student is unable to complete the final examination or other requirements at the end of the semester due to illness or other extenuating life circumstances, a temporary time extension may be granted to complete the small amount of outstanding coursework in the form of an Incomplete (I) grade*. A “Request for an Incomplete (I) Grade” form initiated by the College dean/advisor will be used to complete this process.

What students and instructors should know before starting the process for Incomplete (I) grade request?

Incomplete grades are approved at the College office in consultation with instructors. Instructors play an important role in the Incomplete (I) grade process for undergraduates, but they do not grant Incomplete (I) grades. Only the student’s college may authorize such extension of time in individual cases, per the Student Code.

Incomplete (I) grades are not guaranteed. Incomplete grades are not granted to student who have had the opportunity to complete work but did not.

What steps are taken to request the incomplete (I) grade? 

  1. The student communicates with their instructor(s) of the possible need for an Incomplete (I) grade and discusses a plan for completing the outstanding work in the course(s).
  2. The student connects with a dean/advisor in the Grainger Academic Advising Center (4th floor Grainger Library) or through engineering@illinois.edu to discuss the situation in-person/zoom/email/phone. (NOTE: please do not arrive in-person if you are ill.)
    1. Students should provide extenuating circumstances documentation (e.g., letter from McKinley, Office of Dean of Students, etc.) to the dean/advisor at this time, if available.
  3. The dean/advisor completes the incomplete request, using one form for each course.
  4. Once submitted, a link is then sent to the instructor(s) of each course. The instructor fills out their section of the form where he/she indicates the amount of work missing, overall performance in the class, and documents the completion plan.
  5. The instructor then submits the form which routes it back to the dean/advisor the student has been working with.
  6. The dean/advisor will collect any additional information regarding the extenuating circumstances, if necessary, and make a decision. In making the decision, the dean/advisor will also consider the following factors:
    1. The number of classes for which the student is requesting an Incomplete (I) grade.
    2. The overall situation and/or academic performance of the student.
  7. The student will be notified of the outcome via email.

If the Incomplete (I) grade is approved, what needs to happen to complete the outstanding course work? 

An 'I' grade is not included in the GPA computation.  Outstanding coursework must be completed by the end of the 8th week of the following semester (not including summer). Once coursework is completed, the instructor will submit a late grade change to the grade earned. Any Incomplete (I) grade that is not resolved by the end of the 8th week of the following semester turns into a Failing (F) grade per the Student Code*. *See http://studentcode.illinois.edu/article3/part1/3-104/ for additional information about Incomplete (I) grades from the Student Code ($ 3-104).

Important Incomplete Grade Notes

  • The last day for a student to start the incomplete grade process is the last business day of finals for the semester.
  • It is the student's responsibility to arrange for completion of the course work to clear an 'I' grade.
  • If the Incomplete grade is in a prerequisite course for a course planned to take in the next semester, it MUST be resolved before taking the next course in the sequence. Exceptions may be made for cases where a passing final course grade is certain at the time of registration.